Product Description

Unstoppable international superstar Jet Li ("Cradle 2 The Grave," "The One") makes his directorial debut while delivering unbelievable hand-to-hand action in this sizzling martial arts thriller. After returning from war, a young soldier (Jet Li) finds his humble hometown occupied by a corrupt foreign navy. With rampant corruption compounding the hardships he encounters every day, the time is soon at hand for Jet Li's character to stand up and use his incredible martial arts skills to defeat dishonest sailors. Loaded with realistic, high-impact fight scenes, BORN TO DEFENSE brings you all the hard-hitting excitement you expect from the legendary Jet Li! Written by Sze Yeung Ping and Jie Er-Ge. Directed by Jet Li.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #112721 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-05-11
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, Surround Sound, Digital Sound, NTSC
• Original language: Cantonese
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 92 minutes

Amazon.com
Kung fu superstar Jet Li (Romeo Must Die, The One, the Once Upon a Time in China series) makes his directorial debut with Born to Defense. When a Chinese soldier (Li) returns from fighting Japan, he discovers that his home town has become a base for the American navy. The arrogant and abusive sailors treat the locals with brutal disrespect, stirring up anger and violence. Of course, Li comes to the defense of an old friend and his daughter, who's been forced into prostitution. It's a good thing Li hasn't quit acting; the script is pure melodrama and Li's fledgling direction doesn't rise above that. But, as ever, the fight sequences are many and vigorous, especially a lengthy one-on-one donnybrook in a rain-drenched boxing ring between the diminutive Li and a huge naval officer. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Jet Li but nothing special
Jet Li is by a long way the best MA filmstar around, i would usually recomend anything by him but this is a BAD film! DON'T BUY IT! SPEND YOUR MONEY ON ONE OF HIS OTHER BRILLIANT FILMS.I bought this after seeing "once upon a time in china"! Go buy that instead or just about any of his other films after 1990!

Jet's only foray into directing!
"Born to Defense" is the first-- and only-- film directed by Jet Li. Personally, I consider it a worthy film, even though it is not among his finest. Jet portrays a Waorld WarII vet who, upon returning to China with his army buddies, finds that the American and British troops are receiving the heroes' welcome, while the Chinese who fought alongside them are neglected. This intolerable state of affairs comes to a head when some thuggish US Navy members begin assaulting Jet and some of his friends. Naturally, this film can only end with Jet ripping these guys to pieces! Interestingly, Jet displays a talent for boxing, something I've seen in none of his films before nor since "BTD." There are some pretty good action scenes if you can handle the atrocious acting by just about everyone in the film, and the boxing scene that evovles into a full-blown bar brawl is quite good. This DVD has one of the most horrible transfers I've ever seen; it appears to have been hanging around in someone's bathroom for the past fifteen years. The four-star rating is just for the film itself. "Born to Defense" may not please the casual fan, but Jet's fans shouldn't miss it.

Born to Defence is actually a pretty good movie...
As far as Jet Li movies go this one has a decent story with situations that have you grinding your teeth rooting for Jet to take revenge on the U.S. Navy (World Video printed "U.S. Army" on the box, yet the subtitles say "navy" and they are wearing Navy uniforms) scum stirring up trouble. The condition of this World Video edition is horribly pathetic though! The subtitles are inaccurate and often misspelled and most fight scenes are lost in darkness. I wish there was a cleaner copy than this one with better subtitles.