Enter the RED DRAGON

I just recently bought this Jet Li movie, "The Legend of the Red Dragon" cause I am seriously becoming a Jet Li fan. Okay, okay you found me out, I AM a Jet Li Fan. The man is amazing! He's so super fast and his martial arts skills are rivaled by no one in this day and age. Alright, enough of my grandasizing on Jet Li.

As stated before, I picked up this movie because I am a fan and I had read a review on how great the movie is. But this review will tell you the truth about the movie. Now I am no expert in movies and screenwriting, however, the plot is a bit thin. The movie starts out with Jet Li's character, Hung Hei-kwun returning home, from I don't know what and neither will you. We can assume his trip away from home has something to do with his involvement with the rebels... Well when he comes home, all of his family as well as the rest of the town is ransacked and killed, with the exception of his infant son. Well Li begins talking to his son explaining that he will let the babe choose his own fate. Li places two objects in front of the infant, a hobby horse and a sword. If the child chooses the toy, then Li will send child to the hereafter to be with his mother. If he chooses the sword, then he will keep him alive to carry on his legacy as a wanderer and martial arts expert. Just as the babe is making his way toward the horse, Li (Loudly) pulls out a knife. The child stops short in his tracks and then reaches for the sword. Well, this put me in mind of those new subway or blimpies commercials for the sandwich on toasted bread. (You know the one where the subject is about to choose the sandwich on toasted bread, but the examiner shoots a tranquilizer dart into her neck, and then notes that subject chose untoasted without a waiver.) Well Li packs his young son on his back and is then met by his best friend who tells him what happened, warns him that his life is in danger and then proceeds to attack him. Li leaves his friend for dead, but of course we know he's not. The bad guys never die.

Well the next part of the movie you see Li and his son Ting, played by Tse Miu wandering around a city. Apparently poor without a friend in the world. Li is going to meet with his uncle to ask that he care for the boy. Of course the uncle is in cahoots with the government who wants Li dead. So a wonderful fight ensues with Ting coming in to join his dad and help defeat all who attacked.

Meanwhile, outside there is Red Bean and her mother(the comic relief) playing out their scam in this new city. Granny is playing possum while Red Bean is waling loudly trying to scam someone out of their money under the pretense of paying for her mother's funeral. Soon the rich man comes along and offers to help Red Bean while offering to be her husband. Rich guy gets into a verbal altercation with another citizen who has taken an interest in Red Bean, but Li comes walking along and Rich guy tells the other citizen that Li is his body guard. The other guy takes off because everyone has seen Li defeat his opposers in the fight. The rich guy eventually does take Li in as his bodyguard while planning to make Red Bean his wife.

This guy is important because his son is studying with the Shaolin Monks and is one of the five boys who has a piece of a map leading to the Shaolin treasure, tatooed on his back.

Ting and the merchant's son get into a little altercation and the latter sends message to his Shaolin brothers to come to his aid in order to teach Ting a lesson. Well, this kid picks the most inopportune time to send his message to the temple, because the government and Li's former friend, I'll now refer to him as Mucus Man, cause that's what he looks like now, are ransacking the temple searching for the map and the boys.

The boys escape, temporarily, meet up with Ting and their Shaolin brother at his home, where Ting promptly kicks their butts and becomes their brother afterwards. The merchant and Red Bean are preparing for their wedding ceremony when it is infiltrated by the bad guys. All Heck breaks loose with the merchant, who drank too much before the ceremony, sleeping like a loud baby throughout the whole thing. Red Bean, Li, Granny and Ting escape, but the boys are captured.

Li and his crew wander on to find Mucus Man and the boys. This is where Granny becomes the true comic relief. I and my friend couldn't stop laughing at her. She is asked to serve as a diversion while Li and Ting search for the boys. She does, and not without making you laugh, and ends up captured. Li of course rescues her, and coming face to face with Mucus Man. Mucus Man is defeated, but only temporarily as he is now invinsible due to the ministrations of some witch. So you know Li has to defeat him again at least once.

The boys are rescued and they go off to find Red Dragon square where the rebels are to meet them. They meet up with the rebels who are later in a fight with the bad guys and their leader is killed. Granny is feeding the boys bananas when there is a knock on the door. Ooh! Its the rebel leader who Granny was flirting with earlier, only this time he falls flat on his face...literally, cause he is dead. Granny trys to make good her escape with the boys but is confronted by the enemy general who challenges her to a dart fight. Granny IS as good as she bragged to the boys and defeats the guy. However, all good things come to an end and Granny takes a dart too close to the heart is also killed.

Li, Red Bean and the six boys make their way back to the clock tower with Mucus Man in hot pursuit. A fight, again, this time Li and Ting double team Mucas Man with their magic spears and do a good job of him. Li is hurt and Mucus Man seems to have the upper hand. But of course, you know the ending. Li defeats Mucus Man after they start falling off of the Watch tower and Li kicks him back up to the top of the tower in a gravity defying stunt, then kicks him back inside the tower where Mucus man falls into a vat of acid.

Like I said the plot is a little thin, but the comedy is enough to keep your eyes on the screen, but its the action that keeps you...period. This movie is non stop action. It's almost like a martial arts fight is used in place of punctuation. But there is no one like Jet Li today. He does some of the most amazing stunts and as stated in the first part of this review, he is SO FAST! I don't think anyone will be dissappointed in this action packed movie, as long as you are not looking for too much of a story.