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Once Upon a Time in China II

R Released Mar 18, 2000 1h 48m Action List
93% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A martial arts teacher (Jet Li) protects his students and his aunt (Rosamund Kwan) from a mercenary.
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Once Upon a Time in China II

Critics Reviews

View All (15) Critics Reviews
Time Out This is the best action-adventure-comedy that Tsui has ever made, hence one of the year's most exhilarating entertainments. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Stephen Holden New York Times A splendid if frankly fake-looking spectacle. May 20, 2003 Full Review J. Hoberman Village Voice More concentrated and svelte than its precursor, Once Upon a Time II also has the benefit of fights staged by Master Yuen Wo-Ping that show Jet Li-another camera-age hero-to even greater advantage. Apr 25, 2001 Full Review Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse Tsui Hark enhanced the sociopolitical aspect of the film even more in this film, with him dealing with xenophobia and the reaction of the Chinese towards the British rule, in contrast to the first part, which focused on the "villainy" of the Empire. Dec 1, 2019 Full Review Film4 For sheer excitement, virtuoso fight sequences and extravagant special effects, Hark's film is hard to beat. Jul 30, 2008 Full Review Rob Thomas Capital Times (Madison, WI) Much more than just another martial arts movie. Rated: 3/5 Jul 8, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (324) audience reviews
Steven T I think OUATIC is a poor example of its genre; the film has garnered many positive reviews, but I can't why. There are a host of better martial arts films before this. I found the film disjointed, dull, with a poor score and bad acting. The fight choreography reminded me of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, so with an air of fantasy if you will - with the actors easily scaling heights and using sticks etc. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/22/23 Full Review Matthew B Best of Movies/TV Series Collection Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/19/22 Full Review matthew d Classic Hong Kong martial arts from young Jet Li and Donnie Yen! Director Tsui Hark's Hong Kong martial arts epic Once Upon a Time in China II (1992) is every bit as exemplary as the first feature in this kung fu franchise. Hark's early 90's direction is fascinating as he is Vietnamese and finds a similar style to the Hong Kong directors of the 1970's and 1980's with a flawless slick uniqueness all his own. He blends exciting and never before seen kung fu action with ponderous drama and ridiculous comedy for a very pleasant viewing experience. You are always entertained by something from pole staff fights of Jet Li against dozens of men at once to a flurry of flaming arrows bursting into a room. Once Upon a Time in China II is absolutely comparable to Tsui Hark's iconic Once Upon a Time in China. Jet Li is outrageously skilled as a heartfelt doctor, master martial artist of Hung Ga, and Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung. He defends Chinese townsfolk against a fearsome cult of false idol worshippers called White Lotus. This story from writers Tsui Hark, Cheung Tan, and Chan Tin-Suen shows how China can remain traditionally valued and nationally proud without trying to murder all foreigners and Western concepts. It's a nice balance to the more xenophobic original as Wong Fei-hung simply wants to save lives and avoid violence. I adored seeing Rosamund Kwan return as Aunt 13 with her flawless beauty, sweet shy love for Jet Li's Master Wong, and her hilarious physical comedy sequences. I appreciate how she wasn't constantly getting captured like in the first and actually gets to fight back a bit. She just is a pleasure to watch with her natural chemistry with Jet Li and poignant emotional drama. She's the real heart of Hark's trilogy. Max Mok Siu-Chung is very funny as Leung Foon with his goofy mannerisms and fawning over Rosamund Kwan's Aunt 13. Donnie Yen is fierce and compelling as Chinese Commander Lan, but it's his outstanding kung and two duels with Jet Li that are so amazing. It's very cool to see a young Jet Li and Donnie Yen in their prime battling with their fast and skillful kung fu styles here. Xiong Xin-Xin is incredible as the vicious Priest Gao Kung as he fights Jet Li's Master Wong up in the rafters of White Lotus' temple. Lastly, David Chiang Da-Wei is excellent as the mysterious Luke Ho-Dung. Angie Lam's editing is super quick for 113 minutes that never is allowed to drag. Arthur Wong Ngok-Tai's cinematography captures all the battles in real time ultra wide shots as well as slow motion close-ups for hard emphasis. It's very effective how he shoots fights and drama alike. Eddie Ma's production design looks like ancient Canton with a beautiful score too from composers Johnny Njo, Richard Yuen, and Chow Gam-Wing. Their music swells with a triumphant blow with a nostalgic sound. In all, I loved Once Upon a Time in China II as much as the phenomenal first film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Fantastic follow-up. Soo many great fight sequences, even more than the first. Adding Donnie Yen will do that. A lot darker of a story too. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/09/19 Full Review dustin d Jet Li and Donnie Yen go mano a mano in the second Once Upon a Time in China movie, plopping Wong Fei Hung into the middle of the Boxer Rebellion. Characters aren't as developed as the first one, and neither are the fight scenes, but it is still a quality and entertaining wire-fu movie. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Jet Li plays Huang Fei Hung. He goes to a medical session seminar. Some clan attacks the foreigners, later leads to a military group led by Nap-lan played by Donnie Yen which goes to a good build up to a duel to the death kung fu at the end. The kung fu of Jet Li is as superb as his other classic Hong Kong films with a well written script for the non-fictional character. It definitely has the edge over the first film's fight scenes. Need some martial arts action? This is one I recommend. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Once Upon a Time in China II

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Cast & Crew

Once Upon a Time in China III 63% 69% Once Upon a Time in China III Once Upon a Time in China 90% 88% Once Upon a Time in China Fist of Legend 100% 92% Fist of Legend Fong Sai-Yuk 89% 83% Fong Sai-Yuk Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A martial arts teacher (Jet Li) protects his students and his aunt (Rosamund Kwan) from a mercenary.
Director
Hark Tsui
Producer
Hark Tsui
Screenwriter
Hark Tsui, Cheung Tan, Tin-suen Chan
Distributor
Republic Pictures, Columbia Tristar
Production Co
Republic
Rating
R
Genre
Action
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 18, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 27, 2020
Runtime
1h 48m
Sound Mix
Surround
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