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Once Upon a Time in China III
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Wong Fei-Hong (Jet Li) carries a flag bearing his name
Chinese: 黃飛鴻之三: 獅王爭霸
Year: 1993
Director: Tsui Hark
Action: Yuen Tak
Cast: Jet Li Lian-Jie, Max Mok Siu-Chung, Rosamund Kwan Chi-Lam, Lau Shun, Mo Shao Min, Xiong Xin-Xin
The Skinny: More lion dancing than you could ever ask for. The third in Tsui Hark's popular series is entertaining, but not as good as the previous two films.
   
Review
by Kozo:

Third entry in the continuing Once Upon a Time in China III series is entertaining, but overstuffed and a bit labored. This time out, Wong Fei-Hong (Jet Li) must prevent the murder of the the Empress Dowager's favorite eunuch Li Hung Cheung. The plotters are evil Russian foreigners, led by a blonde ex-boyfriend of Aunt Yee (Rosamund Kwan). They plan to off Li Hung Cheung during a massive lion dance competition by various marital arts schools. Seeking justice, Wong Fei-Hong decides to enter the contest himself.

However, problems arise due to the various martial arts schools, who look upon the competition as a way to establish supremacy over competing schools. Operating in much the same way as triad turf wars, these kung-fu gangs spend a good portion of the film in all-out kung-fu action goodness. Wong Fei-Hong must make peace among the kung-fu schools, one of which has popular character Club Foot (Xiong Xin-Xin) as its primary enforcer. Also, he must contend with the increasing romantic advances of Aunt Yee and the watchful eye of dad Wong Kei-Ying (Lau Shun). And, Leung Fu (Max Mok) provides his usual comedy relief.

All in all, this entry in the series is good entertainment, with a few fantastic fight sequences. However, when the end of the film hits we get a massive lion dance showdown with literally hundreds of lion dancers. The result can be both exciting and interminable - it all depends on how much lion dancing you can take. This isn't the best of the series, but it's a decent sequel and still better than a lot of other stuff out there. (Kozo 1996)

   
Awards: 13th Annual Hong Kong Film Awards
• Nomination - Best Editing (Marco Mak Chi-Sin)
Nomination - Best Action Choreography (Yuen Tak)
Availability: DVD (Hong Kong)
Region 0 NTSC
Intercontinental Video
16x9 Anamorphic Widescreen
Original Cantonese Language Track
Remixed Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1
Remixed Cantonese DTS 5.1
Remixed Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1
Removable English and Chinese Subtitles
"Legend of Wong Fei-Hong" featurette, trailers, photos
*Also Available on Blu-ray Disc
Also see:

Once Upon a Time in China (1991)
Once Upon a Time in China II (1992)
Once Upon a Time in China IV (1993)
Once Upon a Time in China V (1994)
Once Upon a Time in China & America (1997)
Last Hero in China (1993)

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image courtesy of Mega Star Video Distribution, Ltd.

   
 
 
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