Leung’s character, Xu Wenwu, is a centuries-old Chinese warlord and the bearer of those legendary 10 rings, Tolkienesque armbands that have made him immortal, invincible and ever lustful for more power. Leung is one of those performers who moves through the frame with impossible grace and sometimes doesn’t move at all if there are other actors who can express more by doing less, who can so magnetize the camera with a flicker of an eyebrow, they aren’t coming to mind. The actor in question is the Hong Kong screen titan Tony Leung, who isn’t the movie’s lead - that would be Simu Liu as Shang-Chi - but is every inch its star.
Since “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” left me in a pretty good mood, I’ll go with tentative delight. Should I be delighted or depressed that a new Marvel superhero joint will soon be introducing a lot of people to one of the greatest actors and last true movie stars of his generation? Because moviegoing carries risks during this time, we remind readers to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials.
The California Times is committed to reviewing theatrical film releases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
