Hong Kong Legends DVD Synopsis: An enchanting tale of love and heroism underpinned by Yuen Woo Ping's dazzling fight sequences, Tai Chi Boxer tells the story of a young fighter inspired by the teachings of his heroic father, to combat the violent excesses of an opium-smuggling ring and win the heart of the girl of his dreams. (96 Mins)

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Views: A loose sequel to the Jet Li classic, Tai Chi Master, Yuen Woo Ping returns to the story backed by new production company Film Can who were intent on making a host of films with the legendary director. Unfortunately, Tai Chi Boxer failed to ignite the box office and Film Can soon called it quits, leaving Woo Ping and his cast to continue their adventures on the small screen in a follow-up Tai Chi television series. Busy with bigger productions such as Doctor Wai & The Scripture With No Words and the awesome Black Mask (of which Woo Ping worked on as action choreographer), Jet Li was unavailable to return for the role so it was up to Master Yuen to set out to find a new wushu talent that could replace him, and soon found it in the shape of 18-year-old Jacky Wu Jing. Although the martial arts superstar needs no introduction today, Tai Chi Boxer would have been the feature film debut of Jing's and he doesn't disappoint. Handling both the drama and comedy sequences very well, the super cute martial artist excels in Woo Ping's action scenes which are the saving grace of this (seemingly) rushed production. While it offers nothing new in terms of story, Tai Chi Boxer really has no connection to its predecessor and actually recycles a few of its previous actors in new roles here. The production itself also feels quite different and is possibly down to mainland director Cheung Sing Yim handling the majority of the film's dramatic scenes, leaving the action to co-director and choreographer Yuen Woo Ping. Interestingly enough, Cheung was the very same director behind Jet Li's debut Shaolin Temple and its sequel Kids From Shaolin, as well as kung fu classics such as Yellow River Fighter and the brilliant Fist From Shaolin. His last project to date would come a few years later with the television show New Shaolin Temple, which saw him team up again with Yuen Woo Ping and Wu Jing – with the latter being one of the stars alongside the awesome Fan Siu Wong!

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While there is a lot to love in Tai Chi Boxer, it's actually quite a different movie from Tai Chi Master, even though it was scripted and co-directed by Yuen Woo Ping. Perhaps it's the loss of bigger named stars such as Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, and Chin Siu Ho, but the film also feels quite different in its production values and visuals often coming across as if influenced more by Once Upon A Time In China than its previous chapter. Having worked with director Cheung Sing Yim on the aforementioned kung-fu classics, cinematographer Chau Pak Ling returns here to work with him for one last time and delivers some nice visuals, proving to have such a different eye to Tom Lau Moon Tong – DOP of Tai Chi Master - who was actually shooting Doctor Wai & The Scripture With No Words with Jet Li at the time of this production. Regardless, the main attraction for such a movie is the kung fu action of course and Tai Chi Boxer does not disappoint, offering many fights throughout that highlights the amazing skills of the actors involved and the genius choreography of Yuen Woo Ping...

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For his feature film debut, Jacky Wu Jing highly impresses on-screen with his wushu skills that easily help him adapt as a screen fighter. From his early fun fight sequences in town to the fantastic and highly impressive finale in the warehouse that sees him take on the late Darren Shahlavi, and it's easy to see why he has since went onto become the star that he has with films such as SPL 1 & 2, Wolf Warriors 1 & 2, Shaolin, and much more. Mainland actor Yu Hai, who starred as Jet Li's temple master in the previous chapter, returns to star as Wu Jing's father and gets to show off his kung fu skills a number of times throughout. Yu first started with Jet and director Cheung in the aforementioned Shaolin Temple and its sequels as well as Deadend Of Besiegers, White Lotus Cult, Man Of Tai Chi, and Shaolin for Benny Chan that saw him join Wu Jing once again on the big screen. Also returning is Lau Shun, this time playing the father of Christy Chung as opposed to a Shaolin priest like before, and the great Mark Cheng (previous husband of the wonderful Yukari Oshima) gets to show off his fighting skills as an official who learns a hard lesson from the young fighter, Wu Jing. I really like Cheng and Tai Chi Boxer gives him a great role to play with. Although Mark has starred in over 120 films to date, I've always felt that I've never seen enough of him and often go back to films like Peking Opera Blues, Midnight Angel, Godfather's Daughters Mafia Blues, Raped By Angel, and this when I'm in the mood for a piece of Cheng. The awesome Billy Chow stars as the great Northern Leg, a fighter that challenges Wu Jing's father on the day of his retirement from the martial world, then later goes up against the young fighter himself before setting things right and joining in the fight against evil. It's rare that one can be disappointed when Chow is on screen, and he has long been a firm villain of Hong Kong cinema for many years in classics such as Eastern Condors, Paper Marriage, Pedicab Driver, Dragons Forever, The Blonde Fury, Robotrix, and more. And finally, Brit-kicker Darren Shahlavi stars as the main villain of Tai Chi Boxer – getting to shine after a few years as a bit-part gwailo in films like Guns & Roses, Deadly Target, and Angel On Fire. He probably gets some of his greatest fight scenes in this – along with that in Bloodmoon and Ip Man 2 – and is backed by two henchmen in the shape of Kou Zhan Wen from A Warriors Tragedy, Fatal Move, Legendary Assassin, and SPL 2, and the mean looking Ji Chun Hua – another veteran of the Shaolin Temple movies, as well as Yellow River Fighter, Fist Of Shaolin, Fong Sai Yuk 2, New Legend Of Shaolin, and Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters. The delightful Christy Chung and wonderful Sibelle Hu also appear, with the former as a love interest to Wu Jing and the latter, his mother respectively.

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Although it has its flaws, Tai Chi Boxer keeps kung fu fans entertained with some fun comedy moments and lots of genuinely awesome fight scenes. It was an impressive debut for the (then) young star, but Yuen Woo Ping clearly made the right decision in bringing this new talent to the attention of Hong Kong cinema lovers. I've yet to see the follow-up television show, but I'd be keen to see it to fulfil my want for more Wu Jing after seeing this again. Unfortunately, due to the poor box office takings and a shift to television shows, Yuen Woo Ping would not return to the directors seat of a feature film for over a decade until the epic True Legend hit our screens – but that's not to say the man wasn't kept busy as Hollywood came calling for a few little projects such as The Matrix, Kill Bill, The Forbidden Kingdom, and the Oscar winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon!

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Overall: A lot of fun and full of some great fight action, Tai Chi Boxer was an incredible debut for Wu Jing and a great example of Yuen Woo Ping's choreography!

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Hong Kong Legends DVD Extras: Audio Commentary with Bey Logan, Behind The Scenes Footage, Photo Gallery, Cast Interviews, Trailers