Actors love to play villains, it has oft been said, because they get the best lines.
That’s certainly true here, where the villain is by far the most fascinating character.
 |
| A routine San Francisco bus ride turns lethal when Shaun (Simu Liu) is attacked by a cluster of thugs led by the aptly named Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu). |
But the character of Shang-Chi’s father, Xu Wenwu, has been crafted with impressive complexity by writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton and co-scripters Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham, and played with equally nuanced precision by celebrated Chinese actor Tony Leung. Every line he speaks — even the most mundane (although few of those exist here) — commands attention.
He conveys more, with a thoughtful pause or hardened gaze, than pages of dialogue.
Wenwu is an immortal Big Bad who has cruelly, subtly shaped our world during hundreds of lifetimes: a villain who, intriguingly, finally stopped being evil because it was too banal. (Granted, there also was another big reason.) Leung makes it easy to believe that this individual has been around for millennia; he has the regal bearing and economy of speech and movement one would expect.
But we’re getting ahead of things.
The story opens in San Francisco, where our hero and his best friend Katy (Awkwafina) have long parked cars for a living, much to the consternation of her family. She knows her buddy as Shaun, and he seems like the next ordinary guy; indeed, he has worked hard (as we eventually learn) to maintain that mundane guise.
That image goes out the window — along with a lot of other stuff — when a routine bus ride explodes into a violent fracas, as a bunch of thugs demand the jade pendant Shaun has long worn around his neck. Worse yet, one of said thugs’ amputated arm sprouts a huge, energy-powered razor blade. (Yeah, I know: totally silly. But that doesn’t lessen the intensity of what follows.)
To Katy’s astonishment, Shaun holds his own … if just barely.
This extended melee is the first of Cretton and stunt coordinator Brad Allan’s jaw-dropping sequences, and it’s a corker: taking full advantage of San Francisco’s steep streets and the awkward physics of an articulated bus. Totally stunning.
With this disturbing implication that his long estranged father has re-surfaced — cue obligatory explanations to Katy (and us) — Shaun worries that his sister, Xialing (Meng’er Zhang), might be in similar danger. He and Katy head to Macau, where Xialing is located under unexpected circumstances.
Evidence suggests that Wenwu is resurrecting his infamous Ten Rings cabal, which forces Shaun to confront the past — and identity, as Shang-Chi — that he had hoped to leave behind.
But why has Xu Wenwu taken this step? What has changed?
Cretton’s film divides neatly into two halves. The first part essentially takes place in our familiar real world, allowing for aberrations such as Razor Fist; this is, after all, the Marvel Comics Universe. Even so, all the action feels (sorta-kinda) credible.
The second half slides into the mystical realm of Chinese legend and mythology, with its massive serpentine dragons, lion-esque foo dogs, and furry winged footstools known as dijiang. One of the latter — dubbed Morris — ramps up the “insufferably cute” factor to the point of occasional irritation, but he proves useful in his own weird way.
The battles in this half, set in the hidden land of Ta Lo, owe everything to visual effects supervisor Christopher Townsend’s team, and — while impressively mounted — aren’t nearly as emotionally involving. At this point, the various magical abilities — particularly the powerful 10 rings worn by Wenwu — become as strong, weak or conveniently deus ex machina as a given sequence requires. Which is typical of such films.
In terms of our ability to admire graceful physical prowess, nothing in the second half matches the excitement of the San Francisco bus battle, or a later skirmish in Macau, on a series of temporary platforms hugging the exterior of a high-story building under construction.
All this said, Leung maintains his impressive gravitas throughout, no matter how fantastical things become. We accept what’s happening, because Wenwu’s passion makes us believe it.
The always welcome Michelle Yeoh enters the story in this second half, as Shang-Chi’s Aunt Ying Nan, a respected leader and warrior of Ta Lo. Yeoh also brings dramatic heft to these proceedings; she’s deeply dignified during a balletic training session with Shang-Chi.
Liu makes the most of his affable smile, and his banter with Awkwafina is droll and flirty. She, in turn, is quite adept at handling Katy’s oft-repeated variations on “You know this is crazy, right?” Given her strong real-world presence, Awkwafina easily could have overpowered the rest of the film, but she and Cretton apply Katy’s droll one-liners at just the right level. We never lose sight of the serious fact that Wenwu’s intentions would be Very, Very Bad for humanity.
On top of which, Katy isn’t merely a quippy sidekick; Awkwafina makes her a plucky, (perhaps foolishly) brave partner.
The same is true of Zhang’s Xialing, whose action chops are every bit as powerful as that of her brother. Zhang makes her regal, noble and feisty; Xialing also is impressively lethal with her “rope dart,” a hybrid weapon that can be used as both a dagger and a whip (and looks great on camera, when in use).
Fala Chen has a key role as the gentle, agile — and unexpectedly powerful — Li, Shang-Chi and Xialing’s mother.
These solid supporting characters notwithstanding, the film is anchored by Liu’s heartfelt performance as The Tortured Hero, dismayed — but not overwhelmed — by this need to re-visit his past. (I could almost hear Al Pacino kvetching “Just when I thought I was out … they pull me back in!”) Liu exudes morality and nobility, which are key to this character.
Shang-Chi never was part of the greater Marvel Comics universe; initially, he was merely a cerebral, philosophical response to the success of television’s Kung Fu. Shang-Chi’s high point came during a lengthy run in the 1980s, when he starred in a pocket universe that blended the best elements of Sax Rohmer and Ian Fleming.
But Shang-Chi apparently is destined for greater things in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and thus this film includes a few familiar characters. One is introduced as the second half begins, granted a much larger role than he previously enjoyed (think Iron Man 3). It’s also nice to see the actor playing him, even if he’s reduced to comic relief.
The other, much more MCU-relevant character pops up at the very end, signaling … well, more to come.
Sue Chan’s production design is fabulous, ranging from the ominous sterility of Wenwu’s Ten Rings compound; to the simplistic gentleness of Ta Lo; to the pastoral lushness of Li’s water-laden hideaway (and the vengeful bamboo forest that conceals it).
Cretton and his team of editors — Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir, Nat Sanders and Harry Yoon — maintain a crisp pace, with a satisfying balance of hell-for-leather action sequences, and quieter, contemplative exchanges. And at 132 minutes, the film does not overstay its welcome.
Let it be said: It’s also nice to see a decisively Asian story with an appropriate cast.
And yes, there are two cut-scenes during the lengthy end credits, so don’t be impatient.
No comments:
Post a Comment