Fong Sai Yuk 1 (1993) poster
7.8
Your Rating: 0/10
Ratings: 7.8/10 from 273 users
# of Watchers: 485
Reviews: 2 users
Ranked #3594
Popularity #11935
Watchers 273

This Hong Kong martial arts extravaganza tells of evil emperors and true love. The secret Red Lotus Flower Society is committed to the overthrow of the evil Manchu Emperor and his minions. One of his Governors is sent on a mission to retrieve a list of members of that secret society. Meanwhile, Canton Kung Fu practitioner Fong Sai Yuk falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a rich merchant who recently moved to Canton. Her father, in an attempt to gain influence in the region and thus improve his business, offers his daughter in marriage to the winner of a Kung Fu contest. Some interesting gender role-reversals take place during a 'comedy of errors. Edit Translation

  • English
  • magyar / magyar nyelv
  • dansk
  • Norsk
  • Country: Hong Kong
  • Type: Movie
  • Release Date: Mar 4, 1993
  • Duration: 1 hr. 46 min.
  • Score: 7.8 (scored by 273 users)
  • Ranked: #3594
  • Popularity: #11935
  • Content Rating: Not Yet Rated

Cast & Credits

Photos

Fong Sai Yuk 1 (1993) photo
Fong Sai Yuk 1 (1993) photo
Fong Sai Yuk 1 (1993) photo

Reviews

Completed
MusicalVeggies
4 people found this review helpful
Aug 7, 2017
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.0
STORY (No spoilers)
This film is now over 20 years old (!!) but it is such a classic, and such a Jet Li classic too. For Jet Li fans who would like to experience his older works, this is a highly recommended watch because it not only showcases Jet Li's great martial arts in action, but it has the added benefit of being comedic and so brings along not only the action but also the laughs!

Please note that it being such an old show, the production values and the video quality of this show will naturally come across as dated and a little poor. But don't let this put you off because aside from the video quality and the lack of realism of some of the props, the movie is just brilliant.

This film showcases the good old-style directing of kung fu movies at its best. Choreography of the fight scenes is just stellar and of the quality which you will hardly be able to find in kung fu shows these days. None of that slow-motion exaggerated rubbish, none of that CGI stunt nonsense. Nope, this is raw kung fu fight scenes at its best, which means, fast-paced and high tempo. Blink-and-you-will-miss-it kind of goodness. This film won the Hong Kong Film Award and Golden Horse Award for best action choreography during its time!

The comedy in this film does not lie in the choreography or execution of the fights (they are not the Jackie Chan-style funny antics), but rather in the story itself. Fong Sai Yuk and his mother make a brilliant pair of comedic marital arts heros and more than half of the laughs are from the antics of this mother-son duo.

The overarching stories and scenes are reminiscent of the Chinese period in which it is set - Qing dynasty setting in case you've missed it with the pigtails and male queues.
There are a few things going on in this film:-
- traditional chinese match-making of its time period is showcased, where daughters of reputable families are found matches through competitive rounds among her would-be-suitors;
- traditional chinese relationship dynamics of husband-wife;
- covert rebellious activities by rebel societies, and uprisings against what is perceived as oppression by a local tyrant - the definition of what makes a man a hero is often based on his actions and attitudes towards the people, particularly to those who are in need or oppressed; and
- traditional concept of filial piety and responsibility towards parents in that generation.
Lots of traditions and concepts of that time period are very much evident and imbued in this series, making it more than just your average comedic kung fu show. There is a wealth of information about the cultural mores and attitudes of the people in those days, which make for a much more insightful and unique watch experience.


ACTING/ CHARACTERS
JET LI is simply wonderful as the titular character Fong Sai Yuk. He portrays this cheeky, playful but incredibly talented kung fu lad to the tee. Young and brash but incredibly filial and family-oriented, he is the embodiment of your typical young kung fu hero of his day. His fight scenes are simply stellar and awe-inspiring.
JOSEPHINE SIAO as Fong Sai Yuk's mother is a scene-stealer! Her comedic and weighty moments in the show are on-point, while her own kung fu scenes are as awesome and as brilliant as Jet Li's. And that's saying a huge lot, I'm telling you, because Jet Li is practically the undisputed kung fu specialist of his time.
Both mother-son duo are the lynchpin and the cornerstone of this film - without them, the film would not be as scintillating and brilliant as it is still today.


MUSIC
Memorable traditional chinese instrumentals and songs which heighten and add depth to the show, nothing is out of place.


RE-WATCH VALUE
I have this film on DVD and while it is very well used in terms of it being lent to others for the spreading of the enjoyment of this great show, I will never ever give my DVD away. This show is just too good and too nostalgic - a keeper for sure and wonderfully re-watchable for the laughs and for the kung fu fight scenes.

An awesome kung fu film of the ages - it is not called a Jet Li classic for no reason!

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Completed
Bajie
0 people found this review helpful
Sep 4, 2018
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.0
This is one of those movies that are a very good glimpse to chinese classical culture but at the same time it's very entertaining, funny, natural and fluent storytelling, engaging characters, great scenarios and cinematography for those times. Still they manage to tell all these with a background of chinese philosophy, sect struggles, politics, ethics, all in a comedic way. Not easy thing to achieve, and this movie does it! Great charisma in Jet Li character as well as other actors. His mother was very funny and depicts maybe a stereotype of chinese mom haha! Classic film!

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Details

  • Movie: Fong Sai Yuk 1
  • Country: Hong Kong
  • Release Date: Mar 4, 1993
  • Duration: 1 hr. 46 min.
  • Content Rating: Not Yet Rated

Statistics

  • Score: 7.8 (scored by 273 users)
  • Ranked: #3594
  • Popularity: #11935
  • Watchers: 485

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