So much average

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Most martial arts movies have a few good fight scenes and practically no plot - just random wandering to transition between the fight scenes or some kind of revenge vendetta. This one, however, has enough plot devices for five movies (secret societies, secret identities, romantic misunderstandings, petty jealousies) and some of the most elaborate martial arts scenes ever staged. Jet Li is likable as Fong Sai Yuk (a genuine hero to the Chinese, about whom tall tales are spun, sort of like Daniel Boone), a young do-gooder who seems perpetually caught up in one mess after another despite his good intentions. Veteran action actress Sibelle Hu, not surprisingly, steals the picture as Fong's future mother in law Tiger Lily, a sentimental romantic and kick-ass martial artist. She winds up accompanying him on his adventure to make certain he doesn't cheat on her daughter, thereby becoming a rare thing in the movies - a mother in law who is also an action sidekick! Any of the big set piece fight scenes are worth the rental, especially the one early in the movie on a huge and rather unsteady looking tower. Plus there is real humor here which is integrated into the situations rather than tacked on in the fashion of so many Chinese movies. Very entertaining and can be watched again and again.

FONG SAI YUK is known as THE LEGEND in Britain and was broadcast on BBC 1 earlier tonight probably because it ties in with the release of Jet Li`s up coming HERO and since we`re also treated to an athletics contest very early into the film I guess someone thought it might have been a good idea to broadcast it after the BBC`s Olympic coverage THE LEGEND isn`t a bad martial arts movie , it features romance , comedy and action which is what entertainment is all about . It`s not going to win any Oscars and is in no way comparable to CROUCHING TIGER , HIDDEN DRAGON ( There`s a few revealing errors which adds to its entertainment value ) but at least it`s not as irritating as all those Jackie Chan and Jean Claude Van Damme star vehicles .There is one problem to THE LEGEND and that is the dubbing on the English language version - It`s quite awful . We see 70 year old men , their voices dubbed by actors who sound like their straight out of high school while their is no emotion or inflexion put into their voices . It`s quite ridiculous watching characters screaming and bawling on screen with their dubbed voices being calm and relaxed to the point of politeness . Unfortunately it`s not as funny as it sounds

Hooray indeed, I don't know where I'd be without kung-fu flicks like this, though only part kung-fu (Part actiom, romance, and comedy), everything works except the comedy. The reason the comedy does not work is because Jet is fighting someone and then in the middle of a fight, comes out with a witty (or unwitty), quip, it's so cartoony, it's not meant to be "Superman", it's a damn KUNG-FU, ROMANCE, ACTION, COMEDY, kind of movie. Back to the good bits, Fong Sai-Yuk has some really good fight scenes (except the first one, and the one where all the bad guys bow to him at the end, what a bunch of dufuses, I'm sure I'd never do that). The best thing about the film though is that Jet's character is not the perfect gentleman you see if you catch the first ten minutes (killed a flower lady or something like that). Anyway the fight on the wood was cool. The final battle was cooler! Plus the romance had all the charm and wit it needed. was that of a rom-com (Like Notting Hill), anyway opwer to Li!The Legend Of Fong Sai Yuk, should be a kung-fu legend, for extreme fun, if you're ever bored!Summary: Good, solid, Kung- Fu, which amounts to great fun, ***/****

what do you think of when someone talks about a Chinese movie, which is a cross between martial arts "Crouching Tiger" action, hilarious comedy, a farce, modern fairytale, passioned lovestory and very out of sync talks? with a great score though...well, this Jet Li canton movie proved it can work out. the fights are magnificent, the jokes cool and only Shakespeare himself could have written a comedy of misunderstanding, love and honour etc.I liked this one!