Synopsis
Once Upon a Time in China III (1993) is a Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Tsui Hark, the third chapter in the Wong Fei-hung series, and available to watch online on iFILM. Jet Li is back as the legendary kung fu master, this time heading to Beijing for a Lion Dance competition that turns out to be anything but ceremonial.
Wong travels to the capital with his sidekick Clubfoot and his cousin Aunt Yee. The tournament draws the best practitioners from across the country, but political pressure from foreign powers and a scheming rival threaten to turn the contest into something uglier. Aunt Yee, meanwhile, strikes up a flirtation with a Russian diplomat named Tumanovsky, giving the film a lighter, almost screwball thread running through the action.
The Lion Dance sequences are the centrepiece, and they deliver: the choreography is intricate, Jet Li moves through it with complete ease, and Tsui Hark keeps the camera close enough that every impact registers. For newcomers to the series, the film stands on its own. Stream Once Upon a Time in China III (1993) online on iFILM.
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