Top 10 Chinese Wuxia Films

I had been wanting to do a Top 10 FEATURE article. Indeed, my original idea was to do a Top 10 Samurai Film list, then realised that I hadn't watched quite enough Samurai films yet. At least not enough to ensure the list wouldn't be dominated by Akira Kurosawa & Toshiro Mifune. I suspect it still would eventually, but until then, it will have to be kept in cold storage for now.

Instead, I have decided to start off with a list that would for me be easiest to compile - that of the wuxia genre.

Actually, it's not quite as easy even if I've watched a fair few. But it is one of my favourite genres nonetheless, so it's as good a place to start as any.

The reason why it is not so easy is because I have to make a clear distinction between wuxia and the wider martial arts genre. The problem was that, prior to the 1980s, martial arts choreography in wuxia films were not very different from the general martial arts films. This made it difficult to draw the line especially as most martial arts films were in a kind of period setting.

The special effects of flying, internal energy and explosions only became more visual and prevalent from 1980s on, with director Tsui Hark especially setting the trend with his trademark special effects style.

Wuxia started off as literature, and had been around for centuries. As such, I found myself struggling to decide if films like Jackie Chan's Drunken Fist could be termed as wuxia, which I would of course normally disagree with.

In order to provide the necessary distinction, I came up with a set of rules that a wuxia film should generally adhere to. A wuxia film doesn't necessarily have to adhere to ALL the rules, but at least enough of them to be able to retain the wuxia element in the film.

Rule #1:

There should be an element of fantasy to the martial arts displayed in wuxia films. Although most of these martial arts are grounded in real life martial arts skills, these should be much more exaggerated. Things like using qinggong to fly, dianxue (finger) techniques to immobilise or kill, internal energies to deliver mighty blows and even explosions. For films made before the 'flying' renaissance (pre-1980s), these could be signified by the descriptions of fantastic martial manuals or the use of somersaults and giant leaps over buildings (albeit low ones). This rule thus excludes many of Jackie Chan's kungfu films like Drunken Fist & Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, since the martial arts in those films are simply based on real life kungfu skills, and are not particularly fantastic.

Rule #2:

The wuxia film should take place in a period or historical setting. There may be a few that come very close to modern setting, and thus may be considered an exception. A Man Called Hero is a film set in America close to a modern setting. For this reason, any film set before the world war or in the Manchu Dynasty and before can still qualify as wuxia, though the closer to modern setting, the less likely. So a film like Dragon Tiger Gate (not to be confused with Dragon Gate Inn) cannot be considered wuxia, despite its fantastic martial choreography.

Rule #3:

This rule is a little complex. The characters in a wuxia film should attain a sort of mystical, mythical or legendary heroic (or villainous) status. The story should also as far as possible, take place in the world of Jianghu rather than in the courts or in a war setting. The heroes generally bear no allegiance to the courts (so the Three Kingdoms Classics cannot be termed wuxia), but instead would be affiliated to pugilistic sects and clans or are just simply wandering swordsmen or xiake. There is however a whole subgenre pertaining to court intrigues and starring police constables in lead roles (the recent Detective Dee for example). The reason for this rule is to exclude overly comedic and slapstick films (unless they are spoofs) such as those of Stephen Chow. Kungfu Hustle is thus excluded mainly because of the comedy slapstick, as well as its closeness to the modern setting. Likewise the Flirting Scholar, though Royal Tramp & The Mad Monk can still qualify.

Ultimately however, I had to judge on a film by film basis, giving weightage on the wuxianess of a film depending on the above 3 rules.

A notable exclusion to the genre is Tsui Hark's Once Upon A Time in China series. It no doubt comes close and is of course subjective; but I simply couldn't think of it as wuxia. Huang Feihong is no doubt a legendary Chinese figure. The martial arts displayed in the series is fantastic (Feihong's flying No Shadow Kick). The main problem, I think, is that he's a historical figure. While it is okay to weave wuxia elements around historical figures and events, these should be a backdrop and not the focal point. Put it this way - there have been several Huang Feihong films made over the decades - can all of them be termed wuxia? The wuxia genre has its grounding in literature, so the general basis is that wuxia has to be fantasy fiction.

Anyway, without further ado, here is the Top 10 List of Chinese Wuxia Films that I have had the pleasure of viewing:

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#10. Zu Warriors From The Magic Mountain (1983)

Director: Tsui hark

Starring: Yuen Biao, Adam Cheng, Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia, Samo Hung

Back in those days, Tsui Hark was one of the most innovative special effects directors in Hong Kong. Zu Warriors was one of his first forays into the wuxia genre, a genre in which he would go on to become a trend setter in the use of special effects and wirefu. Here, he effectively combined wuxia with Western special effects technology of the time to create a wonderful fantasy epic of good versus evil.

