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Starring
:
Jet
Li
Rosamund
Kwan
Mok
Siu Cheung
Hung
Yan Yan
Lau
Shun
Action
:
Yuen
Tak
Yuen
Bun
Producer
:
Tsui
Hark
Director
:
Tsui
Hark
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ONCE
UPON A TIME IN CHINA 3 (1993)
A.K.A.
- OUATIC 3; Once Upon A Time In China III
Reviewed
by Tony Ryan
The
third part of the long running OUATIC franchise saw a shift in
setting from the first two films, moving out of Hong Kong
soundstages to the luscious landscapes of Mainland China and
in particular, Jet Li’s birthplace Beijing.
Following
directly on from 'OUATIC
2', Jet travels to Beijing to visit his father, Wong Kei
Ying (brilliantly played by Lau Shun) in order to inform him
of his engagement to Peony (or Sap Sam Yee played by the
effervescent Rosamund Kwan). Upon arrival, Fei Hung becomes
embroiled in the fervour of an impending Lion Dance Contest
and the subsequent battles between rival schools to compete.
Tsui
Hark very cleverly realised that topping the fight action in
part 2 would be almost impossible, and adopted a different
style accordingly. Instead of the protracted one-on-one fights
seen in the first two films, he focuses more heavily on plot
relevant Lion Dancing, and the intricacy of these exhibitions.
Some fights are still evident, and are very well handled by
Yuen Bun and Yuen Tak (2 of the little fortunes) although
inferior to the Yuen Woo Ping styling seen previously. The
only main actor to feature in all 6 OUATIC's - Hung Yan Yan -
re-appears as a sidekick of the main protagonist, and lives up
to his name of Ironfoot with some amazing kicking technique,
and even a little breakdancing! His character is also often
referred to as clubfoot, referring to his injury, but the more
precise (yet still rough!) translation of his name is 7th
strange leg, referring to the aforementioned extravagant
bootwork.
Jet
decided not to continue in the series after this film, and
many attribute this to Tsui Hark’s harsh treatment of his
actors coupled with unrepresentative pay considering the films
success. Subsequently, he went on to portray WFH in a few
other films, and subsequently returned to the series in the
Sammo Hung directed final episode, 'OUATIC
& America'.
In
many ways I prefer part 4, as the action is more conventional,
featuring the usual lion dances but also more in the way of
fist action. However, the cinematography from Andrew Lau here
is consistently stunning, and the continuation of the romance
between Jet and Kwan is nicely developed. Another great DVD
and another fine addition to your collection.
Rating:
 
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