My Cultural Diet

Tsui Hark, Jet Li, and Rosamund Kwan did not return for this installment of the vaunted Once Upon a Time in China series, and were replaced by Yuen Bun (in his directorial debut), Vincent Zhao, and Jean Wang, respectively — and it shows. Wong Fei-hung (Zhao) and his comrades are called upon to defend China once again after a group of other nations (including France, Germany, Italy, and the USA) sponsor an elaborate lion dance competition that’s intended to shame China and undermine its sovereignty. Meanwhile, yet another nationalistic cult — the all-female Red Lantern Sect — has begun attacking foreigners in an effort to preserve Chinese culture. The film’s plot, including the Eight-Nation Alliance and Red Lantern Sect, pull from actual Chinese history, albeit “enhanced” with high-flying “wire fu” and the incessant bumbling of Wong’s young acolyte, Leung Foon (played by Max Mok). Although he’s obviously not Jet Li, Vincent Zhao — who was also a national wushu champion — possesses some impressive skills, and as such, the film does contain a few rewind-worthy action scenes. However, Once Upon a Time in China IV ultimately feels like a retread of its predecessors, and its recycling of their ideas gets increasingly silly and incoherent, both narratively and visually. (The less said about the other nations’ entries in the lion dance competition, the better.)

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