True Legend (2010)

October 16, 2015

True Legend is about two brothers, Su Can and Yuan Lie.  Su Can’s father had killed Yuan Lie’s father for committing horrible acts of cruelty upon the common people with his Five Deadly Venom Fist style (an homage to Five Deadly Venom’s) .  Feeling guilty Su Wan-kun raises the two children of his enemy Yuan Lie and his sister Xiao Ying.  Su Can is jealous of his foster brother and upset that his sister eventually marries him.  He sets out to get revenge for his father.

This is the first movie Yuen Woo-Ping has directed since 1996’s Tai Chi Boxer. It is the first martial arts 3D film to be released in China however it didn’t make as much money as originally expected.  Production values are high and the cast is top notch.  The plot is very simple, revenge and redemption so don’t expect any deep meaningful philosophy by watching True Legend.  It is a gritty and violent action film that doesn’t disappoint.  I enjoyed the many homages to other great films in True Legend and the style and feel of the movie up to the ending where it started to seem like a rip off of Fearless than the kick ass movie it was in the first half.

Michelle Yeoh as Sister Yu, Andy On as Yuan Lie, and Vincent Zhao as Su Can

Vincent Zhao (Green Snake, Once Upon a Time in China 4& 5, The Blade, Wind and Cloud TV series, Seven Swordsmen TV Series, The White-Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom) as Su Can / Beggar So

Zhou Xun (Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Painted Skin) as Xiao Ying

Jay Chou (The Green Hornet, The Treasure Hunter) as God of Wushu / Drunken God

Michelle Yeoh (Magnificent Warriors, Butterfly and Sword, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Reign of Assassins) as Sister Yu / Yu Shu Lien

Andy On (The White Dragon, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, The Lost Bladesman) as Yuan Lie

David Carradine (Kung Fu TV series, Kill Bill 1 & 2) as Anton

Guo Xiaodong (The Warlords, Reign of Assassins, An Empress and the Warriors) as Colonel Ma

Feng Xiaogang (Kung Fu Hustle, ) as Pick pocket

Cung Le (Bodyguards and Assassins, The Grandmaster) as Militia Leader

Gordon Liu (Five Shaolin Masters, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Shaolin and Wu Tang, Chinese Paladin 3 TV Series) as Old Sage

Leung Kar-Yan (Five Shaolin Masters, The Shaolin Avengers, Eagle’s Claw, The Return Of The Condor Heroes 1983, Seven Swordsman of Mount Heaven TV series) as Su Wan-kun

Jacky Heung (Fearless, The Warlords) as Imperial Prince / Genera

Directed by Yuen Woo-ping (Drunken Master, The Magnificent Butcher, Wing Chun, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Legend of Zu, The Forbidden Kingdom)

Andy On as Yuan Lie

NY Times Review

Love HKFIlms REview

David Carradine as Anton