Review of True Legend (2010) by Allan C — 22 Jul 2015

Probably the best new martial arts film I've seen in some time. From Woo-Ping Yuen in his first solo directing effort since 1993's "Iron Monkey," he really knocks this one out of the park in terms of offering some amazing fight scenes.

The film follows the story of Beggar Su, who is the creator of Drunken Boxing, before he became a beggar. Su retired from the arm to be a family man, only to have his family destroyed by an evil step brother, who is irresponsibly using the Five Venom Fists.

Su's father killer the step brother's father for doing the same, so the step brother now want's revenge for his father's killing by destroying Su. When Su's life and family are torn apart he turns to booze and goes downhill, but redeems himself in the end, though not after some very odd multiple climaxes.

The is badly structured and the melodramatics common to Chinese films are way over-the-top, but that's not why you watch a Yuen Woo-Ping film. You watch them for some amazing fights. I'd really thought I was done with martial arts wire work fights and bores with that style of fight films, but Woo-Ping made me realize that seeing it done well is all you need to make it exciting and fun to watch.

This film is a must see for martial arts fan, but others should probably steer clear. And one interesting factoid, Woo-Ping directed an early hit of Jackie Chan's in 1978 about the same character in "Drunken Master" though Chan's film took a much more comic approach.