Master Ma

(Ma Wing Ching I: Fight for Shanghai)

"Master Ma" is a series about a man, Ma Wing Ching (Kenny Ho Ka King), who tries to make it big in the gangster-runned streets of Shanghai. Supposedly, it is about the power struggles between rivalry gangs over territory, about how a man who has nothing but his ambitions and his own two fists, survive in this world. If you're looking for a moral or point in this series, don't expect any because the series is really about how to use brute force to accomplish your goals with a steely determination. Expect,on the other hand, a series with a lot of fight scenes coupled with a loosely written plot.

"Master" showcases quite a few stars like Kenny Ho, his girlfriend Lee Yuen Wah, Wong Man Ho, Yu Siu Fan (from "Lord of Imprisonment"), and Fon Bing Bing of "Princess Pearl" who played Zhi Mei's maid Jin Sau. The cast reminds one of "Bodyguards", where Kenny Ho and Wong Man Ho also worked together, though Wong Man Ho's role in "Master" is small and does not even get to show off some moves since his character doesn't know martial arts.

The series begins off somewhere along the line at the farm where Ma Wing Ching lives with his mother (Cheng Pui Pui of "Fong Si Yuk") leading a peaceful life training horses. Trouble starts when the ruthless leader, Bai Lak Lai of the Bai Clan, one of the two most powerful gangs in Shanghai, wants to purshase the beloved horse of Ma Wing Ching for his daughter Bai Xiao Diep (Fon Bing Bing). Refusing, Ma finds himself and his own mother landed in jail, his farm burned down, and his horse taken--all consequences of the orders of Bai. In the process, the viewer gets to admire Ma and his mom dodge bullets while fleeing. The plot conveniently sets up for Ma to go Shanghai and haplessly gets deceived by a street rogue consecutively. The rest of the story is about how he falls for Liao Kok Chi (Yu Siu Fan), how he can't have her, and how he fights for a name and his own clan for her. Ma becomes the icon of righteousness, someone who fights for the poor. His nature is written up as very trusting and falls under the deception of Duen Leng Chow (Lee Yuen Wah) most of the series.

What was really irritating about the series was how the characters kept preaching how complex and dangerous a place Shanghai is. It distastfully reminds one of a wanna-be of TVB's "The Bund". There are some redeeming factors though; for instance, the sets and props of "Master" are very beautiful and pleasant to the eye. This is definitely one of the areas where Taiwanese films are superior to ones made by TVB. Fight scenes are also done pretty well, aside from the first or two episodes.

Screenshots: (ATV Copyrighted).