Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997)

Once Upon a Time in China and America is the kind of genre mash-up that shouldn’t work but does, letting Jet Li’s Wong Fei-hung stride into a Western landscape and turn it into a stage for crisp, inventive martial-arts heroics. Sammo Hung keeps the pace lively and crowd-pleasing, balancing dusty frontier peril, culture-clash tension, and that reassuring Wong Fei-hung decency that makes the series feel like comfort food with a kick. The action is the main event—cleanly staged, satisfyingly physical, and built around Li’s effortless authority—while the film’s backdrop of immigrant hostility gives the adventure a sharper edge than a simple fish-out-of-water romp. It’s not for everyone if you’re sensitive to dated portrayals and broad stereotypes, but if you want a fun, high-energy Jet Li showcase with a unique East-meets-West vibe, it delivers.

Once Upon a Time in China and America is clearly trying to mash Jet Li’s dignified folk-hero wuxia vibe with a Western frontier adventure, and on paper that’s a fun culture-clash setup. In practice, it often feels like two movies tugging in different directions, with a wandering, episodic plot (including an amnesia detour) that blunts the momentum and makes the stakes feel oddly soft. The action is the main reason to show up—Li is still magnetic and there are a few satisfying showdowns—but don’t expect the series’ sharpest choreography or most focused storytelling. If you’re sensitive to clumsy handling of race and Native American stereotypes, or you want the tighter, more emotionally grounded Wong Fei-hung entries, this one may test your patience more than it rewards it.