The Master (1989/1992)

The Master (1989/1992)
Aka: Wong Fei-Hung ‘92
Chinese Title: 黃飛鴻'92之龍行天下
Translation: Wong Fei-Hung ’92: Dragon Travels

 

Starring: Jet Li Lian-Jie, Yuen Wah, Crystal Kwok Gam-Yan, Jerry Trimble, Anne Ricketts, Ruben Gonzalez, Guy Fadallone, Derek Annunciation, To Wai-Wo, Mark Williams, Glen Chin Ying-Ming
Director: Tsui Hark
Action Director: Yuen Wah, Brandy Yuen

 

In my review of The Himalayan, I mentioned an aborted book project that I started back in 2006 to write a Portuguese-language book about the best fight scenes in Chinese—Hong Kong, Taiwan, and PRC—cinema. It would have been the first book published in Brazil about HK cinema. It did not go forward for certain reasons that probably wouldn’t be a problem today. One of the fights discussed was the finale to The Master. It was eventually removed from the final draft as the project progressed and other fights took its place. Here is a translated version of that chapter for your reading pleasure:

Synopsis: An “eeevil” martial arts school has kidnapped a young woman named Ana (Anne Ricketts, of Frank Stallone’s Lethal Games) and is using her as bait: the school’s master, Johnny (Jerry Trimble, of Live by the Fist), wants vengeance against a Chinese master (Yuen Wah, of Eastern Condors and The Iceman Cometh) for having rejected him as a student some time before. The master, Uncle Tak, is sent to a skyscraper to make a trade: his life for the girl’s. Accompanied by three Latino boys, Tak confronts the entire school. Although initially successful, the sheer number of opponents proves to be too much for Tak and he’s overpowered. Only through the intervention of Tak’s best student, Jet (Li), can Johnny and his school be defeated.

Comments: For a long time, The Master was considered the worst of all of Jet Li’s films—although these days, half-assed projects like Badges of Fury tend to take that distinction. In any case, people criticized everything about the movie: the plot (old school chopsockey tropes come across as silly in a modern setting), the dialog, the low production values, and even the fight scenes. To some extent the critics have a point, although we emphatically disagree with them when it comes to the action. To be perfectly honst, this has some of the best wushu demonstrations that Jet Li has even given, which is evident in the final fight.

The climax is divided into three parts: 1) Yuen Wah vs. Jerry Trimble’s students, 2) Jet Li vs. the students, and 3) Jet Li vs. Jerry Trimble. The first part of the fight establishes the tone of the fight choreography: simple movements and technique applications. Yuen Wah is attacked by individual fighters, followed by groups of four, and finally a group of ten. He responds with simple breaks, locks, knee-level kicks, and other simple moves. Once in a while he’ll do a more acrobatic kick—the man was Bruce Lee’s acrobatic double once—but most of his moves are the basics performed with confidence. Ultimately, he can’t deal with so many attackers and thus we move into part two.

Much like Yuen Wah, Jet Li starts off fighting with simpler moves: low kicks, dislocations, and simpler punches. After dispatching them, he has to face off with Trimble for the final one-on-one.

This third section is the longest part of the climax. Jet and Jerry start fighting atop the building. Jet uses his showier wushu—Northern Longfist—while Trimble puts his kickboxing skills (adapted from his tae kown do training) to good use. As the fight begins, it is clear that the men are evenly matched, with neither of them winning. Trimble gets in some good kicks, knocking Jet through a metal sheet and into a maintenance room inside the building. It’s here that the fighter, in the spirit of modern action movies of the time, start using the environment to their advantage. Valves, metal staircases, glass panes, metal bars and even gas pipes become obstacles to overcome for the combatants. By the time the fight is over, both men are hanging outside the building by electrical cords, trying to get in their final hits.

It would seem that all great Chinese martial arts actors have fought against at least one Caucasian—or at least American--martial arts champion. Bruce Lee had Chuck Norris. Jackie Chan took on Benny “the Jet” Urquidez (twice) and Bill “Superfoot” Wallace. Yuen Biao fought Peter “Sugarfoot” Cunningham. And Jet Li? It was 1986 World Kickboxing Champion Jerry Trimble. And the same way that Bruce’s and Jackie’s fights with Chuck and Benny (respectively) represented some of their best work, this fight represents some of Jet Li’s best fighting.

This set piece—including the Jet Li vs. many segment—is special for a few reasons. Firstly (and most importantly), Jet Li is simple amazing in it. His agility is at its peak. It is enchanting the way he contorts his body in numerous directions, even when his foot is caught in a valve. Later on, he would suffer accidents and injuries on set that would diminish this agility. Also, the choreography here is relatively “realistic” and gives us a good reason why he was named “Jet.” His attacks, blocks and kicks are incredibly fast. Watch him deliver multiple kicks with a single leg while his other foot is trapped. The flexibility on display is great.

The choreography is top drawer and seems to be based to some extent on Bruce Lee’s philosophy. The essency of Bruce’s choreography was to destroy the opponent with techniques that were fast, simple and strong. Along with Hitman (1998), War (2008), and Kiss of the Dragon (2001), this has the most realistic approach to fighting to be seen in a Jet Li film. For the most part, the philosophy of the fighting in the film is that if you get hit once, it’s probably over for you. You only need to take a few blows to be lying helpless on the ground. To this end, both Jet Li and Yuen Wah use a lot of chin na, or locks and breaks. In other words, you’ll get as much joint manipulation in this finale as you’d get in your average Steven Seagal film.

We shouldn’t forget Jerry Trimble. He’ll probably never become as well known as other Western fighters that showed up in Chinese movies, which is sad, as he is a good screenfighter. He parlayed his tae kwon do training into kickboxing and won both the  PKA and PKC world titles in 1986. After retiring from the ring in 1989, he started making action movies. He had a memorable fight with fellow tae kown do stylist Loren Avedon in King of the Kickboxers (1990), one of the best martial arts films made for American audiences. He also worked as a stuntman in bigger Hollywood films, like Charlie’s Angels (2000)—he fights Drew Barrymore while she’s tied to a chair; War of the Worlds (2005); and Mission Impossible 3 (2006). Unlike many other tae kwon do fighters, his onscreen style de-emphasizes flashy aerial kicks and focuses more on the basics, performed with speed and power.

After this movie, Jet Li would go to make his landmark hit, Once Upon a Time in China. That film’s success would put him on the road to becoming an international action star. It would also help usher in the “Wire-fu” Era of fight choreography. Jet Li, as the result of different injuries sustained during his movies, would show up in a lot of movies in which his own natural talent was obscured by the use of wires. The fact that his sequence—and the film as a whole—is largely free of wire enhancements makes it all the more special within the context of Jet Li’s career. There is one jump kick early on in the climax where it looks like Jet is able to hit four people in the air before his feet touch the ground.

As much as many hate this film, this fight sequence stands out as much in the film as it does in Jet Li’s career on the whole. With few exceptions, this fight would be one of the last true demonstrations of Jet Li’s wushu abilities, unhindered by special effects of any stype. And I’ll be honest: Jet Li with wires is already impressive. Jet Li without them is truly a wonder to behold.