Directed by the prolific and choreographed by the legendary Corey Yuen , this film is a high-octane blend of historical revenge, gravity-defying wirework, and the kind of "so bad it's good" humor only 90s HK films could pull off. The Plot: A Lone Wolf with a Mini-Cub
Jet Li is rarely cast as a father. Here, his chemistry with child actor Tse Miu (who plays his son) is the heart of the movie. The boy is not a damsel in distress; he is a sarcastic, scrappy fighter who keeps up with Li’s choreography. Their "dual-staff" fighting sequence against a dozen assassins is a masterpiece of cooperative combat. Jet Li Movies The New Legend Of Shaolin
(also known as Legend of the Red Dragon ) remains a definitive entry in the 1990s Hong Kong martial arts "new wave". Starring Jet Li and directed by the prolific Wong Jing , the film is a high-octane blend of historical epic, wire-fu action, and lowbrow comedy. Plot and Historical Inspiration Directed by the prolific and choreographed by the
Yuen Woo-ping’s choreography here is distinct from his work on The Matrix or Crouching Tiger . It is grounded in Shaolin animal styles but pushed to cartoonish extremes. The highlight is not a fistfight, but the weapon: a flexible, three-section staff that Jet Li wields like a liquid silver serpent. In the final battle against Poo Tin-juk’s iron claws, Li wraps the staff around the villain’s neck, pulls him into a spinning kick, and lands in a prayer pose. It is a single, breathtaking sequence that sums up the film’s soul: violence in service of grace. The boy is not a damsel in distress;
The New Legend of Shaolin is not the most famous Jet Li movie, but it might be the most rewatchable . It has everything a martial arts fan craves:
9/10 Best For: Fans of Iron Monkey , Drunken Master II , or anyone who wants to see Jet Li fight with a child strapped to his back.
Fast-forward eight years, and the duo becomes entangled in a mission to protect five young Shaolin disciples who have pieces of a secret treasure map tattooed on their backs. Along the way, they cross paths with a mother-daughter con artist team—Red Bean ( Chingmy Yau ) and her mother ( Deannie Yip )—who provide much of the film's comedic relief.