Casino Raiders - 至尊無上

Casino Raiders (至尊無上) is an 1989 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Andy Lau and Alan Tam. The supporting cast include Idy Chan and Rosamund Kwan. The movie was based in both Hong Kong and the US of A. The movie may have played well in 1989 when it came out, but in todays age. It seems a bit of cheese.

Andy and Alan are top casino experts. They are invited to the states, Nevada maybe, to help a old friend that's in charge of security. They help their friend figure out. Tam goes straight and Lau gets in trouble. The two go in very different life paths. Tam climbs the ladder while Lau grinds it out. When Lau pleads for Tam's help one more time, all hell breaks loose.

This was very typical HK flare for that era as it took many genres of bro-hood. Gambling movies were still rare at the time, but the movie's focus wasn't gambling but the bromance between Tam and Lau. Tam was in the twilight of his monster fame while Lau was on the way up. In the end, the cheezy acting, bromance, and low quality filmmaking prevent me from recommending this film.

If you're a Lau fan from his gangster days, you'll like this. He's trying to be cooler than cool. Like ice cold.

Once Upon a Time in China III - 黃飛鴻之三獅王爭霸

Once Upon a Time in China III (黃飛鴻之三獅王爭霸) is a 1993 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, and Max Mok. Hung Yan Yan and Lau Shun round out the supporting cast.

In this installment, Wong and company head to Beijing. Wong's father, Wong Kei Ying, is part of the Cantonese Association of Beijing. Once there, they are faced with the many martial arts schools engaged in public fights and lion dance competitions. Wong tries to play the middle man and to settle their scores. The head general of the imperial forces calls for a lion competition to strengthen Chinese morale. But this just leads to back stabbing among those that want to join. Also in this installment, Wong expresses his desire to marry 13 Aunt, breaking generational rules considered taboo. Wong's father eventually comes around and notes that old things should be thrown out.



This one is in the middle of the pack for me. No major fights with someone of similar caliber fighting skill. And I am not a fan of lion dances. I flat out get bored. The antagonist seemed to come from 3 or 4 different areas and it wasn't easy to follow. The quirky HK cheesiness didn't work well either. I would watch 1,2 and 4 before this one.

Once Upon a Time in China II - 黃飛鴻之二男兒當自強

Once Upon a Time in China II (黃飛鴻之二男兒當自強) is 1992 film out of Hong Kong. The film stars Jet Li and Rosamund Kwan. Supporting cast include Donnie Yen, Max Mok, David Chiang, and Zhang Tielin.

The movie starts with the White Lotus sect demonstrating their religion. The movie than shifts to Wong Fei Hung, 13 Aunt, and Leung Koon on a train. Wong has been invited to give a demonstration on Chinese Medicine at a "Western" medical school in Guangzhou. While in Guangzhou, they have run ins with the White Lotus Sect on a few occuasions. Along the way, they meet Sun Yat Sen at the school.

This is my favorite Once Upon a Time in China of the six. The reason is because there are 3 major fights in the movie. The first time Donnie Yen and Jet Li meet, they have an exchange. Wong than has a fight with the White Lotus Sect. The final final fight with Donnie Yen is quite awesome.

The movie improved on story telling, technique and style from the first one.

Once Upon a Time in China - 黃飛鴻

Once Upon a Time in China (黃飛鴻) is a 1991 movie out of Hong Kong. It was also a spark of what would be a long line of martial movies that dominated the HK film industry in the 90s. This movie is the first of 6. The movie starred Jet Li, Yuen Biao, Jacky Cheung, Rosamund Kwan, and Kent Cheng.

The film begins with a lion dance demonstration. Jet Li as Wong Fei Hong shows off his skills to the locals and foreigners on hand. Wong is ask to lead and train a local militia to defend civilians from both locals and foreigners. From here, we're slowly introduced to the many members of Wong's militia. Including the very fresh faced Jacky Cheung. Lots of lowbrow hijinx ensue, but we get a glimpse of Wong's kung fu artistry. The main protagonist is a band of local gangsters that are in cahoots with the Americans to sell local gals as prostitutes in America. Wong must face them when they capture 13 Aunt, played by Rosamund Kwan.



This isn't among my favorite films by Jet Li and is probably 3rd on the list for the series of 6. But I remember watching this back in 1991 and thinking how awesome it was. The epic ending battle was a masterpiece. I still enjoy putting this on in the background while I wash dishes and can't really pay that much attention. Tsui Hark followed "The Swordsman" with a totally new style of Kung Fu presentation that dominated the 90s wuxia landscape.

Back in 1991, my grandparents live in Monterey Park and we would visit them every month or so. When it was a bigger gathering with other cousins. We would run off to the local video store and rent the latest HK movie. I remember how much I enjoyed this. And it is fond memories of my teens with relatives and my late grandfather.