The Tai Chi Master
AKA: Twin Warriors
1993
Director: Yuen Woo-Ping
Stars: Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Chin Siu Ho, Fennie Yuen
This film tends to get overlooked a bit when people talk about Yuen Woo-Ping, Michelle Yeoh or Jet Li, but it shows off some of the best stuff in HK cinema and is something that Hollywood could not...or for some reason, would not, as most of the HK people now working in the US (including the triad just mentioned) have never been allowed to really do what made them famous in their home country and all over the world. Suffice it to say, if you enjoy Yuen Woo-Ping's brand of wire-fu, Jet's endearing attitude and awesome moves or Michelle Yeoh's breathtaking athletic ability, you should definitely check out this movie. Some of the action sequences, particularly the one where Jet and Michelle (who are the proverbial "dream pairing" for a movie like this) take on a huge group of soldiers, rank among the best of their action work. The movie also has a dark tone to it, and that helps the increase the dramatic tension. When a character dies in this movie, you feel it, unlike some other wire-fu flicks where the comedy makes the characters look like cardboard cutouts after a while.
RATING: 8.5
Reviews of the US DVDs for this movie can be found here