A lot of people are huge fans of Donnie Yen. This movie basically reminded me that Donnie Yen really is a great actor. I say this because most of his roles are flat, or even if he did a great job as Ip Man... well repetitive. Where as this character, based on a real person, is a whole new thing. i never saw Donnie Yen like this, doing a Chiu Jao accent. (Chao Chao? Actually if you have ever been to the old Chau Chau City in Boston's Chinatown I think it is referencing the same city/hometown) I don't speak that language but at least to me it sounded good.
The most famous phrase in Hong Kong gangster movies from this language is "Gka Gkee nahng!" or in Canto, 'Jee gay yun!" meaning (we are) same people. ie, don't kill me we're on the same side. I think it was on purpose that Wong Jing, the director did not have that phrase in this movie.
Andy Lau plays Rock Lee/Lee Rock/ Loi lock
and some may remember he played this same person in an older movie entitled "Rock Lee" that was like 4 hours long and yet still fascinating. Also a real person who moved to Vancouver to retire/flee.
I feel like the references in this movie assume you must have watched that previous movie and know the history I love that kind of stuff.
The fighting in this is not Kung Fu style but you get a glimpse a Donnie Yen practicing a few moves in his jail cell that is reminiscent of moves I have seen my Si Suk practice. A loose, I want to say White Crane or White Crane Hung Gar hybrid. Not something for show really, but not the sort of thing that you see in a Hung Gar form... but also a move boxers and such often discredit for use in the ring, but something very useful for a street fight with defense and offense and which translates well using it in a butcher knife fight. It wasn't in the fight sequence and choreography at all, just when the protagonist is in the cell. In fact he is talking while he does it and Donnie Yen does the move quite well. In other words, he put some real research into the role and actually practiced that move to have done it so well for such a short part of the movie. And those types of moves were actually sport of called useless by the Ip Man movies. ie, Ip Man totally beats anyone who does moves like this or characters that reference this style of fighting.
Anyway, mad respect to Donnie Yen for putting in that extra effort that probably only a few people who practice that type of move would notice, and for really getting that old school look when executing the move Old school not as in Old school movies either. I wonder who he interviewed or did he just pick up that move from someone he knew and added it to the character. Could have been someone he knew in Hong Kong, but also could have been someone he knew in Boston too who passed through Hong Kong during this time, knew these type of characters portrayed in the movie and told stories of the old days... and maybe that made an impression on Donnie Yen.
Anyway, the movie is good besides that too. But if you are into hidden Kung Fu moves, look out for it.
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