Magic Crane / Rivals Of The Dragon
by Multi
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anita MuiDirector: Multi
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Subtitled); Japanese (Original Language); English (Dubbed)
Format: Color, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 173 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-05-28
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Ground Zero
Movie Reviews of Magic Crane / Rivals Of The Dragon
Movie Review: The Magic Crane
Summary: 4 Stars
Magic Crane is one of my favourite Tsui Hark films, directed by Benny Chan (Gen X Cops, Who Am I?) it's a fast paced ride through a fantasy wuxia land inhabited by flying swordsmen, beautiful women and the odd giant animal thrown in for good measure - kind of like a Buddha's Palm for the nineties.
Normally at this point I would give a brief synopsis of the plot but that would be fairly difficult without going into it in too much depth, suffice to say Tony Leung's impoverished clan gets embroiled in various schemes to rule the martial world thanks to not one but two opposing bad guys in the shape of Lawrence Ng the leader of the evil Tien Lung Clan and Kelvin Wong a shady and calculating government agent. A straight forward clan based story then? Not quite, here's a rundown of what you can expect to see - a giant crane that carries Anita Mui around, a swarm of poisonous bats (with some bat cruelty thrown in for good measure), a tense gathering of all the clans in the martial world, a powerful master chained up in an underground cave, sex drugs, a magic kung fu manual, a giant thousand year old tortoise and musical instruments used as devastating weapons. I'm sure I've missed a few things out there but you get the idea, Tsui Hark throws in just about every wacky idea he's got but still manages to produce a coherent and entertaining film - as long as you don't blink and miss something!
Despite the fact that some of the effects (mainly the animals) aren't up to the standards you would expect to find in a modern CGI film this is still a great looking movie and the old fashioned animatronic and rubber suit style creatures are done quite well, the magic crane itself looks like it was made from bits that Tsui Hark found in his garage but they did a decent job of making it fly and even managed to imbue it with a bit of personality. The human cast did a good job as well, Norman Tsui pops up as Anita Mui's master, Rosamund Kwan turns up as his daughter (and deadly enemy) but my favourite was the gorgeous Jay La Kam Ling who played the deliciously slutty sister of Lawrence Ng who tries to sleep with every one she meets and even does a kung fu version of the Sharon Stone style crossed legs routine while she's fighting with Tony Leung! Another stand out performance for me was Kelvin Wong who after eating a magical manual (it's a long story) went absolutely nuts like Kam Kong in Jade Dagger Ninja and embarked on a murderous rampage, he even managed to kill Lawrence Ng while making sweet love to his sister and laughing maniacly, great stuff!
It'll probably come as no surprise that the action in Magic Crane is of the high flying wire assisted variety but as far as it goes it's pretty good if you like that sort of thing, which I do. To give you some idea of what to expect the choreographer is Lau Chi Ho who worked with Ching Sui Ting on Duel To The Death, Swordsman and A Chinese Ghost Story so as well as some decent swordplay there's also magical weapons like the Lute and Kelvin Wong's bell which is about the size of Big Ben!
If you're a fan of new wave wuxia I would strongly recommend Magic Crane - it's like watching Kung Fu Cult Master, Deadful Melody, Dragon Chronicles, Chinese Ghost Story, Zu Warriors and Flying Dagger all crammed into the same film - but in a good way! And remember, that giant crane sacrificed himself for the good of mankind, bless him, there's a lesson for us all there.
Summary of Magic Crane / Rivals Of The Dragon
Anita Mui (Actor), Multi (Director) | Rated: Unrated | Format: DVD
- DVD Release Date: May 28, 2002
- Run Time: 173 minutes
- Magic Crane film is in original chinese language with English subtitles
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