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Cast:
Donnie
Yen
Ng
Man Tat
Wong
Yuk
Hung
Yan Yan
Fennie
Yuen
Sheila
Chan
Lee
Ka-Sing
Action:
Yuen
Clan
Producer:
Yuen
Woo Ping
Chan
Chin Chung
Director:
Yuen
Woo Ping
Score:
 
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HEROES
AMONG HEROES
AKA:
Hero Among Heroes ||
Fist Of The Red Dragon
Year:
1993 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
1978's
'Drunken
Master' saw director Yuen Woo Ping look at Chinese folk
hero Wong Fei Hung in a comic light and break conventions as
he did so. It also gave another figure from Chinese history a
chance to share the spotlight: Sam The Seed AKA Beggar So.
Following his critically lauded 'Iron
Monkey', Yuen Woo Ping gave Beggar So another cinematic
outing in the new-wave martial arts hit 'Heroes Among Heroes'
- a film that once again paired him with the multi-talented
Donnie Yen.
The
film traces the possible early life of Beggar So who, in the
beginning, is actually the son of an affluent father and a far
cry from what he later became. So is a well-respected member
of the town community who has a mutual respect for fellow
inhabitant Wong Fei Hung and lives life in a care-free manner.
With the deadly drug opium pouring into the town thanks to the
corrupt foreign powers, the two righteous heroes find
themselves fighting against the insidious evil around them,
little realising who the real villains are. The main supplier
to the town is a Manchu prince who enjoys a good reputation
while secretly reaping the profits from his lucrative trade.
This prince decides that the only thing standing away from
further riches is the meddling of So and Wong Fei Hung; he
therefore seeks an opportunity to turn one against the other
and then take advantage of the situation. A misunderstanding
between the two gives the prince the chance to use So - the
younger and more hot-headed of the two - to get rid of
resistance forever. The prince and his associates then get So
hooked on the opium that is in their control and use him as a
zombie-like puppet for their wicked plans. One such plan
involves an assassination attempt by the helpless slave who is
thankfully foiled by the slightly superior fighting skills of
Wong Fei Hung and taken to a Korean herbal specialist to cure
his addiction. After beating the drug-craving, So turns to
drink and learns Drunken Boxing from an old beggar who
frequents the town - breaking the strict rules of his father
on drinking. Now turned from the smartly dressed son of one of
the town's officials to a beggar, So decides to use all of his
newly-discovered abilities to take revenge on the drug dealers
that once controlled him. Therefore in the film's blistering
climax, Beggar So and Wong Fei Hung stand against the Manchu
prince and his countless warriors in a battle for final
justice.
Although
not quite reaching the heights of 'Iron Monkey', 'Heroes Among
Heroes' is still a memorable new-wave action film that is
packed with superior fight action. Donnie Yen is in first
class form as Beggar So both in terms of acting and physical
excellence; it's unfortunate that Yen's career took a serious
dive shortly after this film and it is hoped that he can
return to such classy productions in the not-too-distant
future. Yuen Woo Ping fills the film with deftly-performed
action that, while using wires to a strong degree, still
allows the natural talents of the main cast to shine through.
Where the film falls down though is the tiresome comedy that
takes up a large part of the opening hour and is neither funny
nor furthers the plot along. 'Iron Monkey' is an example of
how Yuen Woo Ping kept the humour to a subtle minimum and
concentrated on the characters, creating a widely loved cult
classic. Had 'Heroes Among Heroes' used a similar template it
might have jumped from being a very enjoyable film to a
definite recommendation. As it is though, the film is at times
wearisome and at times wonderful - endure the former and
you'll be treated by the latter. Scrapes into four stars, but
dips into three on a number of occasions.
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