Once Upon a Time in China II

A sequel to the bizarre "Once Upon a Time in China" — which was a wild homage to Sergio Leone's '60s spaghetti Westerns set in 19th-century China — "Once Upon a Time in China II" is more of the same.

But in this case, that's a compliment.

Director Tsui Hark is perhaps the most imaginative director of martial-arts action to ever make a movie, and this sequel opens with an under-the-credits reminder of the first film's most fascinating sequence, a ladders-and-lofts battle between the hero and the bad guy that is truly astonishing.

Like that film, this sequel has some of the most astounding action you've ever seen, proving that when Tsui is compared to Steven Spielberg it's no exaggeration.

The story here — as if it mattered — has naive martial-arts instructor Master Wong in Canton, where he becomes mixed up with corrupt politicians, desperate revolutionaries and uptight Brits. There's even a cult of religious fanatics stirring up trouble.

Wong has been invited to a medical school to deliver a lecture on acupuncture when he finds himself in the middle of these warring factions, which sets the stage for one wild-eyed action sequence after another. Jet is an amazingly agile martial artist and though he's not all that expressive an actor, he has a certain charm and screen charisma that more than compensates.

Like the first film, some of the plotting here is too complicated for the Western ability to absorb only a certain amount of the rapid-paced subtitling. But if you're willing to let cultural subtleties pass you by, you can just sit back and enjoy the action.

The "Once Upon a Time in China" movies are truly the "Indiana Jones" films of Hong Kong. As such, action fans are encouraged to head for the Tower and enjoy.

The film is not rated but would doubtless get a PG-13 for violence and a few profanities.