T. Rigney (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} filmfiend) wrote,@ 2006-08-08 16:34:00 |
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Fist Of Legend
Belt vs. sword. Who will win?!
---
On a semi-popular message board I've been known to haunt more than the FDA recommends, I proudly declared that Danny the Dog (aka Unleashed) was, in fact, Jet Li's best film to date. Of course, this was before I'd properly investigated the wushu wizard's superior Hong Kong output. In other words, I had NO idea what I was talking about. All apologies. Not being one to shy away from admitting my mistakes, I'll readily admit that I was a little premature in my bold declaration, given that I'd only seen a handful of the man's movies at the time. I'm currently in the possession of several Jet Li films, including Gordan Chan's kung fu classic Fist of Legend, a remake of the Bruce Lee opus The Chinese Connection. Now, after ingesting all of this martial arts madness, I think I'm more qualified to say that this particular film is Jet Li's best production to date. While both Danny the Dog and Fearless are quality kung fu flicks, Fist of Legend displays Li at his finest, in terms of physical ability AND emotional impact. Though some may claim that Hero is Li's best effort, I beg to differ. STRONGLY. Fist of Legend is both realistic and brutal, something that's sorely missing in modern kung fu cinema these days. Hopefully things will change with SPL (aka Kill Zone), a film that may rescue Hong Kong cinema from complete and utter absurdity.
But, I digress.
Fist of Legend tells the tale of Chinese folk hero Chen Zhen, a skilled kung fu student who moves to Japan in order to study engineering. Upon hearing of the death of his master, Chen immediately postpones his college career to investigate this matter personally. After arriving in the Japanese-occupied city of Shanghai, he learns that his master was killed during a fight with the master of a rival Japanese school, though the circumstances surrounding his death are more than a little unusual. Chen, turning grievance into anger, journeys to the rival school and swiftly cleans the floor with everyone there, including the so-called "master" who defeated his teacher. This, of course, leads Chen to suspect that foul play was afoot and, after an impromptu exhumation of his master's corpse, he learns a disturbing truth: His teacher was, in fact, poisoned before the fight, ultimately crippling his ability to properly defend himself. What's worse is that someone in Chen's school may be to blame for the poisoning. Who betrayed the master? Was it someone close to Chen's teacher, or could it possibly be an evil Japanese general who wants to weaken the Chinese resistance? More importantly, how much booty will Jet Li kick before the end credits roll?
Gordan Chan wisely tosses aside crazy kung fu madness for a more realistic approach; instead of filling his movie with impossible feats of daring do, he's decided to ground each fight in reality, allowing the audience to grimace and groan as the furious action unfolds before their very eyes. Though I love a good absurd action movie, seeing well-choreographed fight sequences that have their feet firmly planted in reality are almost as much fun...if not moreso. What makes Fist of Legend so amazing, however, is the storyline itself. Instead of giving you a straightforward "Who da hell killed my masta?" flick you've seen hundreds of time before, Chan opts for something a bit more substantial. Setting the movie against the backdrop of 1930's China was a smart move, allowing him to explore several important issues rarely found in martial arts cinema. And though this Hong Kong production could have easily vilified the Japanese, the story actually portrays each character as an individual, with their actions and decisions defining their personalities as opposed to their heritage. The engaging plot and interesting characters peppered throughout keep you watching during some of the film's slower moments, though these are few and far between.
Since I did partake in the dubbed Dimension release, I can't really comment on the performances of those starring in the movie itself. I will say, however, that the English overdubbing isn't as jarring as it usually is. Those who can't stand the Weinstein's kung fu hack jobs will probably piss and moan for years about this particular release, but it honestly didn't bother me in the least. Will I eventually pick up a subbed original language version sometime in the future? Maybe. But I don't think I've missed anything by investigating this particular version of the film. I still connected emotionally with the story and its many characters, and I was able to feel for Chen Zhen during the film's more emotional moments. Call me a heretic all you want, but I think I'll stick with this release until something better comes down the Region 1 pipeline. At this moment in time, I'm perfectly satisfied with my purchase.
