Wu Ma – Through the Shattered Lens

Last year during Horrorthon, I reviewed the 80s Hong Kong classic, A CHINESE GHOST STORY. It took me a while, but I finally got around to watching the sequel this week. This was my first viewing of the film, and while I tried to keep my expectations in check, I hoped it would be a worthy follow-up to a film that I thoroughly enjoyed.

A CHINESE GHOST STORY II opens on scholar Ling Choi San (Leslie Cheung) just after the events of the first film. He’s depressed about losing his ghost lover Siu-sin (Joey Wong), but he doesn’t have a lot of time to focus on that, because he immediately finds himself arrested by bounty hunters and thrown in jail. Escaping jail just before his execution, Ling accidentally steals a horse belonging to Taoist priest Chi Chau (Jacky Cheung). This turns out to be a good thing, because Chau is an expert when it comes to fighting demons and ghosts, something that will come in very handy later. That night, while staying in an abandoned house, Ling and Chau are attacked by a gang of rebel warriors disguised as ghosts. Two of the rebels are sisters Moon (Michelle Reis) and Windy (Joey Wong again), a dead ringer for his lost love. Enraptured by this woman, Ling and Chau join the sisters in their quest to rescue their father, Lord Fu (Lau Siu-Ming) from the imperial army led by Swordsman Hu (Waise Lee). But this will not be easy as along the way they will take on a tall drooling demon, an evil sorcerer who’s taken the form of a Golden Buddha, and finally a giant demon that looks like a flying centipede. If they can somehow survive all of this, will Windy still marry the man she is betrothed to, but has never met? Or will she give her heart to Ling, who she has fallen in love with?

This sequel finds us back in the world of scholars, priests, warriors, sorcerers, demons and ghosts, but it takes a different approach than its predecessor. While the original presented many outrageous fantasy and horror elements, it never lost sight of the romance at its center. With the sequel, director Ching Siu-tung goes balls-to-the-wall with the fantasy action, horrific demon creatures, and silly comedy, so much so, that it barely slows down long enough for any meaningful romance until near the end. The film is filled with the kind of wirework, acrobatics, and supernatural mayhem that made Hong Kong fantasy action cinema so much fun during this period. The 80s monster special effects are somewhat goofy, but that’s part of the charm, and there’s so much energy and imagination on-screen that I found myself marveling at what I was watching. You just don’t see movies like this anywhere in the world these days. There’s no way to predict what insane image might show up on screen next.

It’s fun seeing Leslie Cheung return as scholar Ling. He’s not cool like some of my favorite Hong Kong film heroes played by actors like Chow Yun-fat and Lau Ching-wan. He’s actually a bit of a goofball, but that’s a part of his appeal. He’s not a fearless action hero, but he’s very brave in the way that he always puts the safety of others in front of himself. Joey Wong is still so beautiful, and even though she’s playing a different character this time around, she and Cheung still have a strong chemistry when the movie slows down long enough to focus on their relationship. Jacky Cheung is an excellent addition to the cast as Chi Chau. He brings real determination and likability to the role, while also being very funny. I’m not always a big fan of Jacky’s over-the-top performances, but he nails this one. And after he was so good in the original, it brought a big smile to my face when Wu Ma showed back up for the big climax with the flying demon centipede.

While the movie has a lot going for it, I personally didn’t enjoy A CHINESE GHOST STORY II quite as much as the original. While I still liked the characters and the fantastic action, my favorite part of the first one was the beautiful romance at its core that made me truly care about what happens to the characters. This sequel ups the ante with action, comedy and spectacle, but skimps on the more intimate character relationships that made the first film so special. They do try harder near the end, but it was a case of too little too late. Without the same emotional impact as the original, you could say that the film brings amazing sizzle, but just not as much steak.

Still, I’m not going to complain too much about a movie that gives me golden age Hong Kong fantasy fun, and ultimately, A CHINESE GHOST STORY II is a worthy follow-up to a Hong Kong classic. I enjoyed spending another couple of hours in this world. It may not be as romantic or emotionally satisfying as the original, but it still delivers wild, inventive entertainment in spades. And after all this fun, you never know, I may not wait an entire year before diving into A CHINESE GHOST STORY III!

A CHINESE GHOST STORY (1987) is a landmark film in the golden age of 1980’s Hong Kong cinema. While my primary interest in the cinema of Hong Kong centers around directors like John Woo, Ringo Lam and Johnnie To, as well as the actors Chow Yun-Fat, Lau Ching-Wan and Andy Lau, I’ve been aware of this film from the very beginning. It’s been a couple of decades since I watched it, so I felt I was well past due for a revisit.

