R E V I E W :    Fong Sai Yuk II  

Revised 3/15/01 | Background | Movie Review | DVD Review | Recommendation

Background 

1993 / Universe / 96 minutes
Directed by Corey Yuen Kwai
Written by John Chan Kin-Chung and Kay On

After the success of Fong Sai Yuk, its sequel was made quickly and released just four months later, in July 1993. It grossed HK $23 million.

Jet Li had a busy year in 1993. Once Upon a Time in China III was released in February; Fong Sai Yuk in March, Fong Sai Yuk II in July, Tai Chi Master in early December, and Kung Fu Cult Master two weeks later.

Movie: plot, performances, production, rating

Plot: Following in his father's footsteps, Fong Sai Yuk is now a secret member of the Red Flower Society, which is working to overthrow the government. Divisions exist even in this family, however, and the fissures begin to crack wide open.

Performances: Jet Li, Josephine Siao Fong-Fong, and Michelle Reis reprise their roles as Fong Sai Yuk, his mother, and his betrothed love. They are just fine, but, writing this several days after I watched it, no performances really stood out.

Production: As in the first film, the action scenes are well designed and performed. The problem here is the script. It feels like the writers began with a photocopy of the script for the first film, left the basic structure the same, moved a few scenes around, and then came up with variations on what we seen already. It has the requisite mix of action, comedy, and drama. Considering the jam-packed filmmaking schedule of both Jet Li and Corey Yuen Kwai that year, maybe they should have tried to delay the project until they both had more time to develop it as something more than a just-for-the-money sequel. The beautiful cinematography was realized by Mark Lee Ping-Bin, who recently won acclaim for his work on In the Mood for Love).

Rating: Category II. Much kicking, punching, falling, but little explicit bloodshed.

DVD: look, sound, subtitles, and features

Look: The letterboxed (1.85 to 1) and remastered disk looks beautiful (vibrant colors, sharp picture), although the print itself has scratches, blotches, etc. That being said, some scenes look a bit soft and color reproduction is not always accurate.

Sound: The post-synched and remixed for DD 5.1 Cantonese track does not quite sound right. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because the sound clearly comes from inside a studio and not from the various locations. It's missing ambient sounds -- it's not horrible, it just doesn't sound natural. Also included is a DD 5.1 Mandarin audio track.

Subtitles: Removable and large white font. The English subtitles have numerous misspellings -- not the best job. Also included are traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles.

Features: Nine chapters. Stars' files are provided for Jet Li and Corey Yuen Kwai. The film's original theatrical trailer and also trailers for Fong Sai Yuk and Tai Chi Master are included.

Buy, rent, or pass?

Rent. A good film with several solid and enjoyable action sequences, yet it feels a bit like "paint by numbers," perhaps suffering from "sequel-itis."

 

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