"Legend of the Red Dragon" (1994) is an important breakthrough in Jet Li Lianjie's films. It officially removed his juvenile image from "Shaolin Temple" (1982) to "The Legend" (1993), Wong Jing and Corey Yuen Kwai personally turned him into a taciturn, sad-faced man, and he also took young children to the arena, and won the sympathy and love of the female audience. Although, since then, in order to maintain this image, Jet Li has continued to be "cool" regardless of the needs of the plot, causing adverse effects, but this is another story.
"Legend of the Red Dragon" still maintains Corey Yuen's excellent martial arts choreography, but in terms of completeness and spirit, it's always inferior to his predecessor "The Legend", coupled with Wong Jing's vulgar jokes and plots, so that the film has many flaws. However, on the other hand, Hung Hei-Kwun (the Chinese name of the film), the protagonist of the film, became distrustful and indifferent to people in the face of the betrayal of his relatives and fellow apprentices. However, Red Bean and her mother (played by Chingmy Yau Suk-Ching and Deanie Ip Tak-Han), who depend on stealing and abduction for a living, regain their true feelings and trust. Such typical characters and plots still hit the nail on the head for the utilitarian and sympathetic Hong Kong audience.
As for Hung Hei-Kwun, a martial arts hero, he actually has more room to play than Fong Sai-Yuk (the protagonist of "The Legend", that is also the Chinese name of the film), and can even give new historical significance. Unfortunately, Wong Jing and Corey Yuen only know how to portray him as a hero in the world of martial arts, and they lack the consciousness and imagination like "The Legend".
By Kam Po LAM (original in Chinese)
"Legend of the Red Dragon" still maintains Corey Yuen's excellent martial arts choreography, but in terms of completeness and spirit, it's always inferior to his predecessor "The Legend", coupled with Wong Jing's vulgar jokes and plots, so that the film has many flaws. However, on the other hand, Hung Hei-Kwun (the Chinese name of the film), the protagonist of the film, became distrustful and indifferent to people in the face of the betrayal of his relatives and fellow apprentices. However, Red Bean and her mother (played by Chingmy Yau Suk-Ching and Deanie Ip Tak-Han), who depend on stealing and abduction for a living, regain their true feelings and trust. Such typical characters and plots still hit the nail on the head for the utilitarian and sympathetic Hong Kong audience.
As for Hung Hei-Kwun, a martial arts hero, he actually has more room to play than Fong Sai-Yuk (the protagonist of "The Legend", that is also the Chinese name of the film), and can even give new historical significance. Unfortunately, Wong Jing and Corey Yuen only know how to portray him as a hero in the world of martial arts, and they lack the consciousness and imagination like "The Legend".
By Kam Po LAM (original in Chinese)