Shanghai Affairs (4 Stars)

This is a 1998 martial arts film starring Donnie Yen. I watched it on YouTube, where it's included in the Wu Tang Collection.

Two young doctors, Tong (Donnie Yen) and Bond, set up a small medical centre in Shanghai after receiving medical training in England. Both men are expert fighters, Tong being slightly better, but they have different attitudes. Bond wants to fight to defend the local people, whereas Tong prefers not to fight, because he might get injured and be unable to continue his work as a doctor. It's a tricky question: should you heal injured people or take steps to prevent them being injured in the first place?

The place where the two brothers live is called Shanghai, but it's a small village community. Shanghai is a city with a population of more than 20 million, but maybe it's divided into smaller sections. This is possibly a community on the outskirts of Shanghai that has a village character. The villagers are being terrorised by the Axe Gang, led by Yue Lo-Chi. He wants them to move out so that he can demolish their homes and build a casino. He's impatient. He only gives them one hour to leave. Bond rushes into battle, and he's the only one who can withstand the Axe Gang until the police arrive. This wins him recognition as a skilled fighter. Tong stands and watches.

Lo-Chi's sister Susie has been unable to speak since childhood. Tong examines her and says that it's a simple illness that can be cured with an operation. Lo-Chi doesn't want his sister to be operated, because he doesn't trust western medicine. He says that only the Fox God can cure illnesses. Susie goes ahead with the operation and is cured, but this isn't enough to make Lo-Chi accept the new doctors.

At the same time there's a serial killer murdering young children and stealing their inner organs. Tong requests Lo-Chi's assistance in finding the killer.

It's obviously a low budget film, using a minimum of film sets, but it's a very exciting film. It's not  an original film, but as I often say, a film doesn't have to be original to be good. It follows the pattern of a reluctant fighter who gets into multiple one-against-a-hundred fights. Donnie Yen stands with a wooden stick knocking out dozens of men rushing at him with axes. Is it realistic? Not at all, but who cares? The fight scenes are brilliantly choreographed.

Like most of the Wu Tang films, "Shanghai Affairs" is out of print and can only be watched online, either on YouTube or on the Wu Tang web site.