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The story occurs in [[Los Angeles]], where a fight between Master Tak ([[Yuen Wah]]) and Johnny ([[Jerry Trimble]]) destroys Tak's herbal medicine store. Johnny is prevented from killing Tak when Anna (Anne Rickets) comes to save him. During his recovery he stays in Anna's camper van. Anna is both a janitor and a student from a gymnastics school but was banned from competing and attending for physically attacking a fellow classmate. As a result, Anna ends up being fired by her coach, who is already fed up with Anna's bad behaviour.
The story occurs in [[Los Angeles]], where a fight between Master Tak ([[Yuen Wah]]) and Johnny ([[Jerry Trimble]]) destroys Tak's herbal medicine store. Johnny is prevented from killing Tak when Anna (Anne Rickets) comes to save him. During his recovery he stays in Anna's camper van. Anna is both a janitor and a student from a gymnastics school but was banned from competing and attending for physically attacking a fellow classmate. As a result, Anna ends up being fired by her coach, who is already fed up with Anna's bad behaviour.


Jet ([[Jet Li]]) arrives from Hong Kong on the airport bus. When he arrives at Tak's store to resume as Tak's Kung Fu student, he finds the store shuttered and three thieves steal his bag. He chases their car on foot through the streets and eventually catches them. The thieves are so impressed with Jet's physical skills they beg him to be their master. They take Jet to their home (an abandoned [[City and town halls|municipal building]]) but they're attacked by a larger gang. Jet reluctantly steps in to defend his new friends, but their home is set on fire.
Jet ([[Jet Li]]) arrives from Hong Kong on the airport bus. When he arrives at Tak's store to resume as Tak's Kung Fu student, he finds the store shuttered and three thieves steal his bag. He chases their car on foot through the streets and eventually catches them. The thieves are so impressed with Jet's physical skills they beg him to be their master. They take Jet to their home (an abandoned [[City and town halls|municipal building]]) but they are attacked by a larger gang. Jet reluctantly steps in to defend his new friends, but their home is set on fire.


Johnny and his gang are closing down kung fu schools and making a name for themselves. Jet meets May (Crystal Kwok), a bank worker responsible for the loan on Tak's store - but neither knows where Master Tak is. Jet finds himself in the middle of a robbery at a carpark. He finds himself fighting beside Johnny, but Johnny recognizes him from one of Tak's pictures and makes it clear he intends to kill both Jet and Tak. Anna and Jet's friends get beaten up, so Jet trains his friends to defend themselves. Jet is eventually re-united with Tak, but Tak claims he's no longer interested in either teaching Kung Fu or doing herbal medicine.
Johnny and his gang are closing down kung fu schools and making a name for themselves. Jet meets May (Crystal Kwok), a bank worker responsible for the loan on Tak's store - but neither knows where Master Tak is. Jet finds himself in the middle of a robbery at a carpark. He finds himself fighting beside Johnny, but Johnny recognizes him from one of Tak's pictures and makes it clear he intends to kill both Jet and Tak. Anna and Jet's friends get beaten up, so Jet trains his friends to defend themselves. Jet is eventually re-united with Tak, but Tak claims he is no longer interested in either teaching Kung Fu or doing herbal medicine.


Jet and his friends go to Tak's store and prepares to deal with Johnny's gang. The three friends put their newfound skills into practice fighting four members of Johnny's gang. Jet and Johnny fight outside the store until the police step in.
Jet and his friends go to Tak's store and prepare to deal with Johnny's gang. The three friends put their newfound skills into practice fighting four members of Johnny's gang. Jet and Johnny fight outside the store until the police step in.


Jet and Tak argue, and Jet decides to return to Hong Kong. On the airport bus he's attacked by two dreadlocked men armed with a [[shotgun]] who was at the carpark. Jet manages to defeat the men and regain control of the bus despite a shotgun blast killing the driver. May has been following the bus in her car, possibly intending to express romantic interest in Jet. In the meantime, Tak and the three friends make their way to a rooftop where Johnny and his gang are holding Anna hostage.
Jet and Tak argue, and Jet decides to return to Hong Kong. On the airport bus he is attacked by two dreadlocked men armed with a [[shotgun]] who were at the carpark. Jet manages to defeat the men and regain control of the bus despite a shotgun blast killing the driver. May has been following the bus in her car, possibly intending to express romantic interest in Jet. In the meantime, Tak and the three friends make their way to a rooftop where Johnny and his gang are holding Anna hostage.


