The Lesson Plan

So I just saw The Curse of the Golden Flower, the latest big budget movie to work its way out of China. How does it fare against all my older favorites? Answer: check out the top ten list that follows.

Here’s another confession of this teacher: I am a HUGE fan of Chinese martial arts movies (well, I’m sure my ‘08 know this very well). And to be honest, these movies are what got me so interested in Chinese history, society and culture. We can say that my love for these movies definitely paved the way for me teaching Asian history today.

What follows is a top ten list which I will update from time to time. I may even get to change that title once I find a new #1 movie.

So browse the list and see what you like. There are tons of YouTube links here, so this should keep you all busy for a while! Enjoy!

(NOTE: By default, clicking on the images will take you to its Wikipedia article.)

#10

(official site – trailer – Zhang Ziyi’s dance scene)

This is one of the saddest movies I’ve ever seen. This also marked the beginning of a trend among new Chinese martial arts movies where nobody’s happy at the end or worse, everyone dies. There are more twists in this film than there are in a pretzel, but I’d rather choose the pretzel. The film only makes its way into this list due to the sheer beauty of its imagery, but not much beyond that.

#9

(official site – trailer – trailer 2 with fight scene)

This is from the same director as #10 and I was ready to expect much worse. One hour into the film, I was ready to give up on it until all the loose plotlines dovetailed together in the second half. It turned out quite okay — much better than House of Flying Daggers — but not that far better. I do have one problem with the production since I feel that it’s overproduced as there is tons of cleavage in this movie. No kidding. It’s so much that it’s stupid already. (Tell me again why that’s a bad thing…)

I would sum up my feelings about this movie this way: “I’m disturbed. They’re showing way too cleavage for imperial China. You can’t imagine how conflicted I feel right now.”

#8

(official site – trailer – half of the finale fight)

Ever wanted to see what a Chinese comic book movie looks like? Check out this bad ass flick. While the story doesn’t flow as smoothly as I would hope, the action sequences have so much to offer that it actually tops The Matrix in some points. The plot is simple: set in the modern day, two brothers separated at birth find their way back together in order to fight a great evil. Along the way, they earn great powers and weapons. But also see this movie for Donnie Yen. He is just so bad ass.

In an older post in my old blog, I wrote this review:

Dragon Tiger Gate, the second film I saw today, has an ‘A+’ grade production, but leaves much to be desired in its execution. Adapted from a Hong Kong manhua, the film is very stylish but the high octane start and finish sandwich a lackluster hour full of introspective drama and flashbacks. I like the story though, since it is about the Dragon Tiger Gate, a martial arts school in modern Hong Kong, and separated brothers, Dragon Wong (Donnie Yen) and Tiger Wong. Tiger has remained in the straight and narrow, while Dragon has flirted with a life in the mafia. The film is about the two brothers growing into their own and realizing that they need to work together since there is no other way.

#7

(official site – official site 2 – trailer – fight scene clippings)

This is without a doubt, the The Lord of the Rings of China (well, until they modernize The Romance of Three Kingdoms for today’s film). While the costume designs may sometimes come off as goofy, it cannot be denied that this film pulled out all the stops. I’m sure some of you will enjoy their team dynamic and will be entertained by the different personalities of the seven swords. I highly recommend this for its high entertainment value.

#6

(official site – trailer – Michelle Yeoh vs Zhang Ziyi fight scene)

This film grabbed the attention of the whole world when it was released in 2000 and for good reason. It is stylish, deep and alluring unlike most of the wuxia films before it, and few that tried to follow in its footsteps ever got close. CTHD set the standard for how wuxia films today are told, produced and choreographed. However, this film is not impossible to top.

#5

(official site – trailer – alley fight – finale “big boss” battle)

There is actually a difference between a ‘Chinese film’ and a ‘Hong Kong film’. Like Dragon Tiger Gate (#8), this is a Hong Kong film of the highest caliber. This is about a hardboiled detective, the last cop in a city full of bad men. If you’ve played Max Payne, think of this as that plus martial arts and set in Hong Kong. The action sequences look so fantastically real and this is perhaps one of Donnie Yen’s greatest performances ever.

#4

(official site – trailer – review from withoutwax – deleted scene)

After Hero, this was the only wuxia film I saw on the first day and throughout its two hours, I sat stunned. This is a fictional take on the life of Huo Yuanjia during the waning days of the Qing dynasty. China was now under assault from foreign powers and one man stood his ground. If Hero was a testament to the communalism and strength of China, Fearless testifies that in this new century, China has no reason to fear. Truly awesome. (Read an old review I wrote here.)

#3

(wiki – highlight reel – trailer 1 – trailer 2 – trailer 3 – trailer 4)

Bruce Lee got me into China. Period. And this film, got me into Bruce Lee. Without this film, I wouldn’t have had this deep love for the wuxia genre and so this scores highly due to its sentimental value. It’s plot is stock and basic, but it pulls it off rather well because it’s Bruce Lee. Evil guy killed his sensei and his sister. Evil guy holds a tournament of the best martial artists in the world. Bruce Lee kicks evil guy’s ass. And what we have is a classic, ladies and gentlemen.

(Another Bruce Lee film I would recommend is The Chinese Connection, where he goes up against evil guys from Japan.)

#2

(wiki – trailer – finale battle)

Iron Monkey reminds me of everything that makes watching wuxia movies fun. A prequel of sorts to the Once Upon a Time in China series, everything from the set to the plot to the fight sequences are so vibrant and full of life. The martial arts, courtesy of Donnie Yen and Yuen Wo-Ping (The Matrix), is absolutely fantastic. Watch that finale battle linked above. That is one of the best classic wuxia fight scenes ever!

#1

(JetLi.com subsection – wiki - trailer – Nameless vs Sky)

And last but not the least is the greatest one of them all. Hero is just about perfect on almost all counts. Set just before the reign of the first emperor of China, this movie has been seen as a twisted morality tale and a commentary on the Confucian ethic of China. Its characters are rich with conflict and everything from the set design to the music to the action scenes all reflect the themes of loyalty, trust, betrayal and revenge that run underneath the film. My words won’t do this film justice. If you haven’t yet, please see this.

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SPECIAL AWARD

(official site – trailer – three heroes fight scene)

This didn’t make my list because it was too weird for me, but I really enjoyed it and I know a lot of you will. It’s a satire of the wuxia genre itself, but by doing that it becomes its own enjoyable beast. Have fun!