Review of Wing Chun

Introduction

I shy away from the true story as presented on film. More often than not they amount to the collected tales of Jerry Springer rejects put together for 90 minutes of mid-afternoon tawdriness. Why can`t they all be like the `true` story of Yim Wing Chun, a girl who was betrothed to the town bully, but made a deal that if she could defeat him in combat, she would be free of his advances? Cue a trip to find a Buddhist nun who would teach her martial arts. She mastered the technique of course, and the nun being modest named the style after her illustrious student, as naturally she defeated her would be suitor. If only all mid afternoon true stories were like this. Then again, absenteeism from work and school would skyrocket, as there would finally be something worth watching on. The film named Wing Chun picks up a few years later, after the story that is related in legend.

Wing Chun is now the protector of her village, fending off the marauding bandits that attempt to prey on the town. She isn`t exactly a revered heroine though, the male warriors of the town resent her skill and strength, and her father laments the fact that she isn`t feminine enough to attract a husband. She runs the town`s tofu shop with her acid tongued Auntie Fong, but they get a new employee when she rescues a pretty young girl from the bandits. Yim Neung was coming to the village to find her ailing husband a healer, but needed rescuing once more when she was widowed and unable to pay for the funeral. There`s a scholarly businessmen who pays attention to the new arrival, and he winds up competing for her attentions with Leung Pak To, a visitor to the village who has come looking for childhood playmate Wing Chun. It`s a case of mistaken identity, as he takes the pretty Neung for Wing Chun, while getting jealous when he sees her spending time with another man (the real Wing Chun in male garb). All this gender bending farce pales into the background when the bandits tire of being made fools of by Wing Chun and plot their revenge.

Video

Another spruced up transfer looking fine from Hong Kong Legends. The 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer is a little grainy and soft at times, but it is clear and colourful throughout, and the film is set in some spectacular scenery that looks splendid on screen.

Audio

You get a choice between DD 5.1 English and Cantonese, but the sound rarely engages the surround senses. It`s all very front-focussed, with maybe a touch of ambience to give it a presence. The action comes through with typical meaty explosiveness, but I did feel that the dialogue was subdued at times. As usual I opted for the Cantonese soundtrack, but what little I sampled of the English dub was less stellar, with the voice actress dubbing Wing Chun sounding distorted. It may have just been that one scene though. Translated English and Dutch subtitles are provided.

Features

This is a typical disc from Hong Kong Legends, beginning with the wonderfully animated menus. As usual there are trailers and information pages for other releases from HKL and Premier Asia, the trailers for Wing Chun, and the usual interviews. You can see actor Donnie Yen talk about the film for 15 minutes, while Tsui Siu-Keung, who played the villain, discusses his career and the film for 18 minutes. Finally, no HKL disc would be complete without a Bey Logan commentary, and he is as relentless as usual here, providing an avalanche of information.

Conclusion

Wing Chun is an entertaining action comedy, with the emphasis firmly on comedy. The action is fast, frenetic and stunningly choreographed. The fight sequences feature plenty of wirework and accelerated implausibility, but work well in the lighter context of the film. It all has a humorous tone that never gets diminished by anything approaching a serious plot.

The characters contribute much to the film, with Michelle Yeoh supremely elegant as Wing Chun. The comic side of things is supplied by Scholar Wong, whose attempts to find a bride lead to much hilarity, as well as Auntie Fong who is completely lacking in tact, although possessing much halitosis. The comedy is very much part of that traditional farce that comes from mistaken identity, confused gender and relationship awkwardness. The action comes with a lot of comedy too, with various tests for Wing Chun, from within the village as well as the constant threat of the bandits.

But this is not a film that revels in the breaking of bones or copious bloodshed, and the fight sequences are kept light and relatively consequence free. In fact the only one who comes away with any permanent damage is the poor bandit Flying Monkey, who brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, "Great Balls Of Fire!" Wing Chun is a classic tale of a tomboy makes good and finds her dream guy. It`s Calamity Jane Kung Fu. It`s a great deal of fun, if just a tad silly, and as ninety minutes of thought-free entertainment it is simple to recommend.