True Legend (2009) Movie

Never a fan of Chinese movies, and I usually refuse to pay good money to watch such movies in the theatres but at the persuasion of a friend who bought the tickets and the influx of Chinese movies in our theatres given the festive season, I ended up watching True Legend.

There is a review of the movie here on Wiki, but it isn't very good. I've just watched another movie today and a DVD over the weekend so I don't think I can do a really good plot review/synopsis of a thoroughly unmemorable movie but I'll try.

The movie starts off with a great fighting scene. 2 soldiers lead the charge to free a general. 1 of them is Su Can and the other Yuen Lie. The general offers to give the post of governor to Su but Su wants to marry Yuen Lie's little sister, Xiao Ying and offers the post to Yuen Lie instead. Yuen Lie appears bitter to always have what Su doesn't want. The show cuts to 5 years later showing Su happily married to Xiao Ying. They have a son called Feng Er. Su's father visits them and lets Su know that his brother, Yuen Lie is coming back. He ponders if Yuen Lie has forgiven him for killing his father. Yuen Lie obviously hasn't because the moment he is back he makes a beeline for Su's father and uses the venemous palms method to kill him and then behead him. He then captures Feng and Xiao Ying. Su who is opening his martial arts school is informed of the news and rushes back to find his father's headless body. He is attacked by the iron twins and chases them where they retreat to where Yuen Lie is with Su's father's head, XiaoYing and Feng Er. Su attacks Yuen Lie for revenge and Yuen Lie bears his chest to reveal that he has iron metal plates sewn into his skin. He also uses the venomous palms method to poison Su and then cast Su into the rapids after Xiao Ying begs for Su's life. XiaoYing jumps in after Su and is washed away. Yuen Lie howls in grief, orders his men to save her and when they decline because the river is too fast, he kills them all. Amazingly neither Su nor XiaoYing is killed but are washed up on the bank. XiaoYing constructs a litter and drags Su who is unconscious from the venom towards civilisation. However, at one point her strength fails, and her bloodied palms let go of the wooden handles of the litter and Su starts to slide to his death off the cliff. Sister Yu saves Su and XiaoYing who passes out after seeing Su saved. Su is revived and purged off the toxin by Sister Yu. His right hand however, is maimed and he despairs. After encouragement by XiaoYing, he trains to recover the use of his hand (over a year or so) and then one day he meets the God of Wushu and the Drunkard Immortal. He tries to beat them at wushu and therefore with practice and all, becomes more proficient at the art of wushu. XiaoYing is told by Sister Yu that there is no one else where they are at so she begins to doubt Su and follows him one day to where he says the God and Drunk are. She sees Su fighting with on one and hitting himself with stones. She confronts Su when he gets back and he denies that he fabricated the God and Drunk, pointing to the wounds on his body. One day he gets back from training and finds Xiao Ying gone. There is a note on the table saying she has gone to rescue Feng Er. Of course, he makes his way after her to where Yuen Lie is. Yuen Lie on the other hand is training with snakes and spiders (for vemon) and keeps Feng Er in ankle shackles to prevent him from escaping. When Xiao Ying goes there, she is reunited with Feng Er and although she asks to leave, Yuen Lie tells his little sister and Feng Er that they can never leave. Su bursts in, killing all the guards and after a hard fight, the Iron Twins. At that point, Yuen Lie orders his guards to bury Xiao Ying alive where no one can find her so that if he is killed by Su, Su will never have Xiao Ying still. As Xiao Ying is dragged off, she makes Feng Er promise never to leave his father. She is put in a casket and buried alive. The guards report to Yuen Lie the deed is done and he slaughters them so no one can reveal where she is. Yuen Lie and Su fight, a terrible fight where Su peals the metal sewn to Yuen Lie's skin away. If you like shows where blood is seen pouring from the mouth, this, THIS is the show to watch. Anyway, Feng Er begs Su not to deliver the killing blow to Yuen Lie who lies mortally injured but Su does not listen and kill Yuen Lie. Feng Er tells Su this is a mistake as they will never find XiaoYing then. Both stumble out and come across one of the almost dead guards who buried her. He tells them she is buried at the forest. They walk around in the rain calling out her name and by pure chance, they come across the hard cover of the chest (the rain must have washed away some of the mud). They dig with their hands to get the chest out and open it but alas, Xiao Ying is quite dead from the lack of air. Later on in the film, Su appears to deteriorate into a drunk, poor beggar with his son leading him about and feeding him. They come across a former general called Ma who served under Su and Su begs Ma to take his son away and take care of him. Ma agrees and Su pushes his son away, putting up a good show of not wanting him. Feng Er however insists on returning to his father while walking away with Ma. Su then cuddles Feng Er from the cold. Later on, Ma brings them to a tournament where Ma is to take part as head of the wushu federation. If he wins, this arena will be closed. The arena is run by Russians and along the Russia-Chinese border. The match starts and Ma is beaten bloody. Su in his drunken haze intervenes and subsequently defeats all the opponents even despite the dirty tricks the Russians engage in. Lots more blood pouring from the mouth scenes. Su rises up and walks away victorious with his son at the end.

The Slog Reviews: 7/10. A rather lengthy drawn out movie filled with the usual tragedy and quest for retribution. The fighting scenes though are worth the watch.