Tai Chi II by Yuen Woo-ping (Review)

As far as I know, there was no Tai Chi 1, unless you count those self-help video available for rent at your finer video stores… and this is a far cry from one of those. What we have here is more wire-enhanced kung fu frenzy with copious amounts of youthful hijinks. But what else have I come to expect from Yuen Woo-Ping? The man was one of the pioneers of “wire fu” (that is, using wires to aid the actors in performing superhuman feats). And nearly every one of his films that I’ve seen features the characters as children doing, well, childish things. At least the man’s consistent, but it can make for some painful viewing.

Tai Chi II opens up with Hawk-Man’s father retiring from the world of martial arts so that he can live in seclusion and raise his son. Hawk-Man, or Jackie as he is later named, is forced to spend hours locked in the study, tied to the ceiling by his ponytail. Of course, being the precocious little scamp that he is, he secretly learns kung fu and gets in all sorts of trouble as he grows up to become a fine young man. One day, he catches the eye of Rose, the beautiful daughter of a local official who has returned from studying abroad.

But it seems like our little Rose is quite the political revolutionary, attempting to institute democracy in China. Completely smitten with her, Jackie (aka Hawk-Man) goes along with their plans, and gets caught up in an opium-smuggling scheme. Add to that the fact that “Great Kick of the North,” a former adversary of his father’s, comes back itching for a fight, and it’s almost more than a young lovestruck tai chi master can handle.

Fortunately, Jackie’s got an ace up his sleeve; his ponytail. It seems that all of those years of being hung from the ceiling has turned that braid into a powerful weapon! Welcome to the wonderful world of Hong Kong cinema, my friends, where belief has to be suspended at every turn. I have to admit that part of me finds the whole concept of Jackie beating up his enemies with his ponytail kind of cool. If only Steven Seagal were that lucky; instead, he has to use his gut (and DMX’s coattails).

But the whole movie smacks of a Once Upon a Time in China rip-off. The primary themes are still the same: China dealing with foreigners and the corruption they bring, the introduction of new ideas into an ages-old civilization, and whatnot. And it still comes across as a poor imitation of Yuen Woo-ping’s other films, including the spectacular Iron Monkey. Tai Chi II runs nearly 2 hours, which is about 30 minutes too long. A lot of people seem to complain about the romantic subplot; it’s a little tiresome, but it’s not all that annoying. Still, one can only take so much of the smugness and youthful ego that Jackie has throughout the film. I thought tai chi masters were supposed to be a little more reserved. Then again, if I knew how to use the “Braid Stance,” I’m sure I’d be a little cocky too.

Not entirely bad, but nowhere near as good as Woo-Ping’s better stuff, like Iron Monkey and Fist of Legend. On the overall Woo-Ping-O-Meter, this one ranks right below Wing Chun, and if you’ve seen Wing Chun, then you know what that means.