Directed by Ching Siu-tung and produced by the legendary Tsui Hark, A CHINESE GHOST STORY follows Ling Choi San (Leslie Cheung), a naive young scholar who finds himself working as a tax collector. Overly timid and a complete failure at his job, Ling is completely broke, so he seeks shelter in the only place he can afford, a haunted temple on the outskirts of a remote village. That night he encounters Lip Siu Sin (Joey Wong), a ghostly maiden who is being forced to use her feminine wiles to lure unfortunate men to their doom at the hands, or shall I say tongue, of the millennium-old, shape-shifting Tree Demoness Lao Lao (Lau Siu-Ming), who devours the life essence of its victims. Ling’s unusual and genuine kindness towards Siu Sin causes her to have pity on the young man so she decides to protect him from Lao Lao. The two soon share a night of tender romance, where Siu Sin reveals her tragic past and Ling immediately pledges to do anything he can to protect her. As part of this protection, Ling seeks the assistance of the Taoist swordsman Yin Chek Ha (Wu Ma), who initially rejects his request but eventually becomes an unlikely and powerful ally in the young scholar’s quest to keep Siu Sin safe. Ling and Master Yin soon find themselves in the underworld, battling armies of the undead and writhing tongue-tentacles, in an attempt to save Siu Sin from the evil Tree Demoness. Will they free her, or will she spend eternity setting up horny guys to have their essences sucked away and turned into zombies? It’s the age old question that will be answered by the end of the film’s 96 minute runtime.

Blending elements of horror, romance, comedy, and swordplay, while incorporating innovative special effects, A CHINESE GHOST STORY revitalized the Hong Kong fantasy film and kicked off a trend for folklore ghost films, including its own two sequels. At its core, the film is a timeless, love story, and even with all of the crazy stuff going on, that central theme kept me engaged to the very end. Director Ching Siu-tung is at the top of his game as his film contains a poetic energy that’s extremely rare in any nation’s cinema these days, including Hong Kong. Leslie Cheung, who plays the scholar Ling, had a tendency to overplay the annoying aspects of his characters at this point in his career in the 80’s (I’m looking at you A BETTER TOMORROW). Here, while I don’t love his character for the early sections of the film, I do enjoy it when he decides he’s going to do anything possible to save Siu Sin’s eternal soul and give her a chance to reincarnate. What he lacks in bravery, he makes up in sheer will and his character grows on me by the end. And then there’s Joey Wong as the ghostly seductress Siu Sin. What can I say about her other than this… if you don’t fall in love with Joey Wong in A CHINESE GHOST STORY, there’s probably something wrong with you. It’s a performance that helped propel Wong into her stardom across Asia. Her strong chemistry with Cheung elevates the film’s central love story and gives his character some much needed credibility. Wu Ma plays the cynical and brave Taoist swordsman, Yin, who gives Ling a fighting chance against the tree demoness. It’s a fun character and his mid-film, sword-training “rap” is one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Lau Siu-Ming, a man, plays the tree demoness Lao Lao. It’s an interesting character. Siu Sin continually refers to the tree demon as an “old woman,” but the demon is actually gender fluid and when we see it, it looks more like a man, which seems to enhance its power. We also see the tree demon in its monster form, which is the biggest, longest and slimiest tongue you will ever see. It’s unique and gross at the same time!

I will admit that watching any film starring Leslie Cheung, at this point in my life, is bittersweet. The man was a Canto-Pop superstar and over time, grew to become one of the best and most interesting actors from Hong Kong. That’s Cheung singing the theme song that plays over the opening credits of A CHINESE GHOST STORY. His work with John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat in the A BETTER TOMORROW film series and ONCE A THIEF are some of the first films I watched when I began my obsession with Hong Kong Cinema in the 90’s. In some ways, my love of Hong Kong movies is inseparable from Leslie Cheung. Suffering from depression, Cheung tragically took his own life on April 1st, 2003 by jumping from the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which is located in the central district on Hong Kong Island. It was a horrifically sad end for an extremely talented man.

Ultimately, in the world of Hong Kong Cinema, A CHINESE GHOST STORY is an easy recommendation in much the same way that movies like JAWS or STAR WARS are here in America. Its legacy of influence over the Hong Kong film industry has stood the test of time, making it a true classic!