Once Upon a Time in China V


Once Upon a Time in China V is a 1994 Hong Kong–Chinese martial arts action film written and directed by Tsui Hark. The film is the fifth installment in the Once Upon a Time in China film series, with Vincent Zhao reprising his role as Chinese martial arts master and folk hero of Cantonese ethnicity, Wong Fei-hung, since taking over the character from Jet Li in Once Upon a Time in China IV. The film also saw the return of Hark as director and of Rosamund Kwan as "13th Aunt", who was absent in the fourth film.

Plot

After the armies of the Eight-Nation Alliance occupy Beijing, the collapse of the Qing Dynasty is imminent. Wong Fei-hung and his companions return to Foshan in southern China and prepare to move to Hong Kong. In the meantime, Wong Fei-hung develops a love triangle with his romantic interests "13th Aunt" and "14th Aunt".
When they arrive at the port town, they see that the town is in a desolate state, as the authorities have fled with all the public funds, leaving the local army garrison without any money or food. The situation worsens with the presence of pirates, who terrorise the coast and seal off the sea route. Wong and his companions decide to form a local crime prevention force to deal with the threats, leading to three confrontations with the pirates and eventual victory for the protagonists. Wong and his family decide to settle in Hong Kong to help the local government maintain peace and security.

Cast

Despite receiving more positive reviews than Once Upon a Time in China IV, the fifth in the series performed poorly at the Hong Kong box office, grossing only HK$4,902,426.