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Donnie Yen

Mulan: No Courage Without Fear

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Mulan (2020) | Disney Movies

Disney is at it again.

Bringing the heroine Mulan to life, Disney continues their streak of producing live-action versions of their animated classics.  As with other recent live-action Disney films (Aladdin and Mary Poppins Returns come to mind), Mulan is filled with stunning colours and visuals.  It offers impressive cinematography, including great camera tricks during fight scenes.

Just like the 1998 animated film, Mulan is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan.  Less prim and proper than the typical girls of that culture and time period, Mulan (Yifei Liu) is more of an adventurous free spirit.  At that time, girls were expected to bring honour to their family by marrying a good husband.  Understandably, Mulan seemed completely disinterested in being married off to someone she didn’t know yet she is reminded that, as a daughter, she needs to learn her place.  

Mulan will be streaming on Disney Plus — for an extra $30 - Vox

Fans of the original Mulan will notice a number of changes to the story, such as the addition of a new female villain.  Initially, I was concerned that a villain with magical powers (more specifically, a witch with shape shifting abilities) would seem a bit silly or unrealistic but I admit that Xianniang (Li Gong) was one of my favourite aspects of this new installment.  It was fascinating to see the yin-yang relationship between Mulan and Xianniang.  Though using her powers for evil, Xianniang knows exactly what Mulan is going through as both women have strong Chi.  But how could that be?  At that time, people seemed to believe that Chi was for warriors, not for women.  Despite being on opposite sides, there is an understanding and respect between these women.  I appreciated that it wasn’t a typical “good guy/bad guy” relationship.  

Live-Action MULAN Makes Big Changes, for Better and Worse - Nerdist

By taking her father’s place in the army, Mulan does the respectable thing as there were no other men in her family.  She knew her father would not survive another battle.  He could barely walk as it was.  However, she had to do this in secret as a woman would never be accepted into the army.  She had to hide who she was and pretend to be just another man.

When Mulan finally chose to reveal her true self, that is when she became her strongest and most courageous.  The only thing that mattered in that moment was doing everything in her power to save lives.  She longed to bring honour to her family, but in her own way.

Mulan Available to All Disney+ Subscribers in December, No Extra Fee - Variety

Mulan’s father, Zhou (Tzi Ma) always said that “there is no courage without fear”.  During her journey, Mulan gets to explore this idea and really come to understand its meaning, particularly in the setting of a war.  I think that it is a very fitting lesson for this film.

Although the bulk of the film is based during a war and included a number of fight scenes, they refrained from any blood and gore.  With a PG-13 rating, I think the live action Mulan should be appropriate for most older children but I wouldn’t suggest showing it to the younger crowd.

Although not the groundbreaking film I thought it could have been, Mulan was very entertaining and I would recommend it.  The cast was perfection and I believe they did the animated classic justice.

Mulan is streaming now on Disney+.

Enter the Fat Dragon: Learning Who You Are

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In an obvious homage to Bruce Lee’s classic film, Enter the Dragon, Donnie Yen stars in Enter the Fat Dragon. In this action comedy, Yen stars as Fallon Zhu, a ripped hardcore action cop who doesn’t play by the rules. Millions caused in property damage? No problem. Though his bosses may hate him cause he’s reckless, he gets the job done. Hong Kong calls him by many names “Jackass of the century” and “reincarnation of Bruce Lee” but, after being demoted and losing the love of his life, he becomes a washed-up deadbeat, inflating from a tight 145lbs to 250 lbs. When he finds himself entangled in a case that could make or break his career, Zhu must fight those in his way and, maybe, win back the girl as well. 

