Synopsis: After leaving Shaolin Temple, Fong Sai Yuk returns home to find his friends and family threatened by a corrupt official who puts his martial arts skills to the test. (88 Mins)

 

Views: China's out-put of web movies continues with Unbending Mr. Fang; a new Fong Sai Yuk adventure that actually proves to be a lot of fun. The film opens with Fong's final day at Shaolin Temple where he must challenge the unbeatable Shaolin Wooden Men (as well as the Bronzemen indirectly) in order to leave. After achieving his win, Fong heads back to his home town where he quickly finds himself involved in a host of escapades involving old friends, new enemies, and his over-bearing martial arts mother. But Fong soon finds serious trouble when a corrupt imperial official kills his Uncle and kidnaps his closest friend, holding her hostage until Fong brings them want they want. Enraged, the young fighter sets out to save the day in a deadly fight to the end – although at a great cost!

 

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Unbending Mr. Fang. It's a film that – had it been made a decade or two ago – would have been called a TV movie, although I'm certain it would not have shared the same production value, effort, or budget. It's been quite a while since I've seen a movie about Fong Sai Yuk, with Corey Yuen Kwai and Jet Li's two popular movies still standing strong as the go-to titles for anyone wanting to see the trouble-making teen in action. Coming in at a fast 88 minutes, Unbending Mr. Fang now joins those movies (for me), and is a film I would happily go back to watch again. It's also been quite a while since I've seen the infamous Wooden Men of Shaolin put to use in a kung-fu film – with most productions opting to use the more appealing Bronzemen instead – but the opening of Unbending Mr. Fang, more than makes-up for this. Blending CGI with real dummies, our hero must pass the final test by taking-down the Wooden Men of Shaolin who run, jump, and fly at him before transforming into a giant Wooden Man which is actually pretty cool. During the battle, we see Fong's skin light-up with a detailed gold-plated pattern to show his inner strength, which is used a couple of times throughout. While some viewers may feel disappointed at this point, it would probably make more sense to know that the film's original title was Fang Shi Yu: Copper Skin & Iron Bones – a title that is more fitting than Unbending Mr. Fang. I must also stress that, while this opening sequence may seem a bit OTT and may seem unappealing to many, it doesn't last and never takes away from how action-packed and highly enjoyable the film is overall.

 

Chinese actor, fitness coach and martial artist, Wang Zhao stars as the titular hero Fong Sai Yuk, and bears an uncanny resemblance to Jet Li in a number of scenes with his smile and charm. Having starred in movies such as Derek Yee's epic Sword Master, The Demon Fox, Wars In Chinatown, Bloody Nameless River, and more – Wang Zhao does a damn good job as the teenage folk hero who, in my honest opinion, looks just as amazing as Jet Li did when in action (if not, even better). From his aforementioned introductory scene in Shaolin to his many one-on-one battles with almost every villain of the film, Wang looks fantastic as he kicks, flips, and punches his way through the story. But it's quite clear that Fong Sai Yuk meets his match when he comes up against the corrupt official known as Lord Erdo; a man determined to get his hands on an important ledger that could bring him down. Chinese kick-boxer and actor Yi Long stars as the dastardly villain, and got his big break as one of the super soldiers in the MCU box-office hit, Captain America: Civil War. While he hasn't appeared in too many since, Long definitely works the bad-guy role pretty well and gave me vibes of Andy On's character in Yuen Woo Ping's True Legend. He is supported by two brutish right-hand men called Zhou Feng and Tu He Zhuo, with the former played by Li Peize – an actor who has appeared in Donnie Yen's Ip Man, The Bravest Escort Group, and Ip Man & The Four Kings – and the latter by Tong Hu. I suppose, if I'm to be honest, Tong's character of Tu He Zhuo is perhaps one of my few gripes with the film. Cursed as a child, Tu grows up to have one large hairy arm that represents that of a wolf; complete with deadly claws and a distorted voice that carries a bass-heavy growl. While it's really not a lot to complain about, I just felt that his character seemed a bit out of place for the most part and brought more of a comic-book element to the story with his look – although he does get in on quite a bit of the action which is great. Television and movie star Yue Dong Feng does a brilliant job as Tiger Lei, the father of Fong's new love interest and likeable rogue, who delivers a look and performance that had me convinced I was watching the great Leung Kar Yan himself. New actress Peng Bo stars as Fong's new love Lei Ting Ting while Shi Xuanru stars as his good friend Zhou Rong, and popular actress Rain Lau co-stars as his wild mother Miao Cui Hua. Having started in the Hong Kong film industry in the early 90s, Lau went on to star in films such as It's Now Or Never, Tri-Star, Troublesome Night 3, Little Big Master, and a host of television shows, and does a great job here in her role – although is no Josephine Siao respectively...

 

The film is directed by two relatively new directors, Liu Guoqing and Guo Yulong. Since making his debut with the pretty decent 2017 film, Return Of Wong Fei Hung, Guo has went on to deliver a number of Chinese web-movies including Exorcist Judge Bao, Taoist Master with Fan Siu Wong, Battle Of Chinatown, and others – all of which have been quite enjoyable for different reasons. With Unbending Mr. Fang, the pair definitely deliver one of their best to date with plenty of nods back to Jet Li's films such as fighting in a tournament for a wife, battle on horse-back, angry corrupt officials, and then some; not to mention the fact that they offer up a decent script, gorgeous cinematography with stunning lighting, and a great score. But it has to be fight choreographers Xin Chao, Luo Jie, Yuan Fang, Wang Xiao Dong who really make things memorable with a host of fantastic fight scenes which boast such creativity and power, it's clear their action design has been inspired by the classic works of Yuen Woo Ping such as Tai Chi Master, Iron Monkey, and Once Upon A Time In China for example, with each of the action-directors having worked on a number of decent mainland web-movies lately including Ten Tigers Of Guangdong, Fighters Of The Town, Master Zhang, Phantom Killer, Sniper, and more. It's safe to say that fight fans will not be disappointed with what's on offer in Unbending Mr. Fang – a film that takes us back to the best of the 90s Hong Kong New Wave cinema – and is most definitely well worth checking out!

 

Overall: Well made, neatly directed, and packed with creative fight sequences, Unbending Mr. Fang is one of the best Chinese web-movies out there!