This Underrated '90s Action Gem Is Jet Li's First (And Only) Western

Western fans will be very familiar with Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West." But what about the "Once Upon a Time in China" series? Created and produced by legendary Hong Kong filmmaker Tsui Hark, this franchise was a major hit during the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema, helped enormously by Jet Li's portrayal of 19th century Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung. The majority of the films were set in China, but the sixth and final installment, 1997's "Once Upon a Time in China and America," saw Li's hero venture to the Old West.

The "Once Upon a Time in China" series has given us some truly memorable moments. In 1992's "Once Upon a Time In China II," for instance, Li faced off against the great Donnie Yen, one of the only martial arts stars who can rival Li. Then, with the sixth entry in the series, we got Li's one and only Western: "Once Upon a Time in China and America."

After 1993's "Once Upon a Time in China III," Li left the franchise to play the exact same character in 1993's "Last Hero in China," an offshoot of the previous films that once again followed Won Fei-hung but with a much more comedic approach. Meanwhile, Vincent Zhao stepped in to play the character in the official fourth and fifth films of the "Once Upon a Time" series, as well as a short-lived TV show in the mid-90s. But the sixth entry saw the return of Li, and this time he headed West.

The "Once Upon a Time in China" series helped establish Jet Li as a martial arts movie star. The fact he was playing a folk hero certainly helped in that regard, even if the films themselves didn't exactly follow history closely. That said, earlier entries in the franchise did deal with the impact of Western imperialism in China, and today stand as some of the best Jet Li movies. By the time we got to "Once Upon a Time in China and America," however, it was much more about the action and entertainment than anything else. 

That's not a bad thing, though. "Once Upon a Time in China and America" is a ridiculous movie that's just a heck of a lot of fun. Directed by Sammo Hung, who also helped craft the combat choreography, the sixth entry sees Li's Wong Fei-hung travel from China to the United States during the early 20th Century to check on one of his apprentices, So Sai-man or "Bucktooth So" (Power Chan). Once there, however, his carriage is attacked by Native Americans and Wong hits his head on a rock, causing him to lose his memory. A different Native American tribe then takes him in.

Soon, another rival tribe arrives. This is where Wong gets to reveal his martial arts prowess in spectacular fashion, defeating not only the rival tribe's leader but several of his men. By this point the relentless crash zooms and frenetic cuts will have bewildered even the most seasoned martial arts movie fan. But if you can deal with the editing style, the often over-the-top and often comedic action is really enjoyable, and culminates in a good old Western shootout on a legendary film set...

If you're intrigued by the one Western Jet Li ever made, the good news is that you really don't need to have seen the previous five films in the series or the TV show to understand what's going on here. "Once Upon a Time in China and America" is bewildering in its own way, but not because of any direct links to previous movies. There is a scene in which Wong Fei-hung's apprentice, Kwai Geuk-chat aka "Clubfoot Seven Chiu-Tsat" (Hung Yan-yan), fights his master using styles taken from his previous adversaries in order to try to help him remember his past. But beyond that, it's basically an excuse to unleash Jet Li on the Old West.

Interestingly enough, "Once Upon a Time in China and America" was shot at Alamo Village in San Antonio. This was the set that played host to John Wayne's infamous Western flop "The Alamo" back in 1960. This time, instead of the Duke's Davy Crockett delivering interminable monologues, Li was dodging bullets amid the Old West facades.

"Once Upon a Time in China and America" was theatrically released in Hong Kong on February 1, 1997, and became a hit. Elsewhere, the film isn't all that well known, though the series as a whole remains one of Li's best. The first two films in particular are among the greatest martial arts movies of all time. But there's a certain charm to Li's Western adventure, which can be seen in its entirety on the Shout! Studios YouTube channel.