Donnie Yen as an actor has had many successes over his career, but he can’t help be compared to Bruce Lee’s success and achievements and continues to be viewed as a less talented version of the martial arts icon. In this way, Enter the Fat Dragon feels like this may be Yen’s way of addressing the shadow of Lee’s that he has lived in throughout his entire life. (Even the title of the film is a self-mocking parody of Bruce Lee’s most famous film, Enter the Dragon.)  With this in mind, the film speaks to the theme of accepting one’s true self and being who you are. When Fallon becomes overweight and loses his girlfriend Chloe, they fight about the career paths they’ve taken and who they are as people. He is constantly ridiculed for his weight (even by Chloe). Later in the film, as he gets his confidence back, he begins to fight like he once did, he realizes who he is and gains new perspective on his identity (and his relationship with Chloe as well). Similarly, Chloe also begins to have the same realization about her own life. Looking back on the path that she’s had to take to reach success as a second-rate actress, she begins to have an identity crisis and questions her decisions along the way. Both Zhu and Chloe must decide whether to accept each other’s paths and who they are, flaws and all.

In the same way, this also seems symbolic of Yen’s journey of having to accept being his own person as well. He will never be the next Bruce Lee but he doesn’t need to be. Clearly, Yen has accepted the career path he’s had and who he is and he as a person.

Once again, Yen is able to bring the action we’ve seen with previous movies hits of his career. The comedy works really well with the contrast of super choregraphed intense action that makes great use of their environments. The characters are also very endearing, and even relatable with their struggles. All around, Enter the Fat Dragon is a hilarious action comedy that does the martial arts genre justice. As always, Yen pops off the screen and long-time fans of his will truly appreciate the story played out through the film. 

Enter the Fat Dragon is available on VOD and DVD/Blu-Ray now.

Big Brother: Fighting for [Other] Families

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Throughout the years, there have been many examples of the ‘teacher making a difference’ genre. Ranging from the great successes (Dead Poets Society, Dangerous Minds) to the forgettable (Cadence, Finding Forrestor), the story of a teacher fighting for the lives of the underprivileged is an oft-repeated narrative that is often powerful (but also risks falling into predictability). Thankfully, Big Brotherfalls into the former category, proving to be both fun and exciting. 

Directed by Kam Ka-Wai (Colour of the Game), Big Brother tells the story of Mr. Chen (Donnie Yen), a former soldier who accepts the challenge of teaching a class of teen delinquents. Recognizing that the soul of the students is what is most broken, Chen begins to teach both their minds and their hearts. As he builds relationships with their families and the other staff, it soon becomes clear that his unconventional teaching style may have the potential to change the lives of everyone around him.

Rather than simply devolve into a martial arts epic, the film does an excellent job of balancing its tones between high-quality action and engaging character development. As the mysterious but lovable Mr. Chen, martial arts legend Donnie Yen (Ip Man, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) has ample opportunity to show off both his martial arts prowess and his comedic skills. What’s more, after having worked with Yen as 2ndAssistant Director on the famed Ip Mantrilogy, Kam has a good understanding of his actor’s strengths and allows him to flourish as his lead.

One of the most surprising aspects of the film is its social conscience. While Chen engages his students intellectually, what truly sets him apart is his interest in challenging cultural ideals. Instead of simply telling the students to ‘study harder’, his greatest concern is that the students become their best selves. From the outset, Chen’s methods threaten the cultural drive for success above all else. Instead, Chen becomes interested in the lives of the students and their families in a way that views the teens holistically, encouraging emotional healing and intellectual questions. If the students struggle with their confidence, he encourages them to follow their dreams. If the students are failing, he speaks to the parents, not to pressure them to succeed but rather to listen to their children and do what’s best for them. In fact, after one moment of tragedy calls his credentials into question, his greatest question for the school board is to ask how they can challenge the education system itself so as to prevent an event like this from happening again. To Chen, the soul of the student is as vital as the final grade—and it changes the lives of the families under his influence.

In the end, Big Brother proves its worth through its desire to balance its tone and visuals. As an action vehicle, Yen is allowed to shine at appropriate moments. However, the soul of the film remains Chen’s view that success is more than a letter grade.

Big Brother is currently available on 4K, Blu-ray and VOD.