Jet and May go to Tak's store to find a note and a will. They quickly make their way to the rooftop of a tall building where Tak has disabled 15 or 20 of Johnny's men but is beginning to tire due to his age. Jet takes over for his master and fights Johnny while Tak and the friends defeat the rest of the gang and rescue Anna. After an intense fight Jet manages to kick Johnny off a hanging wire to his death.
Jet and May go to Tak's store to find a note and a will. They quickly make their way to the rooftop of a tall building where Tak has disabled 15 or 20 of Johnny's men but is beginning to tire due to his age. Jet takes over for his master and fights Johnny while Tak and the friends defeat the rest of the gang and rescue Anna. After an intense fight Jet manages to kick Johnny off a hanging wire to his death.


Anna goes on her trip with the gymnastics class for the competition, implying her ban was lifted. Jet boards the airport bus, once again intending to go to Hong Kong. To his surprise he finds May there as well; planning to go to with him for a holiday, but the three friends and Master Tak drive up beside the bus: Master Tak has stolen Jet's passport so he can't leave. Jet and the others laugh at May's misfortune of traveling alone but she in anger and frustration shoves her ticket in Jet's mouth as the credits roll.
Anna goes on her trip with the gymnastics class for the competition, implying her ban was lifted. Jet boards the airport bus, once again intending to go to Hong Kong. To his surprise he finds May there as well; planning to go with him for a holiday, but the three friends and Master Tak drive up beside the bus: Master Tak has stolen Jet's passport; so he cannot leave. Jet and the others laugh at May's misfortune of traveling alone but she in anger and frustration shoves her ticket in Jet's mouth as the credits roll.


==Cast==
==Cast==
* [[Jet Li]] as Jet
* [[Jet Li]] as Jet, who arrives from Hong Kong to meet Uncle Tak and becomes Tak's student
* [[Yuen Wah]] as Chan Hou-tak / Uncle Tak
* [[Yuen Wah]] as Chan Hou-tak / Uncle Tak, Chinese immigrants who open herbal shop in LA and master to Jet
* Crystal Kwok as May
* Crystal Kwok as May, a bank officer who give loan to Tak
* [[Jerry Trimble]] as Johnny
* [[Jerry Trimble]] as Johnny, owner of a martial arts studio and the main antagonist
* Rueben Gonzáles as Cito
* Rueben Gonzáles as Cito
* Guy Fadollone as Ruben
* Guy Fadollone as Ruben
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* Anne Rickets as Anna
* Anne Rickets as Anna
* [[Corey Yuen]]
* [[Corey Yuen]]
* [[Michael McConnohie]] as Johnny (Miramax dubbed version)


==US version==
==US version==
[[Miramax]]'s North American version of ''The Master'', which was distributed on home video and DVD, was dubbed in English, and the dubbing often strayed heavily from the original dialogue.
[[Miramax]]'s North American version of ''The Master'', which was distributed on home video and DVD, was dubbed in English and the dubbing often strayed heavily from the original dialogue.
Four minutes of cuts were made, including:
Four minutes of cuts were made, including:


Line 72: Line 73:


==Reception==
==Reception==
Upon initial release, ''The Master'' was not particularly successful. In his audio commentary for the [[Hong Kong Legends]] DVD release, Bey Logan gives possible explanations why, citing characters' ridiculous behaviour and contrived situations. He explains that the characters' motivations are unclear - there is no clear reason why Johnny and his gang repeatedly go to Uncle Tak's store to intimidate him, and close down other kung fu schools. Also, if the bus driver is shot by the dreadlocked man with a shotgun, why does the bus keep moving while the action is still going? Lastly, the Hong Kong film crew doesn't have the same luxury as the American film crew which led to certain scenes that didn't work too well.
Upon initial release, ''The Master'' was not particularly successful. In his audio commentary for the [[Hong Kong Legends]] DVD release, Bey Logan gives possible explanations why, citing characters' ridiculous behaviour and contrived situations. He explains that the characters' motivations are unclear - there is no clear reason why Johnny and his gang repeatedly go to Uncle Tak's store to intimidate him, and close down other kung fu schools. Also, if the bus driver is shot by the dreadlocked man with a shotgun, why does the bus keep moving while the action is still going? Lastly, the Hong Kong film crew does not have the same luxury as the American film crew which led to certain scenes that did not work well.


