Fist of Legend
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Movie Reviews of Fist of Legend
Movie Review: Great story and some of the greatest fight scenes you'll ever see
Summary: 5 Stars
I remember as a kid I used to love these kinda movies; back in the 80s I think it was on FOX every weekend they would show some Martial Arts flick and I was always amazed at the fight scenes. But as time went on I got into other things and honestly I cannot remember the titles of these movies I saw as a kid. So getting back into these movies is very tough since it's like ok where do I begin? I figured Jet Li's flicks are as good a place to start since I've pretty much enjoyed most of his work (well his Hong Kong flicks and only a couple of his American movies).
A lot of these Martial Arts flick aren't great movies in the traditional sense. It's the action scenes that elevate these movies from being enjoyable to greatness. While many of these movies are good when there are no action scenes, but in general that is what elevates them. I guess you can see these movies as sort of like horror flicks. You don't need a great screenplay to make a great horror movie, but when you get a great script it makes the movie all the better and that brings us to Fist of Legend. Fist of Legend is one of the greatest Martial Arts movies and one of the all time great movies period. When there is no action the movie is still great and than on top of that we get some of the greatest fight scenes ever captured in film.
The screenplay by Gordon Chan, Lan Kay Toa & Kwong Kim Yip is actually very well written for this kind of movie that can often get away with an ok script. Chan, Toa and Yip write a great screenplay with excellent characters that are very well developed overall and even the ones with less depth all add to the plot. The story has some nice twists and turns and has a lot more going for it than just the action scenes.
A lot of these movies the directing is always very good in terms of action, but the storyline is often not handled as well, but where other directors might have failed Gordon Chan delivers. He handles the story aspect very well, and delivers an excellent movie even without the action, but when it comes time for the action, Chan captures it with perfection and delivers the thrill ride of a life time. The tough thing about these movies is actually the action scenes. If you have too many it gets harder to top the previous so you need the right blend of story and action and again Gordon Chan delivers big time.
The performances were all very good and Jet Li was amazing; the ultimate cliché is if you are Asian you must know Martial Arts and sadly Hollywood has played up to that. Asian actors mostly get a raw deal in Hollywood they are either Martial Arts experts or the nerdy character. Since coming to America, Jet has never really been able to show off his acting skills with the exception of Unleashed where the movie relied more on his acting rather than fighting and Jet is a very good actor. First off, English isn't his first langue so you gotta cut him some slack, but he's much underrated and here in Fist of Legend he gives a great performance, while his line delivery is very good what makes Jet Li shine so much is his eyes. He really shows so emotion; Li is a very gifted actor and hopefully one day Hollywood takes notice and gives him a chance to show his range.
While Jet Li is one of the best at these kinds of movies I think we can all agree Bruce Lee was the master of the genre. Without him most of these movies would never have come to be (this movie in particular since it's a remake of a Lee movie). But quite honestly I would rate Jet Li as my favorite. I can watch this guy over and over again and never get tired, so while Bruce Lee was the best and you can make a case for several others as well, for me Jet Li takes top spot
The fight scenes were done by Woo-ping Yuen and simply put this guy is a legend! He's done some of the greatest action flicks of all time. When this guy is involved the one thing is for sure is that you're gonna get one hell of an action sequence. Fist of Legend features some draw dropping fight scenes and no doubt nobody can do this type of movie better than Woo-ping Yuen.
The new DVD from Dragon Dynasty is excellent 2-disc edition and has plenty of features so if you only have the super lame Dimension films release get rid of it and upgrade. The transfer is also very good. This DVD delivers.
Movie Review: FINALLY!!
Summary: 5 Stars
When I heard about this release about a year ago, I was so excited. Probably more excited than I have ever been for any DVD release. I think it was supposed to come out in January, but then it got pushed back indefinitely. But now it is finally here. Most people have probably seen the movie, but if you haven't, prepare to be blown away. It is easily Jet Li's best fighting performance of his career in my opinion. And the co-stars Chin Siu Ho, Billy Chow and Yasuaki Kurata are also on the top of their games, in both fighting and acting. It is a remake of Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury, but not a scene by scene remake by any means. It really is a different movie. Not a great overall movie, but the fight scenes easily elevate it to greatness. It is a fight fan's dream movie.
