True Legend

New Chinese martial arts movies have clawed found their way into the Year of the Tiger. In accordance with the traits of the Lord of the Jungle, True Legend displays the ferocity and power of this year’s Lunar animal.
Director Yuen Woo-ping has once again tipsily treaded down memory lane and revisited his favourite subject, drunken fighting. About 30 years ago, Yuen together with a young actor Jackie Chan made each other famous in the classic movie Drunken Master.
True Legend focuses on Su Can, the founder of Drunken Fist. Because it is Yuen’s forte, the fight scenes are exhilarating and at times mind-blowing.
The story of the founder of Drunken Fist, Su Can, has obviously been stylised and exaggerated to give the movie a grittiness that draws the Chinese New Year crowds.
Vincent Zhao is an excellent choice for the main character, Su Can. In reality, Zhao was a champion in various martial art disciplines in China since his teenage years.
The physical demands that the Beggar Su role exacts on the actor calls for a man who has not only the stamina but also the skills to put forth a convincing performance.
It is always a pleasure to watch a highly skilled wushu exponent flips and turns his body in a fight sequence and know that you have not been shortchanged.
Director Yuen who is responsible for some of the most exciting scenes in The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kill Bill has once again proven that he’s THE man when it comes to thrilling fight scenes, ancient or modern.
Mainland China actress and singer Zhou Xun who plays Xiao Ying, Su Can’s wife is the bright spark that ignites the show when it could have easily fizzles off down the misty mountain trail.
Zhou’s superb portrayal of a loyal wife who exhibits wisdom and courage in Su’s most trying times gives True Legend the cutting edge this festive season .
The only glitch in the entire plot is probably Jay Chou who seemed overdressed for his part as Lord of Wushu. It might not be Chou’s fault but the glitzy costume was not in congruence with the theme or the natural surroundings.
Michelle Yeoh’s role as Sister Yu was surprisingly short but nevertheless memorable. Her extensive acting experience in Hong Kong and elsewhere holds her in good stead in this film.
David Carradine a.k.a. Kwai Chang Caine shows up in the last segment of this movie like a ghost of kung fu past. Carradine who died in June last year had only a minor role but the actor’s fans will probably appreciate that “Grasshopper” has left them something to remember him by.
Even veteran Hong Kong actor Gordon Liu has a minor but significant role in this film. Liu plays a beaded master of levitation who floats to great heights during Su Can’s lost years in the wilderness.
If one can recall, Liu is the man who’s responsible for the spate of Shaolin Temple movies that overwhelmed local cinemas back in the 1970s.
Liu’s last memorable role was in Kill Bill (2003) when one of his biggest fans, Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino, cast him as Master Pai Mei.
In a way, True Legend is a tribute to the living legends who have contributed in no small way to the martial arts movies from the side of the earth where the sun rises every morning.

In the final analysis, True Legend is flamboyantly entertaining. At times, the action scenes are over the top but then it’s Yuen Woo-ping’s piece of work, so expectations are rather high.
So if you have a few hours to kill, invest some of your Ang Pow money on True Legend and embrace those riveting sensations that personify Yuen Woo-ping’s early movies like Snake In the Eagle’s Shadow, Iron Monkey and Tai Chi Master.
There’s a bonus in this show too. Some of the most spectacular faces of China’s countryside are also on full display.