True Legend 2010

This is just for fun since I watched a lot of old movies on YouTube.

Disclaimer: Every review is based on the reviewer's personal watching experience.  I for one, doesn't like horror, thriller, sad movies.  Much preferred comedy, romantic comedy and anything comedy in it.  So, if a movie that I watched is not a comedy, then my review is probably bias.  Then again, this is not really a review, but merely a simple post.

True Legend is a martial art movie directed by Yuen Woo Ping.  This guy himself is a legend in the kungfu world.  I am not truly a fan of kungfu movies, but it's much better than senseless fighting.  Kungfu movies always fight with a clear intention.

Vincent Zhao, Zhou Xun, Jay Chou, Gordon Liu, Michelle Yeoh and the late David Carradine star in it.  These are the only big names I knew.

I for one, don't really enjoy Vincent Zhao's acting.  Maybe because the last movie that I watched was "Once Upon in China 4 & 5" which Vincent Zhao acted as Master Wong and since that 2 movies were in Cantonese, Vincent's voice was dubbed.  Besides, Vincent doesn't have the handsome look, compared to Jet Li.  

For me, I would opt for a Cantonese movie anytime.  I can't really understand Mandarin and so if really want to watch, must have English subtitle.  

But in True Legend, Vincent used his own voice and I thought that was fantastic, albeit his high pitch voice, which is not manly enough.  

True Legend is about Beggar Su and how he started.  It was in 3 parts which span over years.  Before I watched the movie, I read in some reviews that Part 3 was totally unnecessary.  And now I know why.

He was General Su Can who rescued a Prince from some mountain area with his adopted brother, General Yuan Lie (Andy On) and General Ma.  The prince wanted to promote General Su, but he rejected the idea.  Instead he told the prince to promote his adopted brother, General Yuan instead.  The prince showed a major a disliking to General Yuan causing General Yuan to be jealous of General Su.

General Su decided to runaway home to spend his lifetime building his passion, which is to open a Martial Arts School and to teach kungfu to all those who wants to learn.  He also wants to raise a family with his wife, Yuan Ying (Zhao Xun), who is also General Yuan Lie's biological sister.

Then we found out that many years ago, General Su's father, Elder Su (Bryan Leung) had killed Yuan Lie and Yuan Ying's father.  It wasn't an accident.  According to Master Su, Elder Yuan had become deadly and violent for over-practising the Five Venom Fists.  In Chinese, the word is " 走火入魔"

This means deviation from over practising, whether is kungfu or anything for that matter.

For many years, Yuan Lie harbored anger towards Elder Su and vowed revenge for his father.  After many years, when Yuan Lie has finally mastered the Five Venom Fists and sewed metal armor into his skin for immortality, he went back to visit his adopted family.

Wait.  Here is what I don't understand.  If Yuan Ying is Yuan Lie's biological sister and Su Can is Yuan Lie's adopted brother, doesn't that mean Yuan Ying is also the adopted sister of Su Can?  How can he marry her?  Incest?  Let's continue.

Yuan Lie killed Elder Su in revenge and chopped of his head to be offered to his father.  Yuan Lie took Yuan Ying and his nephew, Little Feng (Su Can and Yuan Ying's son) to the river side to perform the offerings to his late father.  Also, Yuan Lie said to Yuan Ying who was hugging Little Feng, "Now, we are truly a family."

Wait.  Does Yuan Lie has amorous intention towards his own sister?  He doesn't behave like a big brother, instead like a lover.  Another incest relationship?  Weird.

When Su Can found out that his father and other family members have been killed by Yuan Lie, he raced to the deck by the riverside to avenge his father's death.  

He fought, poisoned by Five Venom Fists and lost and Yuan Lie threw his body into the ravenous river.  Yuan Ying jumped after him.  Both of them survived the fall and the massive river, but Su Can lost his ability to fight and broke his right arm.

Here is Part 2 where Su Can and Yuan  Ying were rescued by Dr Yu (Michelle Yeoh) and they both stayed in the hut on top of a peaceful mountain.  Yuan Ying learn how to make wine from Dr Yu.  Su Can spend time recuperating but was saddened by the lost of kungfu skills.  

Through his wife's love and support, he began to start practising kungfu again.  He found Wushu God  (Jay Chou) and Old Sage (Gordon Liu) and started fighting with Wushu God.  Each time he came back with bruises, he would tell his wife what they did.

Later, after Dr Yu checked Su Can's pulse to see if he has fully recovered, found that Su Can is also another case of 走火入魔.  

Dr Yu warned Yuan Ying.  One day Yuan Ying followed Su Can to the forest and found that he was only talking and fighting with himself, and all the bruises were caused on his own.  Yuan Ying disappointed and tried to talk Su Can out of it.  But at the same time, Yuan Ying misses Little Feng a lot.

So, Yuan Ying felt she is the only one who can save Little Feng from his evil uncle and she left.  At the same time, Su Can got back his senses and realised it was all an illusion.

Wait.  What Wushu God and Old Sage?  Were they really an illusion?  The movie did not state more.

Su Can went to Yuan Lie's residence and fight his way through.  Meanwhile Yuan Lie buried his sister alive and told Little Feng, if your father kill me, your mom and I will be together as a family, dead.  Really crazy.

So, Su Can fought hard and killed Yuan Lie, not before finding out the location of Yuan Ying.  But they came too late to save her and she died.

Part 3.  Many years later, Su Can became a drunkard, depressed and homeless.  Lived on the streets with Little Feng, it was Little Feng's love and support this time.  Found that foreigners were beating up Chinese as a competition for prizes.  

At the same time, Su Can went to a restaurant to steal wine and found Wushu God again, this time another drunkard.  In order to get the wine that he thinks his wife made, he fought with Wushu God  and here Wushu God taught him Drunken Fist.  Here they met General Ma who is now a Leader of the Wushu Federation.  

Su Can told General Ma to take Little Feng with him as he knew he can't give Little Feng a good home.  But Little Feng stayed on.

Next day, General Ma was to fight with the foreigners i.e wrestlers.  Su Can and Little Feng went to watch and support.  While on stage, he was badly beaten and Little Feng went on stage to stop it.  Su Can at that time was tasting red wine and whisky and heard Little Feng's cry for help and jump on stage to rescue him and General Ma.

Found that the wrestlers didn't follow the no weapons rule and went on stage with weapons and fought Su Can.  First it was 1, then 2, then 3 together.  David Carradine is the guy who owns these wrestlers and he gave some shot to one of the wrestlers to make him strong.

In the end, Su Can was also badly beaten but he won.  Lying as if dead, and Little Feng cries for his father ache my heart, Yuan Ying (ghost?) came to Su Can to encourage him to get up.  

And that's it, The End.

Phew.  

What I like about this movie is the kungfu choreography.  Zhou Xun is very pretty.  But the storyline was a little nonsensical.  With possible incest relationship, illusions and ghost, it became a fairy tale instead of a true story.  Well, of course this is fiction, but Beggar Su is a true person.

And who in the right mind would sew metal armor into the body?  Ok, so he was not in his right mind.  But I was thinking rationally, painkillers everyday?  Tetanus?  This is like daily penance for Thaipusam day.  And you think by sewing it into your body would make you invincible?  Think again.  It was ripped off by Su Can.  Big OUCH!

And why is Michelle Yeoh there and not fighting?  Or Gordon Liu there but just sitting and laughing?

Watch if you like kungfu.  Otherwise, it's just a so-so movie.