By Throughout the history of Chinese cinema, there have been an overwhelming number of films that has dispelled the myths surrounding martial artists. While old-school wuxia movies depicted heroes as stoic and unwavering, there were always a few movies that would portray their protagonists as flawed beings who couldn’t let a minor squabble go. 100 Yards is the latter, a story of a man too proud to step away from his martial arts life once he suffers a defeat.
In the proud tradition of Shaw Brothers action films, 100 Yards is a thoroughly grounded and realistic tale that also happens to dabble in melodrama and self-reflection. This is a story where pride rules the day and where if people could simply talk their problems out, they might have been able to resolve their conflict without violence. In the end, though, honor and skill are put to the test to prove a point that everyone lost along the way.
100 Yards is a classical Chinese opera to the extreme.
100 Yards
Director: Xu Haofeng, Xu Junfeng
Release Date: September 20, 2024 (China), November 8, 2024 (US)
Rating: PG-13
100 Yards begins in 1920s Tianjin, China, roughly a decade after the end of the Qing Dynasty. A dying martial arts master calls his most talented student, Qi Quan (Andy On), to come duel his son, Shen An (Jacky Heung), to impart some wisdom to him. Having been away for a bit, Qi actually starts to lose as Shen An’s skill has progressed so rapidly. When the master lays down the law and tells Qi to put all of his strength into things, the tides quickly turn and Shen An is defeated. With the lesson taught, the master dies and passes his secret martial arts school onto Qi, kicking off a new era for the academy.
Shortly thereafter, Shen An begins plotting to exact revenge on Qi. While he doesn’t truly care about running his father’s school, he is upset that word is spreading that his father’s only son doesn’t possess the same abilities that he did. The acting president of the school, Meng (Li Yuan), instructs Shen An to give up his foolish dream of being a martial artist because times have changed. After the turn of the century, kung fu became a sideshow attraction and the only way to make a living is to work a “real” job. It was Shen An’s father’s wish that he leave the circle and lead a normal life, so Shen An obliges Meng.
Soon, though, Shen An’s boss at a local bank is having him duel some clients to prove his mettle and it’s clear that there is only one path for Shen An: to be a fighter. With renewed vigor, he sets off to dethrone Qi Quan and claim the crown that is rightfully his. Along the way, he’ll learn some uncomfortable truths about his family, his own skills, and even people who he thought were confidants.
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The most compelling aspect of 100 Yards isn’t its action choreography, which is thrilling in its own right, but how it examines the psychology of its main character. As I stated in the intro, the story here can be boiled down to “man loses a battle and can’t accept the results.” While that has some eerie relevance to the 2020 election in the US, it’s really just a story of overwhelming pride. In Asian countries, specifically, saving face in front of people is a big thing and if you are ridiculed in public, it becomes a personal affront.
Through its dialogue, 100 Yards makes it known that Shen An doesn’t care about anything but himself. Some of that changes as the film progresses, naturally, but he is only interested in how he is perceived by others. He is exceptionally skilled, if a bit naïve, and doesn’t want people to look down on him. Right after losing the opening duel, he confronts Qi in a local market and attacks him on the street. While none of his father’s bodyguards can defeat him, Qi doesn’t engage in battle as he uses the opportunity to lift the veil around one of Shen An’s father’s biggest tricks. The master of this school wasn’t some well-respected and untouchable prodigy, but a man who knew how to exert power to get what he wanted. The bandits at the market weren’t afraid of him, they worked to keep the peace together.
That’s another theme that runs throughout 100 Yards: perception. Shen An thinks he knows the world, but as he goes farther and farther down his path of vengeance, his preconceived notions are tested. The woman he has an affinity for, Xia An (Bea Hayden Kuo), reveals that she isn’t some high-class noble, but the illegitimate daughter of a French businessman who used his status as a foreigner to make her important. That also plays into Shen An’s job at a bank, which was acquired through some dealings between his father and Xia An. It seems you can never truly know what a person is thinking or believing.
