The Duel 2000 Full Movie English Version: A Wuxia Parody with Andy Lau and Ekin Cheng

Dragon Nine, an imperial detective, is on his way back after concluding the case of the Thief Ghost. He encounters "Sword Saint" Yeh, who asks him to tell "Sword Deity" Simon to meet him for a duel on the night of the full moon at the highest rooftop of the Forbidden Palace. News of the upcoming duel between the two greatest swordsmen spread like wildfire and attract much attention, with people starting to place bets on the final outcome. The Emperor sends Dragon Nine and Princess Phoenix to stop the duel from taking place and investigate whether it is a mask for any sinister plots.

The Duel strikes that elusive balance between tongue in cheek and believable wuxia martial arts goodness. The story goes that a master of the sword Yeh Cool Son (Andy Lau) challenges another master, Simon Snow Blower (Ekin Cheng), to a final duel over the rooftops of the Forbidden City. And yes, that is his name. The emperor, believing this all to be in good fun, allows this, but at the same time his special agent, Dragon 9 (Nick Cheung), starts investigating strange murders around the palace.The Duel features some spectacular special effects for its time, though I do admit that they water down the traditional wuxia fighting more than a little bit. There are some cool shots, certainly, but I still prefer the more restrained wire techniques. Luckily though the movie largely makes up for this with a relaxed, tongue in cheek style of storytelling. The characters are played for laughs, the dialogue is quick and witty and overall the movie isn't aiming to be a huge epic. It's more of an affectionate parody of the genre, but in a way that also works as a straight example. If only barely.I also really enjoy Dragon 9 as the main character. He's clearly the comic relief of the film, but refreshingly that doesn't make him the butt of the jokes. Quite the opposite. He is one serious badass, only surpassed by the two masters of the sword. He's also joined by the emperor's sister, Princess Phoenix (Wei Zhao), who's a lot of fun, but also capable in her own right.All in all The Duel is a great watch for all looking for a more lighthearted wuxia experience. It's fun and witty, but also capable of telling a captivating story and featuring some truly great characters.

The Duel 2000 Full Movie English Version

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This movie had good special effects. Andy and Ekin both did a good job playing their roles as cool and skilled swords-men. The plot is about a duel that will determine who is number one. Each man falls in love during the days leading to the duel, showing the soft side of their hard exteriors. Though the movie is about the duel, the life and investigations of a royal officer seems to be a main focus. Nick Cheung, who plays the royal officer, kind of takes the audience through the movie and provides comic relief. Vicky Chao, the princess, provides some comic relief as well. Over-all this movie was good and I would see it again.

