"Su Qi'er" : Some arts are very well documented by loving admirers, like the old blues records.... Unfortunately, HK 'fu films haven't been so lucky.
I have a hard time believing this was released in 1993, let alone made that year. The Donnie Yen of this film still looks very young. And the same sources that insist this is a 1993 film also insist that the film released as "Iron Monkey II" is actually a sequel to Iron Monkey, and that it was made a year after Iron Monkey - which is patently absurd.
Add to this the fact that Stephen Chow released a film titled Wu zhuang yuang: Su Qi Er (King of Beggars)in 1993, and the fact that the recent Columbia-Tristar re-releases of HK 'fu films (including this one) have been sabotaged by gutless Hollywood hacks, and what you have is an unerring formula for confusion.
Oh, well. Whenever this film was made, it remains a minor classic of the genre. For one thing, the Wong Fei Hung depicted in this movie is the hero of the legend, not overly bogged down with story or "humanizing" faults - this is a real hero that draws good work and good feeling towards himself like the North Pole draws compass needles.
There are also remarkable bits of post-modern humor, especially the brief but hilarious jibe at Bollywood musical numbers, of all things.
The story is strong, the acting superb, and all the kung fu is top-notch. Receptive viewers will have many reasons to see this more than once.
I have a hard time believing this was released in 1993, let alone made that year. The Donnie Yen of this film still looks very young. And the same sources that insist this is a 1993 film also insist that the film released as "Iron Monkey II" is actually a sequel to Iron Monkey, and that it was made a year after Iron Monkey - which is patently absurd.
Add to this the fact that Stephen Chow released a film titled Wu zhuang yuang: Su Qi Er (King of Beggars)in 1993, and the fact that the recent Columbia-Tristar re-releases of HK 'fu films (including this one) have been sabotaged by gutless Hollywood hacks, and what you have is an unerring formula for confusion.
Oh, well. Whenever this film was made, it remains a minor classic of the genre. For one thing, the Wong Fei Hung depicted in this movie is the hero of the legend, not overly bogged down with story or "humanizing" faults - this is a real hero that draws good work and good feeling towards himself like the North Pole draws compass needles.
There are also remarkable bits of post-modern humor, especially the brief but hilarious jibe at Bollywood musical numbers, of all things.
The story is strong, the acting superb, and all the kung fu is top-notch. Receptive viewers will have many reasons to see this more than once.