Suck on that, you kung fu purists!
Anyway, in terms of action, Fist of Legend is in a league all its own. From the opening confrontation between Li and a group of Japanese racists to the brutal final showdown, the film literally stuffed with jaw-dropping, blink-and-you'll-miss-it kung fu wizardry. Of course, it helps matters considerably that the fights are choreographed by none other than Woo-ping Yuen, director of the Jackie Chan classic Drunken Master, among others. He's also the man responsible for the crazy action found in The Matrix, which pretty much re-invented screen fighting within the Hollywood system. Now it seems EVERYONE has to scale walls and spin forty-five times as they sail through the air before delivering a kick to some poor bastard's spine. Wire-fu has its place in action cinema, don't get me wrong, but I do think it's a tad overdone these days. ANYWAY, Woo-ping's use of wires is thankfully kept to bare minimum here, focusing instead on a more organic brand of martial arts. The fights are FIGHTS, meaning the combatants are out to destroy their opponent instead of merely posturing and posing for the camera. Try as I might, there's really no way to accurately describe the fights found in Fist of Legend, so do yourself a favor and check it out post-haste.
As of right now, Fist of Legend is my favorite Jet Li movie. And I know I say this every time Jet Li makes me wet my pants a little, but I seriously doubt he can top the insanity contained on this shiny little disc. Though the Region 1 release IS dubbed and trimmed by just a smidge, don't let your elitist martial arts-obsessed friends talk you out of picking up a copy. Despite the absence of an original language track, Fist of Legend is a true kung fu classic, one that needs to be seen by every self-respecting action fan on the planet. Li is just phenomenal, as is Billy Chow as the sadistic General Fujita. Woo-ping's choreography is utterly amazing, resulting in some of the most captivating fights ever committed to film. If you think I'm a little TOO excited about this picture, do a little investigating on your own. This one may just kick you square in your tight little arse.
Be warned that it might just break your spine in the process.
Belt vs. sword. Who will win?!
---
On a semi-popular message board I've been known to haunt more than the FDA recommends, I proudly declared that Danny the Dog (aka Unleashed) was, in fact, Jet Li's best film to date. Of course, this was before I'd properly investigated the wushu wizard's superior Hong Kong output. In other words, I had NO idea what I was talking about. All apologies. Not being one to shy away from admitting my mistakes, I'll readily admit that I was a little premature in my bold declaration, given that I'd only seen a handful of the man's movies at the time. I'm currently in the possession of several Jet Li films, including Gordan Chan's kung fu classic Fist of Legend, a remake of the Bruce Lee opus The Chinese Connection. Now, after ingesting all of this martial arts madness, I think I'm more qualified to say that this particular film is Jet Li's best production to date. While both Danny the Dog and Fearless are quality kung fu flicks, Fist of Legend displays Li at his finest, in terms of physical ability AND emotional impact. Though some may claim that Hero is Li's best effort, I beg to differ. STRONGLY. Fist of Legend is both realistic and brutal, something that's sorely missing in modern kung fu cinema these days. Hopefully things will change with SPL (aka Kill Zone), a film that may rescue Hong Kong cinema from complete and utter absurdity.
But, I digress.
Fist of Legend tells the tale of Chinese folk hero Chen Zhen, a skilled kung fu student who moves to Japan in order to study engineering. Upon hearing of the death of his master, Chen immediately postpones his college career to investigate this matter personally. After arriving in the Japanese-occupied city of Shanghai, he learns that his master was killed during a fight with the master of a rival Japanese school, though the circumstances surrounding his death are more than a little unusual. Chen, turning grievance into anger, journeys to the rival school and swiftly cleans the floor with everyone there, including the so-called "master" who defeated his teacher. This, of course, leads Chen to suspect that foul play was afoot and, after an impromptu exhumation of his master's corpse, he learns a disturbing truth: His teacher was, in fact, poisoned before the fight, ultimately crippling his ability to properly defend himself. What's worse is that someone in Chen's school may be to blame for the poisoning. Who betrayed the master? Was it someone close to Chen's teacher, or could it possibly be an evil Japanese general who wants to weaken the Chinese resistance? More importantly, how much booty will Jet Li kick before the end credits roll?
