Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD EAN: 9786305131427 Format: Color ISBN: 6305131422 Label: Image Entertainment Manufacturer: Image Entertainment Number Of Items: 1 Picture Format: Letterbox Publisher: Image Entertainment Region Code: 0 Release Date: 1998-09-29 Running Time: 105 Studio: Image Entertainment Theatrical Release Date: 1995
Probably only the Hong Kong film industry could have produced this bizarre mixture of head-kicking martial arts action and daddy-and-me sentimentality. Veteran HK action director Cory Yuen (Fong Sai Yuk), who staged Jet Li's fight sequences in Lethal Weapon 4, steers the acrobatic Mainlander through a heart-tugging crime saga about a cop who has gone so far undercover that everyone, including his troubled son, thinks he's actually a bad guy. Pop-singing actress Anita Mui (Rouge) is a policewoman from Hong Kong who befriends and protects the kid until father and son reconcile and team up against the crooks. The action episodes, which were performed without stunt doubles or wires, are eye-popping wonders, and the kid, Tze Miu, is a true prodigy. (Sensitive adults may be horrified by some of junior's more extreme stunt work.) The tough-guy emotionalism is often shamelessly effective. But Yuen is a by-the-numbers journeyman director, and for the most part this a flat, square, unimaginative exercise. --David Chute
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: not my favorite jet li movie Comment: The original title of this film "My Father is a Hero" describes it best. The movie is about Jet Li playing a father, who is sent undercover on a top secret mission to infiltrate a mob boss - who is one very cold & cynical guy. The mission is so secret, not even his wife and son are informed, and it breaks the heart of his son (who is obviously very close to his father in this film). His wife dies of illness while away, and he fears his son is in just as much danger, when he comes to H.K. looking for his father and also becomes entangled with the mob boss. There are plenty of touching scenes in the film, mostly about family and loss, but leave it to poor English dubbing to ruin the moments.
As with most Jet Li films, you can expect a good deal of action with this one. And unlike his American films, you can expect even more action and longer fights. The only scene that really amazed me was the finale, lasting 7 minutes where Jet Li takes on the boss and his men on the inside of a large boat. The action kind of gets ruined once his son comes in and father uses him as a yo-yo on a rope to take out the guys. Its quite funny looking and obviously totally unrealistic.
The movie didn't flow too well for me, as it proceeds from action to tender moments, back and forth. Just didn't feel right in this film. I might have enjoyed it a little more if the dubbing wasn't so poor. Not a very exciting movie oveall except for some decent action from Li. Customer Rating: Summary: Some of these JET LI THE COLLECTION movies are really pushing the limits of my patience Comment: I remember when the dubbed voices were somewhat enjoyable, now video game companies do a better job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With that being said, this movie is really bad, very little fight scenes early on, and too many stupid things that happen in what should be life and death situations. Still you can't go wrong with iron monkey vs. jet li. The whole coat fighting with jet just blew me away. I didn't like thwe little kids fight scenes, but it wasn't his fault, the wire work was just way overdone. So overall a pretty stupid movie with outstanding fightscenes, even if they are limited. This movie definitely needs to be viewed in the chinese version though. Customer Rating: Summary: Dimension destroy another mediocre release Comment: This is a terrible release of a terrible movie!
For those fans who have watched Jet's movie career go from the sensational Shaolin Temple and Once Upon a Time in China series, it was this movie (along with the Defender) that marked the beginning in Jet's dramatic decline.
This movie is actually called My Father is a Hero, it has been dubbed and cut for American audiences. It is no wonder that many martial arts films are considered plotless and characterless when the US distributors cut them so only action is left!!
The martial arts action is way below par, the kid is more annoying than Macauley Kulkin, and the bad guy's include Ngai Sing, Ken Lo and Yu Rong Guang! These are some great martial artists and the encounter with Jet should have been breath-taking, but there are too many wires and it's a limp finale overall.
buy the asian import of My Father is a Hero, rather than support these butchered US releases. Or even better buy Jet's classic movies (most things pre-1994) + and the Hong kong edition of Fist of Legend
Customer Rating: Summary: question.. Comment: does anyone know if this dvd is in chinese with english subtitles, or is it dubbed in english? Customer Rating: Summary: American version ok, da original chinese version much better Comment: This movie was ok, but da dubbing ..., and thanx alot to "Dimension Home Video" they re did da sound effects of da movie and it was capital B "BAD". Trust me, if u wanna get dis movie on VHS or DVD, get da orginal one "My Father Is A Hero", itz in itz original language (since I never saw da original, I think da original language is Cantonese, either dat or Mandarin) and da sound effects have gotta be better. I saw da dubbed version of "Once Apon A Time In China" and compared to da original version (Cantonese) I saw da original is WAY better
