Tai-Chi

In Tai-Chi we get to follow two novices in a Buddhist Shaolin temple, Tianbao and Junbao, when they leave the temple and enter an unsafe world. The ambitious Tianbao abuses his knowledge in the martial arts and is recruited by the evil imperial eunuch Liu Jin. Junbao, however, has not forgotten the words of his master in the temple that unselfishness is the greatest virtue and kung fu may only be used in order to help other people. He assists the beautiful and fiery Quixue when she finds herself in trouble after being robbed of her husband by Liu Jin's sister.

It is a tragic tale of friendship and deceit. The two ''brothers'' Junbao and Tianbao follow the narrow and the wide road in life respectively and in the end they implacably come to a life and death showdown. At this stage the personal conflicts have turned into social ones. Junbao's domestic, Chinese tai-chi is put against Tianbao's ''imported'' Buddhistic kung fu, nationalism vs foreign influences.

Tai-Chi could well be one of the viewers' favourite at the fifth Stockholm International Film Festival. It may not be hyper-intellectually subtle, instead you find a large dosage of pleasurable spectacle. Action and fantasy, commercialism and art in an unbeatable combination. A mix of popcorn and poetry in the dark cinema auditorium. It is made with a glowing passion for the possibilities of the medium and finds its nourishment in its original source: our fascination with the moving image.

Orig. titel
TAIJI ZHANG SANFANG: Medverkande
Jet Li, Michelle Khan, Chin Siu Ho: Producent
Jet Li: Manus
Ip Kwong Kim: Foto
Tom Lau: Musik
Wu Wai Lap: Talat språk
Cantonese