Though ahead of its time, Tsui Hark somehow got stuck to the 80s-90s mindset, and could never really take the step up into modern CGI technology of today. His CGI heavy The Legend of Zu, a remake of this film, was a failure. His obsession with special effects, which gained him fame early on, seems to now hinder him as he more often than not neglects the storyline in favour of increasingly cheesy effects.

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#9. Snake & Crane Arts Of Shaolin (1978)

Director: Chen Chi Hwa

Starring: Jackie Chan, Nora Miao

I have to admit that this makes the list almost purely because of Jackie Chan, whom I idolised when I was younger. This film was made before Jackie Chan gained fame as a martial arts comedian.

Nonetheless, I found the storyline, about a mysterious but charming pugilist seeking a mysterious villain by using a top martial arts manual as a lure, to be highly palatable. The ensemble cast of characters is also quite first rate. It doesn't hurt either that the film also stars the very beautiful Nora Miao, in one of her rare pairings with Jackie Chan.

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#8. Seven Swords (2005)

Director: Tsui Hark

Starring: Charlie Yeung, Leon Lai, Donnie Yen, Kim So-yeon

Seven Swords is a good example of how Tsui Hark can still make a good film if he didn't have to worry about CGI (less said about that the better). With an obvious nod towards Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, here is a good ol' swash buckler featuring seven heroes and their seven unique & fantastical blades.

Good stunt and martial choreography, almost imperceptible wirefu and minus the cheesy effects & explosions of the 90s (that made him famous to begin with) - Tsui Hark stuck to the basics, improving on his strengths while eliminating his weaknesses (those cheesy effects). What he basically did here was to update the wuxia film genre for the new millenium. And for that he is thanked.

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#7. Come Drink With Me (1966)

Director: King Hu

Starring: Cheng Pei Pei, Yueh Hwa, Chan Hung-Lit

Quite possibly the Citizen Kane of wuxia, this film is widely considered to be one of the best, if not the best, Hong Kong film ever made. Starring the legendary Cheng Pei Pei, who was chosen for the role due to her being a ballet dancer - this film was all about the grace and beauty in martial arts & stunts.

The film became a major influence to martial arts films over the next decades and even up to the modern day, as you will see later.

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#6. House Of Flying Daggers (2004)

Director: Zhang Yimou

Starring: Zhang Ziyi, Andy Lau, Aniki Jin

This film highlights an oft understated subgenre in wuxia, where the main leads Andy Lau & Aniki Jin play police constables in the imperial court. In the context of the general wuxia world, their status would actually be considered quite lowly - and it shows. Though competent in martial arts, Aniki Jin's and Ziyi's characters tend to struggle against top exponents from both the imperial court and the titular House of Flying Daggers, a secret rebel organisation against the waning Tang Dynasty. This however, gives a thrilling edge to the exquisite fight scenes, where you'll never know who will come out tops.

Director Zhang Yimou is well known for his vivid use of colours, and he certainly doesn't disappoint here. His combination of colour and fight sequences, especially the fight scenes in the bamboo forest, make for some of the most beautiful fight scenes around. Indeed, I wonder if it doesn't deserve a higher ranking on this list - but for now, it stays at #6.

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#5. The Swordsman (1990)

Producer: Tsui Hark

Starring: Samuel Hui, Cecilia Yip, Sharla Cheung Man, Jacky Cheung

I suspect I'm going to be rapped for choosing this over Swordsman II. It is true that Jet Li relaunched his career with the sequel to this film based on Louis Cha's The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. I would maintain however that Samuel Hui is the best ever Linghu Chong I've ever seen. Chow Yun Fatt, Steve Ma Jingtao & of course Jet Li have variously played the character on TV and film, but it was only Samuel Hui who I felt totally captured the essence of the charismatic & carefree wanderer.

But of course Sam's not the only reason for the film to be on this list. The Swordsman pretty much set the trend for wuxia films in the 90s, with the kind of explosive (literally) special effects and wirefu that wowed audiences throughout Asia. Though somewhat dated in today's context (and thus cheesy), the film holds fond memories for me as it was what introduced the wuxia film genre to me.

If you noticed above, Tsui Hark is listed as the Producer for this film rather than Director. This is because King Hu was originally the director, but in an apparent fallout, he left the project and it was finally wrapped by Tsui Hark.

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#4. Ashes Of Time (1994)

Director: Wong Kar-wai

Starring: Leslie Cheung, Lin Ching Hsia, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Jacky Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau

When famous arthouse auteur Wong Kar-wai turns his attention to wuxia, this is the intriguing result. A film with probably too little 'wuxia' in it, and is better said to be an allegory to love, loneliness & love lost.

More poetic than actually bearing anything resembling a plotline (typical of Wong's films), this story based very loosely on 4 top pugilists from Louis Cha's famed Condor Trilogy, is nonetheless a hypnotic piece of art - to be appreciated rather than to be enjoyed.