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100 Yards doesn’t focus exclusively on Shen An, though. As Qi is the acting successor to the martial arts academy, we get a subplot where he needs to prove his worth to the previous teachers. President Meng questions Qi’s actions, but a decision is ultimately made to let him rule for two years to see if he can make his radical changes work. In a manner that echoes Bruce Lee’s philosophies on teaching martial arts, Qi wants to expand the school to outsiders so that their teachings don’t fritter away.
The methods he takes to accomplish this are where the problems arise. Qi isn’t a noble man and he’ll use underhanded tactics to get what he wants. When Shen An returns and challenges Qi to a second duel, Qi begins to find any possible avenue for which he can exploit Shen An. This includes interrogating his love interest, Gui Ying (Tang Shiyi). At one point, she worked with the master of the school to impart her family’s secret techniques, which Qi believes Shen An would use against him.
It’s an interesting film with lots of back-and-forth between its characters, resulting in a story that examines how pride and tradition can ultimately hold one back. Shen An wants to keep the tradition of his family style within the family while Qi wants to expand the school to new horizons and teach foreigners how to battle. Neither man can accept when they are bested or proven wrong, however.
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This is all aided by fight choreography that hearkens back to the martial arts explosion in the 1970s. It was no coincidence that I brought up Shaw Brothers in the intro as action choreographer Duncan Leung employs a style very similar to that. This is certainly faster than old movies could be, but you won’t see people flying through the air, using mystical weapons, or surviving deadly blows that would kill normal humans. Everything within 100 Yards is grounded to highlight the drama that is going on around it.
The aforementioned market fight starts like a typical Kung Fu film and sees Shen An square off against guards with wooden hooked tonfas. I suppose the idea is that these weapons can subdue without killing, but they look practical in their appearance. Shen An utilizes a mixture of Tai Chi, Bajiquan, and Bagua and never fatally strikes his opponents. 100 Yards isn’t nonviolent, but you will not see someone get their head cut off or leave a brawl with serious injuries.
Even when Shen An and Qi square off, things play out like a fencing match. The two flex their prowess by striking in a manner that could kill their foe but stopping just short. The choreography emphasizes power and mastery, playing out almost like a Wong Fei-Hung story where philosophy is more important than deadliness. The only thing that lets the brawls down a bit is the sound design, which feels too scrappy.
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I know old-school Kung Fu movies have some rather notorious sound effects, but those sounds had an impact and heaviness that made audiences feel the intensity on screen. 100 Yards almost sounds like everyone is slapping each other with wet salami. Some strikes do hit the mark and the particular sound design for staff weapons is excellent, but everything else comes off kind of cheaply. That goes double for some of the editing, which cuts between the action in some sequences very abruptly.
My favorite action sequence in the film comes roughly in the middle and involves Gui Ying. She gets attacked by some bandits after showering and needs to fend for herself. She gets improvisational with things and uses some metric triangle rulers as weapons all while employing Tai Chi strikes. It’s very thrilling, but at one point, she’s striking a guy and the cut goes to her running down the hall away from someone else. It’s very jarring and it’s not the only time this happens in the film.
I could say the same for the music, but I do think there is perhaps something else going on there. Since the plot deals with pride, tradition, and adaptation, the mash-up of traditional orchestral music and jazz melodies may be a way to show the clashing of mentalities between its leads. The score feels intentional, at the very least, so I wouldn’t want to jump the gun and say it’s bad. I’m just not sure if it compliments the film all that well.
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Even with some deficiencies, 100 Yards comes out the other end being a solid new-age martial arts film that lives up to the traditions of its inspirations. There isn’t anything here you haven’t seen before, but the execution is mostly on point. The acting from the cast is great, especially Andy On, and the battles are spaced out well enough to never have too much downtime. Couple that with its introspective plot and you have a winning recipe for a Kung Fu flick.
There is certainly more I could talk about with 100 Yards, but a lot of that would delve into spoiler territory. Since I don’t want to ruin this film for anyone, I’ll leave my recommendation for you to check it out. If you’re a fan of martial arts movies, you likely won’t be disappointed. If you’re not, you might question some of the logic of its characters, but just remember that Chinese audiences love melodrama. The sappier the better.