Despite the flawed plot, the film did give signs of what was to come from Jet Li's appearances in films with modern settings. Li's action style in ''The Master'' was an early example of what was to come in his Hollywood films ''[[Romeo Must Die]]'' and ''[[Cradle 2 the Grave]]''.<ref name="TheMaster">{{cite video | title = ''The Master'', Audio commentary Bey Logan (DVD featurette) | medium = DVD | publisher = [[Hong Kong Legends]], UK | date = 1989 (film), 2001 (DVD)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thespinningimage.co.uk/cultfilms/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=1200|title = Master, the Review (1989)}}</ref>
Despite the flawed plot, the film did give signs of what was to come from Jet Li's appearances in films with modern settings. Li's action style in ''The Master'' was an early example of what was to come in his Hollywood films ''[[Romeo Must Die]]'' and ''[[Cradle 2 the Grave]]''.<ref name="TheMaster">{{cite video | title = ''The Master'', Audio commentary Bey Logan (DVD featurette) | medium = DVD | publisher = [[Hong Kong Legends]], UK | orig-year = 1989 |year=2001 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thespinningimage.co.uk/cultfilms/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=1200|title = Master, the Review (1989)}}</ref>


==Box office==
==Box office==
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* {{IMDb title|0097775|The Master}}
* {{IMDb title|0097775|The Master}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|huang_fei_hong_jiu_er_zhi_long_xing_tian_xia_1989}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|huang_fei_hong_jiu_er_zhi_long_xing_tian_xia_1989}}
* {{Allrovi movie|154072|The Master}}


{{Tsui Hark}}
{{Tsui Hark}}
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[[Category:Films directed by Tsui Hark]]
[[Category:Films directed by Tsui Hark]]
[[Category:Films set in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films set in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Golden Harvest films]]
[[Category:Golden Harvest films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong martial arts films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong martial arts films]]
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[[Category:Mixed martial arts films]]
[[Category:Mixed martial arts films]]
[[Category:1990s Hong Kong films]]
[[Category:1990s Hong Kong films]]
[[Category:Foreign films set in the United States]]

Latest revision as of 10:37, 22 December 2024

The Master
Poster ad for The Master home video
Directed byTsui Hark
Screenplay byLam Kei-to
Lau Tai-muk
Story byTsui Hark
Produced byTsui Hark
StarringJet Li
Yuen Wah
Crystal Kwok
Jerry Trimble
Anne Rickets
CinematographyJoe Chan
Paul Edwards
Edited byKam Ma
Marco Mak
Music byTang Siu-lam
Production
companies
Distributed byGolden Harvest
Release date
  • 28 May 1992 (1992-05-28)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryHong Kong
LanguagesCantonese
English
Box officeHK$8,096,542
The Master
Traditional Chinese龍行天下
Simplified Chinese龙行天下
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLóng Xíng Tián Xià
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingLung4 Hang4 Tin1 Haa6

The Master (traditional Chinese: 龍行天下) is a 1992 Hong Kong martial arts film written, produced and directed by Tsui Hark, and starring Jet Li, Yuen Wah, Crystal Kwok and Jerry Trimble. The project was filmed in 1989, but it was not released until 1992 when the success of Once Upon a Time in China made Li a major action star.

Plot

[edit]

The story occurs in Los Angeles, where a fight between Master Tak (Yuen Wah) and Johnny (Jerry Trimble) destroys Tak's herbal medicine store. Johnny is prevented from killing Tak when Anna (Anne Rickets) comes to save him. During his recovery he stays in Anna's camper van. Anna is both a janitor and a student from a gymnastics school but was banned from competing and attending for physically attacking a fellow classmate. As a result, Anna ends up being fired by her coach, who is already fed up with Anna's bad behaviour.

Jet (Jet Li) arrives from Hong Kong on the airport bus. When he arrives at Tak's store to resume as Tak's Kung Fu student, he finds the store shuttered and three thieves steal his bag. He chases their car on foot through the streets and eventually catches them. The thieves are so impressed with Jet's physical skills they beg him to be their master. They take Jet to their home (an abandoned municipal building) but they are attacked by a larger gang. Jet reluctantly steps in to defend his new friends, but their home is set on fire.

Johnny and his gang are closing down kung fu schools and making a name for themselves. Jet meets May (Crystal Kwok), a bank worker responsible for the loan on Tak's store - but neither knows where Master Tak is. Jet finds himself in the middle of a robbery at a carpark. He finds himself fighting beside Johnny, but Johnny recognizes him from one of Tak's pictures and makes it clear he intends to kill both Jet and Tak. Anna and Jet's friends get beaten up, so Jet trains his friends to defend themselves. Jet is eventually re-united with Tak, but Tak claims he is no longer interested in either teaching Kung Fu or doing herbal medicine.

