Wong Fei-hung chi saiwik hung si (1997)

reviewed by
David Sunga

ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA AND AMERICA (1997) Chinese, with English subtitles.

Also called Once Upon a Time in China VI (1997) Also called Wong Fei Hung Chi Sai Wik Hung Sze (Cantonese) Also called Huang Feihong Zhi Xiyu Xiongshi (Mandarin)

Rating: 2 stars (out of 4.0)
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Key to rating system:
2.0 stars - Debatable
2.5 stars - Some people may like it
3.0 stars - I liked it
3.5 stars - I am biased in favor of the movie
4.0 stars - I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out
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A Movie Review by David Sunga

Directed by: Sammo Hung

Written by: Hui Qui Long, Shut Mei Yee, Shut Tiu Cheuk Hon, and Siu Man Sing

Starring: Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Jean Wong, Chrysta Bell, Kwok-Pong Chan, Xiong Xin Xin, Hung Yan-yan

Ingredients: 
Chinese kung fu master, cowboys, Indians, gunslingers, hilarious Western
action,

Synopsis: ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA AND AMERICA (1997) is a screwball action comedy on the order of BLAZING SADDLES or PAINT YOUR WAGON. It's actually the sixth ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA movie. Movies one through five of the series follow the adventures of hero Wong Fei-hong in China, but ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA AND AMERICA takes places in the 1800s American West. The film portrays the Western adventures of ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA series hero Wong Fei-hong (Jet Li), who is simultaneously a Chinese sage, a kung fu teacher, and a doctor.

The story begins with Fei-hong and his fiancee Yee (Rosamund Kwan), and their faithful attendant Seven riding a stagecoach, intending to visit Sol, a student of Fei-hung's who - - after immigrating to America - - has invited Fei-hong to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his medicinal clinic in a small town in the wild and woolly West. When the stagecoach goes out of control, Fei-hong suffers a nasty bump on the head, and soon ends up lost down the river with amnesia, where he is adopted by a friendly Indian. Fei-hong is finally found by Yee and recovers, but now there is a racist sheriff and some nasty gunslinging bandits to contend with in town. Can Fei-hung, Seven, and their cowboy friend Billy use kung fu to clean up all the injustice?

Opinion: When you take a handful of good dramatic actors and actresses and surround them with college kids from the local frat house, you end up with an embarrassing Wild West, populated by straight-faced surfer dudes dressed as both cowboys and Indians. But at least the fight scenes are good.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA AND AMERICA is hilarious, but the unintentional parts are funnier than the intentional. Everyone plays their part with a straight face. For example, cowboy Billy has a perm with platinum bleached blond surfer hair and brown roots, but he takes his part seriously. As do all the Indian villagers who are poorly disguised white actors wearing yellow and blue paint. Towards the end of the film, the cowboy bandits start doing kung fu kicks and fifteen-foot twirling leaps. Meanwhile, here's an example of an intentional joke: "You're name is Seven, and I was the eleventh child in my family, so why don't we team up and open up a store called 7-Eleven?"

The movie turns serious when Fei-hong makes two speeches exhorting the Chinese Americans to be proud to be Chinese, and soon the Sheriff threatens to hang every Chinese American in the town. Then the final battle becomes humorous again when the cowboys start doing Shaolin moves.

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Wong Fei-hung chi saiwik hung si (1997)

reviewed byDavid Sunga

reviewed by
David Sunga