Friday, December 27, 2019

A Little TLC(w): The Magic Crane (1993)


A low-rent wuxia yarn that reminds me a bit of Butterfly Sword:  I can recognize that it’s not all that great, but I still found it enjoyable.  Tony Leung Chiu-wai is fun and the action is exciting.  Just 1) don’t think too hard about the plot and 2) try to ignore the ridiculous, titular magic crane.

Masters and students from all the surrounding martial arts schools are coming together for a congregation, the least of which is the Tien Chong School, consisting of a single master (Yat Yeung-Tze) and a single student (Ma Kwun-Mo.)  As the two struggle to carve out a tiny bit of space for themselves at the congregation, all manner of hell breaks loose.  Let’s see – there’s a mystical martial arts princess who rides a giant crane through the sky (Pak Wan-Fai,) some kind of rivalry involving deadly musical instruments, lots of fighting between the various martial arts schools, tons of people getting poisoned, and a turtle gall/spleen with healing properties.

I’ll admit that my attention started wandering at points, but to be fair, I’m not sure if greater focus would’ve helped me make more sense of the plot.  I’m reminded of Chow Mo-wan writing martial arts serials in both In the Mood for Love and 2046, constanting confusing his writing partner by throwing in heretofore-unmentioned characters at random and bringing characters back from the dead without explanation.  It feels kind of like that.  Weirdly, though, it sort of works.  It fits the kung-fu grindhouse vibe of the film, all crazy action, ridiculous streams of spurting blood, and a truly horrific-looking fake giant crane (it’s hilariously bad – like, “it makes classic Who monsters look sophisticated” bad.)

But honestly, it is pretty fun.  It’s the sort of movie where I just strapped in and went along for the ride.  Sometimes, totally-random hodgepodge plots annoy me, but every now and then, a film is able to get by on its charm, happily throwing half a dozen story elements to the wall in between audacious wire fu. 

Leung, playing in-over-his-head martial arts student Ma Kwun-Mo, adds a lot to that sense of fun.  He acts as the bridge between the more grounded world of the conflicts among the martial arts schools and the more mystical world of giant cranes and palliative turtle organs.  He’s pretty literally swept off his feet by Pak Wan-Fai early on and then spends most of the film trying to help her while keeping one foot in the situation back at the congregation, so as not to leave his master hanging.

I enjoy Kwun-Mo.  Throughout much of the proceedings, he’s pretty overwhelmed and more than a little confused, but he keeps at it with the determination of a man who feels honor-bound to a beautiful woman with a magical crane who saved his life.

Recommend?

In General – A cautious maybe.  If you’re in the right mood for it – wanting some greasy drivethrough kung-fu fare – you’ll probably have a good time.

Tony Leung Chiu-wai – Again, maybe.  Nothing too spectacular in the acting or the character, but Leung is likable and entertaining as Kwun-Mo.

Warnings

Tons of violence (including attempted rape,) sexual content, and drinking.

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