Wu Dang is a rather typical martial arts film in many respects, with the right amount of action mixed with sentimentality. The execution of this average martial arts film is what makes it stand apart somewhat, and this is mostly due to action director Corey Yuen, best known for his work choreographing the action in The Transporter. There is a familiar brutality in the hand-to-hand combat of the opening scenes of Wu Dang, which eventually gives way to a more traditional style of Wu Dang Kung Fu.
Part Indiana Jones and part Crouching Tiger, our hero is an American searching for lost treasures with his daughter during the early days of Republican China. His daughter is a prodigy in kung fu, and it is under the guise of a tournament in a sacred temple that these treasures are stolen. More important than their physical value is a supernatural ability which is said to come from their possession.
Although I prefer the earlier action which resembles more of a realistic and creative style of fighting to the supernatural martial arts that take over by the end of the film, but Wu Dang is entertaining through and through. Although there is a bit too much forced melodramatic sentimentality, I was never bored or eager for the film to end. This is the sign of good filmmaking; when an average story somehow makes an above average film.
The Blu-ray release includes a behind-the-scenes featurette and a trailer.
