The New Legend of Shaolin (1994)
The New Legend of Shaolin released in the United Kingdom as Legend of the Red Dragon and in the Philippines as Once Upon a Time in China-4) is a 1994 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Wong Jing and Corey Yuen. The film stars and is produced by Jet Li. The film showcases Hung Hei-kwun’s exploits as a rebel against the Qing government, and it is one of two films in which Li and Miu Tse play a father-son duo, the other being My Father Is a Hero. The film was released theatrically in Hong Kong on 3 March 1994.Plot:
Rebel Hung Hei-kwun arrives in his village only to find it destroyed from a raid by government soldiers. Hung Hei-kwun rescues the sole survivor, his infant son, and the two prepare to go on the run before encountering fellow rebel Ma Ling-yee. Ma Ling-yee suddenly attacks Hei-kwun as government soldiers appear, and reveals that he betrayed Hung Hei-kwun and the village for the bounty on Hei-kwun’s head. Hung Hei-kwun kills the soldiers and leaves Ma Ling-yee for dead. Several years later, Hung Hei-kwun and Man-ting, now a young boy, are in a village with very little money.
Nearby, a woman named Red Bean and her mother are running a con: Red Bean weeps over her mother, who is playing dead, and calls for a man’s marriage proposal to fund the mother’s burial costs. The wealthy but gullible Ma-Kai-sin propositions Red Bean. Hei-kwun tries to leave his son in the care of his brother but is betrayed, forcing him to kill his brother and more soldiers. Ma Kai-sin, witnessing the carnage done by Kwun, hires Hung Hei-Kwun as a bodyguard.
Release:
The New Legend of Shaolin was released in Hong Kong on 3 March 1994. In the Philippines, the film was released as Once Upon a Time in China-4 by Solar Films on 22 September 1994.Cast:
Jet Li as Hung Hei-kwun
Chen Sung-yung as Ma Kai-sin
Damian Lau as Chan Kan-nam
Ji Chunhua as Ma Ling-yee
Miu Tse as Hung Man-ting
Wang Lung-wei as Commander
Chingmy Yau as Red Bean
Deannie Yip as Red Bean’s Mother
Chu Ke-liang as Cheung
Wong Jing as Fong Sai-yuk (cameo)
Eric Tsang as Man in Crown