A brilliant film that helped define a genre

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

The third film in the Jet Li series is very much a minor movie in comparison to the first two, with a plot that simply rehashes the old East-meets-West theme, throws in some very average comedy, some nice romantic touches between the two leads, and some enjoyable action sequences. One thing missing from the previous adventures is Yuen Woo-ping, who went elsewhere, leaving the action choreography to somebody else. The resulting fight sequences are just as lavish as before, but more obviously involve wire work; this time, Li is a superhero who can jump ten feet in the air and there's a villain called Iron Foot who can fly with his feet.The story is pretty unchallenging, involving an evil factory owner and a Russian agent with a dark secret. Props feature strongly, this time a camera and those Chinese dragons, which take centre stage at the film's climatic Lion King contest. This climax is a bit of a disappointment, as Li and his opponents are hidden inside massive dragon costumes for the most part, and it lacks the dramatic power of a one-on-one battle like the previous movies offered. However, Tsui Hark does offer something a bit more original and what it lacks in dynamism, it makes up for in sheer visual spectacle.Rosamund Kwan is probably the best thing in this film, having some very sweet moments with Li, who is good but appears to be going through the motions; it's no wonder he left the series, as he's had no character progression for two movies now. One actor who is very good indeed is newcomer to the series Xi Xi Xiong (DOUBLE TEAM) as villain Iron Foot, who has some fantastic wire-aided action moments and is easily the most memorable thing in the film. There are some 'fun' martial arts bits that make use of some imaginative scenarios. One has Li on an oil-slicked floor dodging missiles, whilst another sees him battling swordsmen using only his coat. There's a bit of blood and guts (including a pretty shocking mangled leg shot) and the classic Wong Fei-hung theme music is back infrequently. Although this film offers absolutely nothing new to the series or the genre as a whole, Hark's lavish choreography and production values make it a very agreeable viewing experience.

While the third movie in the "Once Upon a Time in China" series were better than part one, but wasn't up to part two story-wise, then this third installment did manage to hold its own. While it was very weak in storyline, it more than made up for the shortcoming in action and Chinese lion sequences.It seemed like the storyline was rushed through and that most of the movie had a script that was just made up as director Tsui Hark went along with shooting the film. But luckily the impressive action and martial arts were more than making up for it. It should also be said that there is a lot of scenes and fighting sequences with Chinese lions. So take that into consideration if you might have a problem with that.Jet Li delivers quite well once again, despite not having much of a solid and proper script to work with. So "Once Upon a Time in China 3" (aka "Wong Fei Hung III: Si wong jaang ba") seems mostly like a showcase for Jet Li's martial arts skills.This is not one of the brightest moments in Hong Kong cinema, nor in Tsui Hark's directing career."Once Upon a Time in China 3" is a movie mostly appealing only to fans of Jet Li.

After seeing this, I realized Tsui Hark really has a knack for period films. Jet Li is Master Wong in this third part of OUATIC series. Honestly, I really enjoyed the scenes with Wong and Aunt Yee (played by always lovely Rosamund Kwan). The way they play off each other is so innocent that you can't help have a smile on your face. It's also a chance to see a jealous Jet Li which adds to the humor. You really root for him to get the girl (lucky Jet).The action is on point as Jet Li displays his martial arts prowess as he battles a lot of enemies. Great use of a jacket to ward off a street battle and the restaurant fight scene is classic Jet Li (you gotta love that shadowless kick). The Lion dance ceremony was interesting and I enjoyed how chaotic it was as all the dragons battled to get the bait. Foon adds comic relief and Club Foot was a cool character who knows how to get his "kicks".Overall, I had to see this one after watching part one and two. Even though I expected to see superb fighting, I really enjoyed the romance in the film as well.

Though nowhere near as good as its predecessors, episode three of the legendary series does have some memorable moments, though they may appear few and far between. On this occasion, Empress Dowager tries to cause hostility between foreign powers settling in China by holding the ultimate Lion Dance competition set to restore Chinese pride and heritage, only to have it quashed by martial madman Chiu Tin Bai who's intent is to annihilate the competition and win the Lion Dance himself. Wong Fei-hung steps in after his father is beaten down by Chiu's crazy henchman Clubfoot, and the stage is set for Wong's single-handed onslaught of all evildoers and the restoration of some kind of sanity in this crazy town. There's plenty of colourful lion dances to please the eye and Jet is still the most exciting thing around, yet what it really lacks in is purpose, setting no real moral high ground and merely acting as a relentless cash-in on its previous successes.