Once Upon a Time in China (黃飛鴻). 1991. Directed by Tsui Hark

Once Upon a Time in China (黃飛鴻). 1991. Hong Kong. Directed by Tsui Hark. Screenplay by Tsui, Yuen Kai-chi, Leung Yiu-ming. Martial arts direction by Yuen Woo-ping, Yuen Cheung-yan, Yuen Shun-yi, Lau Kar-wing. With Jet Li, Biao Yuen, Rosamund Kwan. DCP courtesy Janus Films. In Cantonese; English subtitles. 134 min. Tsui Hark’s Once Upon a Time in China reimagines the legendary folk hero Wong Fei-hung (Jet Li) against the turmoil of late-19th-century China, where Western imperialism, technological change, and political unrest threaten traditional values. Li, in a performance that transformed him into a major international martial arts star, brings extraordinary speed, grace, and discipline to a character who is as reluctant to fight as he is formidable when provoked. The film’s spectacular choreography—by Yuen Cheung-yan, Yuen Shun-yi, Lau Kar-wing, and Yuen Woo-ping—fuses classical kung fu with gravity-defying wirework and Tsui’s inventive visual staging. The climactic duel atop swaying bamboo ladders remains a landmark of martial arts action.