Fong Sai-Yuk

Fong Sai-yuk (Jet Li) is a young man in Canton during the Manchu dynasty who proves his martial arts prowess by besting all comers in a sporting event. The sore losers attempt to get even, and the kung fu brawl that results gets them all arrested, much to the displeasure of Sai-yuk's father (Chu Kong).

A prominent local man, Tiger Lei (Chan Sung-yun), announces that he will marry his pretty daughter Ting Ting (Michele Reis) to whoever can beat his wife, Siu-huan (Sibelle Hu), in a martial arts contest to be held on an elaborate wooden scaffold; whoever touches the ground first, loses. Sai-yuk takes on the challenge and holds his own against Siu-huan, even when the fight leaves the structure and takes place on the heads and shoulders of the onlookers. Yet when Sai-yuk spots an unattractive relative of Ting Ting's and assumes this is the girl he is to marry, he intentionally loses the contest. Attempting to save face for the family, Mother Fong (Josephine Siao) takes on Siu-huan in disguise as "Tai-yuk," Sai-yuk's brother, and wins, claiming only to be interested in saving the family honor. But Tiger forces "him" to sign the marriage contract and, to make matters more complex, Siu-huan has become attracted to "Tai-yuk." After many complications derived from the mistaken identities, Sai-yuk and Ting Ting are finally united, but not before it is revealed that Father Fong is a member of the Red Flower Society, a local rebel group that the governor of Kua Mun is seeking to smash. To this end, he has enlisted the help of Tiger, and during a dinner celebrating Sai-yuk and Ting Ting's impending nuptials, the governor makes an unexpected appearance. He recognizes Tiger's guests, and in the ensuing melee, Siu-huan is shot and Father is captured while the rest of the group escapes.

While the Leis and Fongs hide out on a beached junk outside town, Sai-yuk ventures in and discovers that his father is to be beheaded in the main square the next day. He also retrieves the body of one of his friends, who has been killed by the governor, and buries him. Returning to the junk, he tells his family to travel to Pischu Island, where more Red Flower members will reunite them with Father, whom he says has been rescued by rebel leader Master Chan. In fact, he plans to rescue Father; in the course of the night, Siu-huan dies of her wound.

The next day, Sai-yuk rides into the town square bearing a list of rebel contacts sought by the governor, who makes Sai-yuk a challenge: if Sai-yuk can best him in a martial-arts fight, he and his father will be free to go. Sai-yuk winds up tossing the list aside to save his father, and the townspeople come to his aid--as do Mother, Ting Ting and Tiger Lei, who have found out from the Red Flower members what's happened. Master Chan also arrives and helps defeat the governor once and for all, and Sai-yuk and Ting Ting ride off with him for further adventures.

This synopsis cannot do justice to the true complexity of FONG SAI-YUK's plot, yet director Corey Yuen and the film's trio of scriptwriters do an amazing job of keeping the story's multiple balls in the air without ever letting one drop. The presentation is coherent and comprehensible, and the achievement is even more remarkable when one considers the wide spectrum of tones the film encompasses. In the course of its story, the movie ranges from jovial comedy to martial arts slapstick to almost Shakespearean farce to moving drama to cliffhanging suspense, and does all of them well.

It's a juggling act worthy of star Li, who is one of the most charismatic, compelling actors to emerge from any country in recent years. An instantly winning presence with a knack for sly humor, he also proves himself up to the dramatic challenges posed by the film and boasts astonishing martial arts skills. The bout between Sai-yuk and Siu-huan, which ranges from breathtaking leaps around the scaffold to hysterically funny slapstick as the combatants leap all over the spectators' heads, is one of the most astonishing and sustained set pieces in the annals of action or comedy films.

Li is well abetted by the equally skilled Hu in this scene, while Siao is a delight when faced with both Hu's martial arts moves and her own misguided affections; the final scene between the two women is profoundly touching. Strong support is also lent by Chu and Chan. The visuals are colorful and evocative throughout; it's astonishing to find that the director also helmed the ridiculous Stateside kung fu fest NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER (1986), Jean-Claude Van Damme's film debut; on home ground, he proves a filmmaker of consummate skill and style. (Violence, adult situations.) leave a comment