STUDIO: Dragon Dynasty/The Weinstein Company
RELEASE DATE: July 29, 2008
STARRING: Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Chin Siu Ho
WRITTEN BY: Ip Kwong Kim
DIRECTED BY: Yeung Wo-Ping
FEATURES: Commentary by Hong King Cinema Expert Bey Logan
NEMESIS: Exclusive Interview with Chin Siu Ho
The Birthplace of Tai Chi
Meditations on the Master: Director Brett Ratner and Critic Elvis Mitchell on Director Yuen Wo-Ping
Twin Warriors: Critic Elvis Mitchell and Director Brett Ratner on Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh
Original Home Video Trailer

One thing’s for sure when watching Tai Chi Master (aka Twin Warriors), there’s a ton of hand-to-hand martial arts combat. Throw in Jet Li and Chin Siu Ho as two childhood/monks friends who head down two different paths after being expelled from their Shaolin temple before meeting up with a group of revolutionaries and the lovely Michelle Yeoh, and Tai Chi Master is ripe with epic action and martial arts heavyweights.

Although the pairing of Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh makes the a must-see martial arts experience, for fans raised post-Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon the film might feel a bit too dated. However, the single, most significant reason to see Tai Chi Master is the fact that the film’s director, Yuen Wo-Ping, is not only one of the greatest martial arts directors of all time, he was also the man who choreographed the fight sequences in all three Matrix movies, Crouching Tiger, and both volumes of Kill Bill. Wo-Ping’s influence and credits throughout Asian and American cinema have made him a living legend.

Like I mentioned, there’s a ton of fighting in the film. It’s what keeps the momentum going throughout the picture. Not just your typical 2 on 1 or 3 on 1 clashes either. Instead you get one man against an army type of sequences. After all, Chin Siu Ho’s character, Tienbao, loves to fight... to a fault. Li’s character on the other hand, Junbao, is more thoughtfully tactical. Ultimately, it’s Tienbao’s superiority that forces Junbao to create his own fighting style, Tai Chi, to defeat the forces of evil. A classic tale of two friends who separate only to reunite on opposite sides of good and evil, Tai Chi Master isn’t a film known for its intellectual dialogue. Both dialogue and acting are simply fundamental connective tissue between fight sequences. As far as a total overall package as a movie, Crouching Tiger this is not. However, Jet Li, Chin Siu Hi, and Michelle Yeoh are spectacular together in a film masterfully elevated by Yuen Wo-Ping.

As a DVD, Dragon Dynasty’s Tai Chi Master is a vast improvement over Dimension’s earlier "Twin Warriors" release in almost every capacity, including restored footage that was cut from the original DVD and an added 5.1 Dolby Digital Cantonese audio track. How a Cantonese track was left off the earlier release but included on almost every other DVD market blows my mind. Not only are the visuals and acoustics given a more refined makeover, the special features make this yet another fine installment in Dragon Dynasty’s portfolio. Beyond the excellent and highly informative commentary from Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan (covering the movie and its legacy from front to back), the single disc also includes a series of interviews set to clips from the film and an on-location segment worthy of your time.

First up is an "Exclusive Interview with Chin Siu Ho", the film’s nemesis, who discusses everything from his life in martial arts and how he learned to fight by watching his neighbor to being affected by Bruce Lee, entering into competition, becoming a Shaw student, and later becoming an actor. If you don’t know how Chin Siu Ho entered the fight game, his story makes for engaging entertainment. After a segment called "Birthplace of Tai Chi: On Location in Chen Village", which takes you inside the actual real life location where Tai Chi was developed and refined, the disc closes out with two different interview segments from director Brett Ratner and former New York Times critic Elvis Mitchell.

In the first segment, "Meditations on the Master", Ratner and Mitchell delve into the career and legacy of director Yuen Wo-Ping and what he means to cinema at large, with further thoughts about how Wo-Ping was able to get the career best out of both Jackie Chan and Jet Li. In the second, aptly titled "Twin Warriors", Ratner and Mitchell discuss the impact and influence of both Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh on both sides of the ocean, including Mitchell’s sentiment that there’s no Western analogue for Jet Li like other Asian fighters who have made it big in Hollywood. If you’re a fan of martial arts movies, you’ll definitely appreciate both interviews for their level of insight, information, and commentary.

Although it’s not quite a grand-slam home run given the fact that the disc doesn’t include a Jet Li - Michelle Yeoh commentary (or even interviews), Tai Chi Master is still another great red carpet makeover from Dragon Dynasty.