Jet and his friends go to Tak's store and prepare to deal with Johnny's gang. The three friends put their newfound skills into practice fighting four members of Johnny's gang. Jet and Johnny fight outside the store until the police step in.

Jet and Tak argue, and Jet decides to return to Hong Kong. On the airport bus he is attacked by two dreadlocked men armed with a shotgun who were at the carpark. Jet manages to defeat the men and regain control of the bus despite a shotgun blast killing the driver. May has been following the bus in her car, possibly intending to express romantic interest in Jet. In the meantime, Tak and the three friends make their way to a rooftop where Johnny and his gang are holding Anna hostage.

Jet and May go to Tak's store to find a note and a will. They quickly make their way to the rooftop of a tall building where Tak has disabled 15 or 20 of Johnny's men but is beginning to tire due to his age. Jet takes over for his master and fights Johnny while Tak and the friends defeat the rest of the gang and rescue Anna. After an intense fight Jet manages to kick Johnny off a hanging wire to his death.

Anna goes on her trip with the gymnastics class for the competition, implying her ban was lifted. Jet boards the airport bus, once again intending to go to Hong Kong. To his surprise he finds May there as well; planning to go with him for a holiday, but the three friends and Master Tak drive up beside the bus: Master Tak has stolen Jet's passport; so he cannot leave. Jet and the others laugh at May's misfortune of traveling alone but she in anger and frustration shoves her ticket in Jet's mouth as the credits roll.

Cast

[edit]
  • Jet Li as Jet, who arrives from Hong Kong to meet Uncle Tak and becomes Tak's student
  • Yuen Wah as Chan Hou-tak / Uncle Tak, Chinese immigrants who open herbal shop in LA and master to Jet
  • Crystal Kwok as May, a bank officer who give loan to Tak
  • Jerry Trimble as Johnny, owner of a martial arts studio and the main antagonist
  • Rueben Gonzáles as Cito
  • Guy Fadollone as Ruben
  • Derek Annunciation as Mouse
  • Michael Burke as Oscar
  • Camille Carrigan as Jeannie
  • Wayne Post as Jimmy
  • George Cheung as Paul
  • Pamela J. Anderson as coach
  • Steven Ho as Johnny's student
  • To Wai-wo as martial arts teacher
  • Cheung Ching as Clerk of International Publication
  • Billy Blanks as Black Thug (uncredited)
  • Glen Chin as taxi driver
  • Anne Rickets as Anna
  • Corey Yuen
  • Michael McConnohie as Johnny (Miramax dubbed version)

US version

[edit]

Miramax's North American version of The Master, which was distributed on home video and DVD, was dubbed in English and the dubbing often strayed heavily from the original dialogue. Four minutes of cuts were made, including:

  • The opening scene, in which Anna fights a gymnastics student.
  • A scene of Anna being banned from gymnastics school.
  • A scene of Jet walking through Los Angeles is cut slightly. Also, acoustic guitar music replaces the original, more somber score, changing the intentions of the scene significantly.
  • A scene in which Jet, after the clinic is raided, finds Anna beaten up.

Reception

[edit]

Upon initial release, The Master was not particularly successful. In his audio commentary for the Hong Kong Legends DVD release, Bey Logan gives possible explanations why, citing characters' ridiculous behaviour and contrived situations. He explains that the characters' motivations are unclear - there is no clear reason why Johnny and his gang repeatedly go to Uncle Tak's store to intimidate him, and close down other kung fu schools. Also, if the bus driver is shot by the dreadlocked man with a shotgun, why does the bus keep moving while the action is still going? Lastly, the Hong Kong film crew does not have the same luxury as the American film crew which led to certain scenes that did not work well.

Despite the flawed plot, the film did give signs of what was to come from Jet Li's appearances in films with modern settings. Li's action style in The Master was an early example of what was to come in his Hollywood films Romeo Must Die and Cradle 2 the Grave.[1][2]

Box office

[edit]

The Master earned a weak HK$8,096,542 in Hong Kong.

Home media

[edit]

On 28 March 2005, DVD was released by Hong Kong Legends in the United Kingdom in Region 2. Four months later, The Jet Li Collection DVD was released on 25 July 2005 at 2 disc set including Hitman.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ The Master, Audio commentary Bey Logan (DVD featurette) (DVD). Hong Kong Legends, UK. 2001 [1989].
  2. ^ "Master, the Review (1989)".
[edit]