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Once Upon a Time in China movies and the rip-offs rated
Tsui Hark’s film series that originally starred Jet Li as martial arts legend Wong Fei-hung spawned several knock-offs, such as Kickboxer
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Tsui Hark’s Once Upon a Time in China revitalised the kung fu movie genre in 1991 with its reimagining of the life of legendary Cantonese martial artist Wong Fei-hung.
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It also spawned numerous rip-offs, some of which were very good.
Below we rate all of the originals and rip-offs together, listed in chronological order.
1. Once Upon a Time in China (1991, directed by Tsui Hark)
4.5/5 stars
With Once Upon a Time in China, Tsui wanted to make a film that paid tribute to the classic Wong Fei-hung films he watched as a child, and also modernise the legend of Wong for younger audiences.
He succeeded in both, with the film – starring Jet Li Lianje as Wong – referencing the original milieu while reworking it into something that looked flashy and new.
2. Once Upon a Time in China 2 (1992, dir. Tsui Hark)
5/5 stars
Featuring more of the same, but even better, Once Upon a Time in China II is a glossy follow-up in which director and cast performed at their absolute peak.
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