Gordan Chan wisely tosses aside crazy kung fu madness for a more realistic approach; instead of filling his movie with impossible feats of daring do, he's decided to ground each fight in reality, allowing the audience to grimace and groan as the furious action unfolds before their very eyes. Though I love a good absurd action movie, seeing well-choreographed fight sequences that have their feet firmly planted in reality are almost as much fun...if not moreso. What makes Fist of Legend so amazing, however, is the storyline itself. Instead of giving you a straightforward "Who da hell killed my masta?" flick you've seen hundreds of time before, Chan opts for something a bit more substantial. Setting the movie against the backdrop of 1930's China was a smart move, allowing him to explore several important issues rarely found in martial arts cinema. And though this Hong Kong production could have easily vilified the Japanese, the story actually portrays each character as an individual, with their actions and decisions defining their personalities as opposed to their heritage. The engaging plot and interesting characters peppered throughout keep you watching during some of the film's slower moments, though these are few and far between.
Since I did partake in the dubbed Dimension release, I can't really comment on the performances of those starring in the movie itself. I will say, however, that the English overdubbing isn't as jarring as it usually is. Those who can't stand the Weinstein's kung fu hack jobs will probably piss and moan for years about this particular release, but it honestly didn't bother me in the least. Will I eventually pick up a subbed original language version sometime in the future? Maybe. But I don't think I've missed anything by investigating this particular version of the film. I still connected emotionally with the story and its many characters, and I was able to feel for Chen Zhen during the film's more emotional moments. Call me a heretic all you want, but I think I'll stick with this release until something better comes down the Region 1 pipeline. At this moment in time, I'm perfectly satisfied with my purchase.
Suck on that, you kung fu purists!
Anyway, in terms of action, Fist of Legend is in a league all its own. From the opening confrontation between Li and a group of Japanese racists to the brutal final showdown, the film literally stuffed with jaw-dropping, blink-and-you'll-miss-it kung fu wizardry. Of course, it helps matters considerably that the fights are choreographed by none other than Woo-ping Yuen, director of the Jackie Chan classic Drunken Master, among others. He's also the man responsible for the crazy action found in The Matrix, which pretty much re-invented screen fighting within the Hollywood system. Now it seems EVERYONE has to scale walls and spin forty-five times as they sail through the air before delivering a kick to some poor bastard's spine. Wire-fu has its place in action cinema, don't get me wrong, but I do think it's a tad overdone these days. ANYWAY, Woo-ping's use of wires is thankfully kept to bare minimum here, focusing instead on a more organic brand of martial arts. The fights are FIGHTS, meaning the combatants are out to destroy their opponent instead of merely posturing and posing for the camera. Try as I might, there's really no way to accurately describe the fights found in Fist of Legend, so do yourself a favor and check it out post-haste.
As of right now, Fist of Legend is my favorite Jet Li movie. And I know I say this every time Jet Li makes me wet my pants a little, but I seriously doubt he can top the insanity contained on this shiny little disc. Though the Region 1 release IS dubbed and trimmed by just a smidge, don't let your elitist martial arts-obsessed friends talk you out of picking up a copy. Despite the absence of an original language track, Fist of Legend is a true kung fu classic, one that needs to be seen by every self-respecting action fan on the planet. Li is just phenomenal, as is Billy Chow as the sadistic General Fujita. Woo-ping's choreography is utterly amazing, resulting in some of the most captivating fights ever committed to film. If you think I'm a little TOO excited about this picture, do a little investigating on your own. This one may just kick you square in your tight little arse.
Be warned that it might just break your spine in the process.
