In 1868 during the late Qing Dynasty, rampant corruption on the Imperial Court inflicts much suffering in people’s lives. For years, the Black Tiger’s fearsome boss Lei Gong has been trying to get rid of the leader of the Northern Sea. One of his latest recruits is Fei, a fearless fighter who takes the Northern Sea leader’s head after a fierce fight. Just as Lei Gong believes he has total control of the port, a new gang called the Orphans rises in power. Led by Fei’s childhood friend Huo, the Orphans are out to eliminate all the criminal power from the port…Rise of the Legend 2014 Download.
While Chow and Taiwanese star Eddie Peng aren’t going to make anyone forget Tsui Hark and Jet Li’s defining Once Upon a Time in China, or for that matter Jackie Chan’s earlier spin on Wong in Drunken Master, they do a frequently thrilling job with a familiar story. This is certainly a cooler, sexier Wong Fei Hung—one with oiled up pecs and rippling abs—but Chow and screenwriter Christine To are careful with just how modern they get. Attractive though Peng is, the focus is still on Wong’s revolutionary fight on behalf of the poor and exploited. Domestic audiences are likely to make Rise a hit, and the film does an impeccable job of avoiding confrontational statements while remaining thematically relevant and should play well in China. Overseas distributors that had success with Hong Kong’s stronger marital epics of late, and even the more aimless The Grandmaster, are likely to show interest in the Universal Pictures International co-production.
Rise of the Legend’s name gives away its status of an origin story of sorts. In the late Qing Dynasty of the mid-19th century Guangzhou is mired in corruption, poverty and crime. The Black Tiger gang, run by the ruthless Master Lei (veteran Sammo Hung), and the North Sea gang are pitted in a war for the control of the lucrative port.