Hung Hei Kwun: Siu Lam ng zou

Not very clever, not very elaborate, and far from original. Yup, it's another Wong Jing movie. The opening scene is stolen directly from Kazou Koike's Lone Wolf and Cub, that's our first clue. As Wong Jing movies go, this really isn't one of the best. It doesn't match the violence and frantic pace of High Risk (Meltdown) or the exploitation fun of The Naked Killer. Yuen Kwai's choreography here isn't up to the standards of his work on My Father is a Hero (The Protector), but it isn't as bad as Romeo Must Die or Fong Sai Yuk (The Legend). If you just want to see another kung fu movie, and you don't care about the specifics, you should be able to enjoy it. Just don't expect too much.

Pretty good action featuring Jet Li and Chingmy Yau. There's real story, and action in this well made Hong Kong movie.

It's a Wong Jin movie, so you can expect high quality, and entertainment. The movie delivers on both fronts. There's a happy feeling to this movie that's copiously missing from all Hong Kong movies made in the 21st century. Also there's innocence that seems to be scoffed at as cheese these days. But it's these two qualities that makes this movie so good. Jet Li plays the part of a father who bears lot to raise his son. Soon he meets Red Bean (Chingmy Yau) who ends up following him around. The three ends up fighting the bad guys to help the local people.

One thing I miss about movies from this era is that there were actors who by their presence can brighten the whole screen. Where are the Chingmy Yau of our generation, or Do Do Chen ? The details have improved but that has pigeon holed actors to play their roles in a certain way. This movie carries the genes from the silver age of Hong Kong cinema that was wildly entertaining.

The formula still works, and I hope Wong Jin will find new talents that will brighten the screen as this movie does.

I believe Jet Li to be a terrific martial artist. However, I thought this movie was probably the worst I have seen him do. Legend of Red Dragon is about a man whose family was murdered by people related to the government, because he was a bandit. His friend ratted out on him for money and it ended in a fight to the death for the friend. Little did Jet Li's character know that the man would come back as an evil creature on revenge. The only survivor was his own son, and now the two team journey on their own. Eight years after the tragic event, their past comes back to them.

On a side story, five little Shaolin monk children were tattooed a piece of a map that would lead to a valuable item: The Red Dragon. The "Friend" from eight years ago and the government team together to find the kids and get the map. As they try to get children, they stumble upon the father and son. Now them and the five children, along with a few other characters try to put a stop to the government from getting a hold of the Red Dragon.

What makes this a disappointment was how it was directed, as well as the storyline. You were able to see strings from most of the flying scenes, you could tell that most of the scenes were taken in a studio. Secondly, the Red Dragon was never found and it pretty much died out when Jet Li's character had a bounty on his head. Personally, I think it could have been better. Stick with the storyline, and work on the strings.

Definitely a movie worthy of watching. I have a complete set of all Jet Li's movies (Chinese and American made) and feel that it deserves a higher rating than others have given it. Reviewers must realize that kung fu movies are fun movies with lots of action and a weak plot. You can't compare them to Hollywood's finest productions, because people have to realize that they were meant to be released in Asia only and that they are to be compared to other Asian fighting shows. Now that I've finished ranting about other's reviews let's get back to talking about the show. Jet Li plays a different character than the usual Master Wong or Master Fong. Jet usually plays the master of the kung fu club or society, but in this case him and his son are rebel outcasts of the main society. I'm not going to spoil the movie for you, but it's the usual plot of a kung fu movie - he fights the true bad guys, picks up a sexy girl who falls in love with Jet, and he fathers and trains his son. By the way, I only watch the Chinese original movies because I'd rather read the sub titles and hear the original music and read the proper meaning of the show. I understand that influences my reviews because others may be seeing badly translated dubs with stupid voices in them.Rent or buy the proper versions if you can. The theme song for Fong Sai Yuk (Jet's character in the 'Once Upon a Time in China' series is an awesome instrumental song) If you're picky about production quality, quality of plot, etc. etc. then don't watch Chinese produced Jet Li movies. Some of my other favourite Jet Li movies are 'Last Hero in China' and 'Hitman'

The American re-release of this film, "Legend of the Red Dragon", is a mess. Shows how important seven minutes can be to a film. Deannie Yip's part (Red Bean's mother) is ripped to shreds for no discernible reason whatsoever, which unfortunately makes an important plot twist seem trivial. Also, she has the best comic moments in the original film. Columbia-Tristar is the villain here. They must think 'Fu film fans are stupid - which only goes to show how stupid THEY are. A real insult.

The original film is by no means a great film; intentionally anachronistic and overly dependent on special effects, it is clearly a kind of throwaway for Jet Li and director Wong Jing (although certainly not as trashy as their Wong Fei Hung parody, "Great Hero/ Last Hero of China"). Still, it is entertaining to a surprising extent, largely thanks to Yip's comic performance. If you can find the original (I saw it on a Tai Seng tape), don't expect much, but you may find yourself enjoying it for the characters if not the martial arts.