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Sunday, September 15, 2013

RED Quickie: Wu Dang

Hong Kong movies haven't had their share of the limelight in recent years, but it's nice to know they are still making them.

I'm sure many of us with a passing familiarity with China's long history of martial arts are familiar with the legendary Wu Dang (or Wu Tang) mountains. Here in these legendary mountains, many have trained and created their own forms of martial arts. Also there's a rapper group named after it. In this fantasy/martial arts film, set in the early 1900's, there are magical treasures, robbers, old timey gangsters, sleep kung fu, a martial arts contest and plenty of great action sequences. The good news is that it doesn't get too convoluted. The bad news is... well, there isn't any.

All of the protagonists have their share of the limelight. There's one subplot with Tang Ning (played by the adorable Xu Jiao) and Shui Heyi (Louis Fan) that kinda feels weird or creepy at the start but develops into this cute little thing later on. Vincent Zhao and Mimi Yang's characters have this great chemistry, and Mimi Yang's character, a kickass martial artist, steals the show.

The action is fun and fluid, thanks to the action direction of Corey Yuen, known for his work with Jet Li in the Fong Sai Yuk series.

It's an enjoyable watch and those 98 minutes just flash by. If you're in the mood for some chop socky action, look no further.

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