Fight scenes are few and often quick and blurry. Normal wuxia fans might well find the pace too slow for their liking. But when you take a look at the impressive cast list - literally a who's who of the Hong Kong industry at the time, then you'll have an idea of the high regard with which Wong Kar-wai is held.

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#3. Hero (2002)

Director: Zhang Yimou

Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, Donnie Yen, Chen Daoming

After the unprecedented success in the introduction of the wuxia genre to the United States, director Zhang Yimou followed up with this beautifully made epic of a nameless hero and the stories behind his quest to assassinate the infamous King of Qin.

With more than a hint of Rashomon (Kurosawa again!), Zhang made full use of lush backdrops in different but vivid colour themes (one for each version of essentially the same tale). The result is a cinematographic truimph to behold - a truly spectacular tour de force.

Fight scenes are poetry in motion, with heroes gliding over water or dueling with their minds - all amidst lush sceneries and colour.

Indeed, this film should perhaps have placed just a little higher on this list had it not been for the rather obvious underlying political message - to accept violence and rulership over liberty for the greater good. This film was made in China with government support. And however Zhang may distance himself from criticism, it seems incredible to make a film that would venerate a cruel tyrant in China's history, even if he did unify China.

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#2. The Storm Riders (1998)

Director: Andrew Lau

Starring: Aaron Kwok, Ekin Cheng, Sonny Chiba

I thought long and hard about this one - 3 weeks in fact - while this article stewed in the vault.

As a film from the last millennium, it is perhaps not as visually beautiful as others we have seen in this past decade. But The Storm Riders is not about beauty in sword fighting - scarcely.

Like The Swordsman, this film based on the popular comic series Fengyun (Wind & Cloud), set a new trend in wuxia or even martial art films. And yet strangely enough, I have yet to see a subsequent wuxia film that has bettered The Storm Riders in terms of actually blending CGI with live action stunts.

That is the crux I think. The Storm Riders practically brought the comic book wuxia genre to live, and was a complete revelation at the time. Imagine seeing the stunts & moves from the comic book being replicated almost faithfully on screen. It was just amazing. And as I said earlier, the blend of CGI and live action is very credible, almost unnoticeable. Unfortunately, this cannot be said of any subsequent Asian film with CGI elements, where the CGI either looks unreal or just completely fail to blend with the rest the film.

To be fair, the 2009 sequel The Storm Warriors should have been technically better, but here the story and execution sucked - so as you can see, CGI is not the only consideration.

All said, had Hero not been so politically nauseating, then The Storm Riders might only have hit #3.

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#1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Director: Lee Ang

Starring: Chow Yun Fat, Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh, Chang Chen

Those already familiar with wuxia films might scoff at this choice for numero uno. Indeed there have apparently been many in Asia who have shrugged off this film, because apparently - there is nothing new here that wuxia fandom hadn't already seen.

Not me. This film may have introduced the world to the wuxia genre, but it is much more than that. Perhaps wuxia fans have come to equate the genre with explosive action and spectacular special effects (and why not indeed - see #2), but here, Lee Ang has reinvented the genre, drawing from the staple wuxia films of the pre-80s (Come Drink With Me was a heavy influence), creating a beautifully crafted film that highlights the best wuxia elements from over the generations passed.

Perhaps part of its success stems from the fact that the film was designed as an introduction to wuxia, and as such the excellent martial arts choreography from Yuen Wo-Ping, who also worked on The Matrix, had to be more realistic while being representative of wuxia. The result is a breathtaking series of martial arts sequences featuring different 'levels' of wuxia - from the rough and tumble of the teahouse sequence (featuring a whole host of exotic Chinese weapons), to the fantastical flying sequences over a bamboo forest (which a professor of mine admitted to being a little over the top).

But perhaps the best fight scenes are between the closely matched characters played by Michelle Yeoh and the sensual Zhang Ziyi. If in Hero, we had poetry in motion, then here we have a vivid and vibrant dance to the matching soundtrack of energetic drumbeats. A truly spectacular display that additionally, makes the best use of wirefu techniques I have ever seen.

And yet, when it comes down to it, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is not simply a martial arts flick. What truly elevates the film to the level it is at for me - is the underlying story. This is no swashbuckling whack-them-up. The story is beauty & grace - a classic. A hero's journey - except it is a heroine.

Ultimately, the film is about a blossoming young woman who steps out from her aristocratic comforts into the world of Jianghu, and the discovery of how her innocence and willfulness will affect the lives of those around her. There is no real antagonist, though there may be the archetypal villain. It is illuminating perhaps that the villain, played by Cheng Pei Pei, would confess at the end that her goal all along was to kill her protege, the young heroine - all because of a perceived betrayal.

Be it story, choreography or cinematography, Lee Ang has undoubtedly created a masterpiece.