Man Called Hero, A (1999)

An epic story revolves around one man’s journey from China to New York where he does battle against corrupt mine owners, Japanese warriors carrying on an old feud with his master, and his own fate which is foretold to cause the death of his loved ones.

A Man Called Hero is the semi-sequel to The Storm Riders (1998), both of which were based upon a popular Chinese comic book series by Ma Wing Shing. This entry reunites key cast members, several of whom return in new roles.

The film is an overlong mashing of Chinese fantasy storytelling with modern computer effects, mostly set in early 20th century New York. The tale begins in China where Hero Hua’s (Ekin Cheng) parents (Chang Pei Pei plays his mother) are murdered for opposing the sale of opium. Hero, a master swordsman gets revenge on all the killers except for Bigot (Elvis Tsui), who joins him on a boat to America. At this point, the narrative jumps eighteen or so years into the future and we’re introduced to Hero’s son, Sword who has come to America to find his father. As he travels through New York’s Chinatown, he learns of his father’s exploits from people who knew him.

Returning to the past, Bigot becomes a foreman at a mine operated by underpaid Chinese laborers. Hero comes to work there, but after being framed for the murder of a guard, he escapes to wait for the arrival of his pregnant wife he had left in China. Once together again, trouble arises when a group of elemental ninja arrive. They are the pupils of an ambitious Japanese master who covets the martial arts secrets Hero’s master possesses. This feud leads to a duel between the two elders which results in an apparent stalemate. Hero’s master dies from his injuries. This coupled with the recent death of his wife and kidnapping of his newly born daughter drives Hero into seclusion where he trains in preparation for the eventual rematch with the Japanese.

The story finally returns to the present for the finale as the Japanese master barges into Chinatown looking for Hero who shows up to do battle with him on the Statue of Liberty of all places. Sword’s eventual reunion with his father is bittersweet since Hero keeps him at a distance, afraid his bad aura might harm his son.

This film is extremely ambitious and manages to pull off a number of convincing and enjoyable scenes, but too much non-linear storytelling involving too many characters and subplots nearly derails the whole story. The film would have worked better as a television mini-series where there would have been more time to focus on all of the characters. For the layman, it would certainly be difficult to comprehend aspects of the plot such as this whole business about the martial arts secrets which are shown being transferred to Hero as if by magic. More outrageous tricks include outright flying, moving about at lightning speed, and the ability to control the elements.

Visually, the film shares similarities to the likes of Mortal Kombat or Legend of Zu but the action and computer effects are erratic in quality and quantity. The first two-thirds of the film features less action and focus on the somewhat convoluted story. Towards the end several swordfights are staged that have no relevance to actual martial arts abilities. It’s all smoke and mirrors. All of this eye candy looks impressive enough, but cannot top a well staged wire-fu extravaganza such as Dragon Inn. Yuen Biao looks good as usual and gets to show off his skills in at least one good fight early in the film. He even dons Chinese opera gear for an entertaining “rescue” of the miners. Sadly, his role is mostly peripheral. Ekin Cheng is no martial artist, but he does possess some of the austerity which Ti Lung gushed during his Shaw Brothers era. He’s also a capable actor, but his character is generally too emotionally detached from the events surrounding him for us to feel much if any apathy.

The final bout on the Statue of Liberty is better staged than a similar scene in X-Men, but the ambitious computer effects are less convincing. More importantly, since little time was spent on developing the lead villain the impact or importance of this final match is weakened significantly.

As a complete film, A Man Called Hero is a disappointment. The story should have been more streamlined and less episodic. There isn’t enough quality martial arts action and much of what is present is made up of mostly gimmicky CGI effects. On the other hand, the premise is intriguing as are many elements which beg to be explained further. While The Storm Riders rates a little higher for having a more cohesive story, both films display a strong potential for future Asian fantasy films to come.