Rating- 4.5/5
Most people have probably only seen the old Dimension English dubbed version. A lot of people may not realize how important the original language is for this movie. There are not just Chinese people talking, there is also a lot of Japanese dialogue. I never really liked this movie, I just liked the fights, but it is a much better movie watching it in the original language. And the picture quality is so beautiful. This DVD is my prized possession right now.
One more note on the audio. The audio options are English, Cantonese and Mandarin. The odd thing is that the sound is a lot different on all 3 audio tracks. The Mandarin sounds better in some places, but unfortunately the Japanese dialogue is spoken in Mandarin on the Mandarin track. And while the music is better at times on the English track, I prefer the Canttonese soundtrack overall. I just got very annoyed very quickly by the English version playing the same song over and over again. And the dubbing completely ruins the movie. I love English dubs, but not this one. This is one I will be glad to forget. Not only are the voices bad, but the dialogue really dumbs down the movie. So do yourself a favor, and read the subtitles.
Now to the special features. I watch the special features for movies every once in awhile, but when it's one of my favorite movies, I always watch the special features. Dragon Dynasty has had some amazing special features on many of their martial arts movies, and their release of Fist of Legend is no different.
Great lengthy interviews from director Gordon Chan, Chin Siu Ho and Yasuaki Kurata. All the interviews are great, but the Kurata interview definitely stands out. Such an informative interview. It's easy to see that Kurata has aged (he's 62 years old!), but he doesn't seem to want to acknowledge it. he still looks like he's ready to take on any project that comes his way. And there is a special feature that shows Kurata at his action school. He is so focused on teaching and watching his students. This school is intense. I can't even imagine how intense it would be if the Dragon Dynasty camera people weren't there.
There are also some deleted scenes included. I wish they could have put the Chin Siu Ho opium scene in this version of Fist of Legend. It really helps to explain why Chin Siu Ho is a little off and seems to be running on 7 cylinders instead of a full 8.
Movie Review: Best Martial Arts Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
Since Fearless is my favorite movie of all time, you'd think it would also have to be my pick for the best martial arts movie of all time. However, if I'm to choose the best example of the genre, I'd have to go with Fist of Legend. It's really everything that you want in a martial arts movie: a thin but serviceable plot, decent characters, acting that may sometimes seem stiff but never makes you completely gag, and - most important - lots of great fight sequences. Further, the film is directed and shot in order to best highlight the moves of the martial artists. Sometimes this makes for a rather crude look but it's just a sign that the director has his priorities straight. The master/student dynamic receives screen time, including some discussion of martial art technique and philosophy. What more could you ask for?
Of course, since the movie was made in the early nineties before Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ushered in the age of more technical martial arts films (both wire-fu and true genre films), there is also ill-fitting music, cheesy sound effects, and strange dubbing. Personally, I do not watch martial arts movies with the English dubbing, though sometimes it's tempting so you can watch the moves more closely. I did check out Fist of Legend's English dub and the voices were not too bad (as far as that goes). Actually, I'm not sure what language this movie was originally shot in because the soundtrack in Mandarin and Cantonese does not match the lips of the actors any better that the English version! Strange!
In terms of fights, you will get your money's worth. You get not one, but two scenes of Jet Li taking on a crowd of adversaries. Add to that a fight between Li and co-star Chin Siu Ho (Tai Chi Master). By the way, Ho also gets some great action scenes of his own, which is great. There's a fight between Li and a Japanese master, as well as the final showdown with the Japanese villain. The plot is amusing enough to hold your attention until the next fight scene, and none of the fight scenes are overlong. Warts and all, Fist of Legend is pretty perfect.
