AllMovie

A pair of orphaned Peking Opera stars fight for the honor of their master while becoming caught up in a dangerous conflict with the protégé of his most fearsome rival in this lavish martial arts action drama featuring fight choreography by the legendary Sammo Hung. The Qing Dynasty toppling as the 19th Century draws to a close, desperate Prince Regent calls for the Meng clan to be totally exterminated. As a Beijing crowd gathers to watch the beheading of the Meng leader, his five year old disciple Erkui bravely defies the executioner by singing an aria that moves respected opera legend Master Yu Shengying to rescue the boy from certain death. In the years that follow, Erkui and Master Yu's slightly older orphaned pupil, Guan Yilong, form a powerful bond of brotherhood. Though their fate seems to come full circle when Master Yu subsequently defeats the malevolent Prince Regent in a battle for the coveted "Wu Sheng Tai Dou" ("The Mightiest Warrior") plaque, Yu's skillful nemesis Master Yue Jiangtian soon later defeats Master Yu and stakes his claim on the prize. As a result, master Yu is forbidden to perform on stage from that day forward, and devotes his life to transforming his two young disciples into masters of both the martial arts and Peking Opera. Years later, Yilong and Erkui venture to Shanghai, and reclaim the plaque in a thrilling duel against and ageing Master Yue. Quickly becoming the darlings of the Shanghai opera scene after taking over Master Yue's troupe, the skillful duo finds their revenge may have come at a tragic price upon clashing with Xi Mulan, a striking actress whose loyalty to her mentor and lover Master Yue knows no bounds.