This being a wu xia pian, everything has to be complicated, and there are wheels-within-wheels machinations behind the scenes, a couple of nifty fight scenes, three love stories, and a murder mystery all thrown in the blender and set on "Hyper". Nick Cheung is the star of the show, and his comic high jinx sit uncomfortably with the serious, almost dour, performances of Andy and Ekin. Andy's finally in a situation where he can act circles around his co-stars, and he thoroughly patronizes everyone else in the cast. He's become so emaciated that his features resemble less and less those of a human being, and more and more those of the Roswell Alien. Nick Cheung grows on you, Elvis Tsui is always a lot of bald-headed fun, but Ekin seems to be set on "Mute" and Kristy Yang is lost in a role that requires lots of simpering (she's good at it, but there's so much of it). Andy is what's for sale in this flick, his Cool Son offers up a much more human swordsman than Ekin's mono-expressioned human Cuisinart. Based on a classic TV series from the 1970s, Luk Siu Fung, in particular an episode called The Duel, many local critics carped that this new version is old wine in a new bottle. Others pointed out that this is a reactionary version of the classic story, a remake that clearly takes the side of centralized, autocratic government against a disenfranchised minority. They're right, but if you think that's what Andrew Lau has on his mind, you've got to be kidding.The flick is beautiful, with giant, winter sets and all the rocky and remote outdoor locations that China has to offer. The action choreography, although CGI-enhanced beyond recognition, is by Ching Siu-tung. It's his first movie work in several years, and it's as lovely as ever. In fact, every shot in this movie, action directed by the truly surreal Ching Siu-tung, enhanced by CGI, and shot by eager-to-please Andrew Lau, is truly beautiful. It's as if Ang Lee got konked on the head while shooting Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and had a very, very odd dream.by Grady Hendrix Read MoreCollapse View More Professional Reviews This original content has been created by or licensed to YesAsia.com, and cannot be copied or republished in any medium without the express written permission of YesAsia.com. Customer Review of "The Duel (Eng Dubbed) (US Version)" Change Content Preferences Average Customer Rating for All Editions of this Product: Customer Review Rated Bad 8 - 8.1 out of 10(49) Karling See all my reviews November 2, 2009 This customer review refers to The Duel (DVD) (US Version) Better than I expected. Customer Review Rated Bad 8 - 8 out of 10 If you like fantasy kung fu film, with lots of good looking actors and pretty actresses, reasonable plot , then this movie is a good choice. Quite a few funny scenes and the actresses did surprise me with their performances, not bad. Don't expect real fighting scenes, these movie stars are actors, not fighters. Did you find this review helpful? Yes(Report This) Phoenix Lin See all my reviews March 20, 2007 This customer review refers to The Duel (DVD) (US Version) New age disappointment Customer Review Rated Bad 4 - 4 out of 10 This is one of those fancy, special effect, swordplay movies that have been coming out on the band wagon since Stormriders. The swordplay is flowered up by special effects & posturing with nothing to raise an eyebrow to. The faces, language & styles are more modern than I care for & prefer a classic swordplay movie over this one anyday. The title is misleading because one never really happens, but perhaps that all plays into the plot! (oooo...ahaha.) Did you find this review helpful? Yes(Report This) Da Boy See all my reviews October 22, 2005 This customer review refers to The Duel Looked good. Can't say much else about the film th Customer Review Rated Bad 2 - 2 out of 10 Oh boy, another dont judge a book by its cover type of film. An all star cast with a DVD cover and preview that looked terrific. Unfortunately, films completely the opposite. On the bright side, it does have its funny moments and tries to construct a relatively decent plot. The acting from most of the characters, well maybe apart from Ekin I dont think he even tried to act the role. It seemed like he was just blurting out the lines is also ok but the film just didnt cut it. Visual effects didnt help either. I kind of expected more action from the ending as well (they did call it The Duel didnt they?) but what we get is a short mish mash, mumbo jumbo choreographed fight sequence with some matrixy rip off visual effects added in. Purchase only if you have a lot of cash lying around and have nothing left to purchase. Even then, that cash might be better spent somewhere else. Did you find this review helpful? Yes(Report This) Anonymous July 6, 2005 This customer review refers to The Duel (DVD) (US Version) WhaT are u TALKING ABOUT? Customer Review Rated Bad 10 - 10 out of 10 ThiS movie is one of the BesT i've seen. ..it'z nto boring..what are u talkIng about..it'z actually pack with action and reaLLy funny. I was a little disappointed with the endings but beside that..this movies is a MUST SEE!!! O__O Did you find this review helpful? Yes(Report This) Anonymous June 28, 2005 This customer review refers to The Duel >.

Unlike the earnest drama of A Man Called Hero or the epic fantasy of The Storm Riders, The Duel is merely old HK given a fancy new package. The uneven silliness and fluid fight choreography is reminiscent of early nineties wuxia comedies, but the excellent special effects update the action. Nothing too special happens here, but by now this sort of all-star flying kung-fu action is practically extinct. One can overlook the messiness of the plot or Ekin Cheng's robot-like performance because this movie provides exactly what it should: ninety minutes of amusement. (Kozo 2000)

I would give a great deal to be able to see "The Skulls" on opening night in New Haven, Conn., in a movie theater full of Yale students, with gales of laughter rolling at the screen. It isn't a comedy, but that won't stop anyone. "The Skulls" is one of the great howlers, a film that bears comparison, yes, with "The Greek Tycoon" or even "The Scarlet Letter." It's so ludicrous in so many different ways it achieves a kind of forlorn grandeur. It's in a category by itself. 2ff7e9595c