Another thing I like about this movie is that - even though it was filmed more than a decade before Fearless - it is actually a kind of sequel to that film. Li's character Chen Zhen returns to China to uncover the conspiracy behind the death of Huo Yuanjia, the master Li played in Fearless. Of course, the movies were not planned to fit together so there are plenty of things that don't gyve. Ho plays Huo Yuanjia's son, which will throw people who watched Fearless as in that movie Huo Yuanjia only had a daughter. Also the name of the Japanese martial artist who challenged Huo Yuanjia is different in this movie and his fighting skills are in question.
But these are minor quibbles (and are actually part of the endearing charm of this rough gem). Fist of Legend would be my pick for best martial arts movie of all time, and I recommend it as a starting point for people who want to see a real representation of the genre as Li and Ho are in top form!
Movie Review: Jet Li's finest hour
Summary: 5 Stars
FIST OF LEGEND is not a mere remake of the Bruce Lee film FIST OF FURY (called THE CHINESE CONNECTION in the U.S.) I don't think there was one Bruce Lee movie I didn't like, but FIST OF LEGEND is not, in my opinion, a straight remake of Bruce's film.
And in truth, FIST OF LEGEND doesn't have much to do with FIST OF FURY, other than than the basic plot (a martial artist avenging his master's murder) and the Chinese vs Japanese element, so no, I don't consider this a remake of FIST OF FURY. In fact, I'd classify it more as an Asian martial arts version of ROMEO AND JULIET (two people from warring factions fall in love, with the Romeo seeking revenge for the death of a loved one.) But even if you do consider this a remake, you'll probably agree that FIST OF LEGEND is the better film.
The movie begins in 1937, during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. Chen Zhen (Jet Li) is attending college in Japan when he learns that his master, or as Chinese call them, Sifu, was killed in a match with the Sensei of Shanghai's Japanese school. Though Chen Zhen does not hate the Japanese (his girlfriend Mitsuko, played by the lovely Nakayama Shinobu, is Japanese), he returns to Shanghai, and challenges the Sensei who beat his Sifu to a match. Chen Zhen easily wins, and therefore deduces that since he won, his Sifu should have as well. Chen Zhen has an autopsy performed which reveals that shortly before the match, his Sifu was poisoned.
The poisoning is the work of the evil Japanese Genral Fujita, who wants to lead Japan into conquering China. Fujita had the Sifu poisoned because he was the leader of a Chinese resistance movement against the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. Now Chen Zhen is out for one thing: revenge.
Yes, vengence is a typical, almost traditional element of kung fu movies, but FIST OF LEGEND also focuses on the romance between Chen Zhen and Mitsuko, such as the disapproval of Chen Zhen's fellow Chinese towards him romancing a Japanese. When she arrives in Shanghai, she is immediately cast out as being an evil, almost less than human, person simply for her nationality. But Chean Zhen comes to her defense.The message appears to be racial tolerance must always prevail, even in times where one race mistreats another.
But martial arts action is still what audiences are looking for here, and those not wanting wire-fu will be pleased. Two drawn-out confrontations stand out in this film. One is a match between Chen Zhen and Funokoshi Fumio, Mitsuko's uncle. The other is the final battle between Chen Zhen and Fujita, in which you can almost literally feel it as both men punch and kick the hell out of each other.
So the next time your in the mood for a real action-packed kung fu film, FIST OF LEGEND should come to mind.
Movie Review: Could very well be the best martial arts movie ever
Summary: 5 Stars
When you take a look at Jet Li's career, there might be a big debate about which is his best performance, or which one of his movies has the best plot, or the best cinematography. But when it comes to action, there is only one film in his career that maximized his potential, and that is this movie...the classic...Fist of Legend.
This movie is unquestionably Yuen Woo-Ping's best work, and one of the greatest, if not, the greatest martial arts movie ever. Unlike other films where wirework is predominate, Gordan Chan literally lowered the ceilings and kept this film grounded throughout. The result is a kinetic picture, a tapestry woven by hardcore punching, kicking, grappling, and weapons combat. Three of the one on one fights could be placed in the best all time fight sequences anywhere anytime. Even so, the best fight scene in the movie might be when Jet Li walks into the Japanese school and destroyed everyone.
The truth is, if you never seen this movie, you are not a real martial arts fan. It is cliche, but it is one that rings true.