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精武英雄 (1994)
Fist of Legend


Reviewed by: Hyomil
Date: 04/07/2011


Reviewer Score: 4

Reviewed by: STSH
Date: 10/30/2010


Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: cal42
Date: 12/15/2008
Summary: Fun

Chen Zhen (Jet Li), student of the Jin Woo school, hears that his master Huo Yuan-Jia has been killed in a challenge match. Leaving his studies in Japan, he heads back to Shanghai to investigate the circumstances behind his master’s death. Suspecting foul play, Chen Zhen’s suspicions fall on a Japanese rival school and their brutish students. However, there’s also the matter of the Japanese military’s Chief Officer Fujita (Billy Chow), who also gets involved.

Directed by Gordon Chan (who would go on to direct the less than stellar THUNDERBOLT) and a remake of Bruce Lee’s FIST OF FURY, it is quite a surprise how well Fist of Legend turned out. By no means the only remake of what many fans consider to be Lee’s best film, FIST OF LEGEND is probably the best as there is no attempt made to emulate Lee and can be viewed with no prior knowledge of the original.

Made in 1994, in more “enlightened” times, the first thing that hits the viewer is the more balanced view of the Japanese/Chinese conflict of the late 30s (incidentally, the real Huo Yuen-Jia had been dead several years by the time this war broke out). Indeed it may go too far in this regard, as by all accounts the Japanese really DID ravage China and its inhabitants during this period. But historical inaccuracies aside, the portrayal of both sides as being flawed (the Chinese are occasionally shown to be ignorant and stupid – a far cry from the jingoistic tone of the original) does make for a more palatable experience.

The only truly black and white character is Fujita, a mad Officer for the Japanese military played by bad guy par excellence Billy Chow. In another example of the film’s tightrope walking, though, he’s often just as psychotic to the Japanese as he is to the Chinese. Chin Siu-Ho is Huo Ting-An, Chen Zhen’s brother and fellow martial artist, who provides the film’s subplot involving the leadership of the Jin Woo school and the uncertainties that follow when an established order falls. Also of note is the inclusion of Hong Kong’s favourite Japanese martial artist, Kurata Yasuaki, who of course also featured in LEGEND OF A FIGHTER, another take on the FIST OF FURY story. As ever, he improves the film just by being in it, but also provides one of the more memorable fight scenes in an honour match with Chen Zhen where both combatants end up fighting blindfolded.

FIST OF LEGEND is a very enjoyable film that never tries to be deeper than it is. It’s also quite well put together, and has a reasonably high budget to it. Like DRUNKEN MASTER 2, this is also a film that seems to have a reputation that has, in my opinion, been blown out of proportion a little. But the fights are good, the story is more compelling than a lot of similar fare, and doesn’t require any great effort of concentration to keep up with. It’s a fun, action packed entry in the filmography of Jet Li and definitely one of his better ones.

One final word: I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this, but I just love the really squeamish western doctor that gets roped into performing an autopsy on Huo. Maybe his doctorate is in something other than medicine, because he all but shouts: “Eww! Icky!” at every stage of the process and provided some comic relief – for me if no one else!

Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: Chungking_Cash
Date: 11/22/2008

Made with love but debatable care Gordon Chan's "Fist of Legend" is an amiable reworking of Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury" (1972). As jingoistic as the original was few scoffed at Lee's trademark bull-in-a-China-shop approach to dealing with belligerent Japanese foreign policy to the point the film remains a favorite among contemporary Hong Kong audiences and industry personnel alike.

Frequently illuminated by Western audiences as Bruce Lee's defacto successor, at the film's behest, a far more grounded Jet Li stars as Chen Zhen a [fictious] Chinese student studying abroad who is called home to Japanese occupied Shanghai, circa 1931, following the untimely demise of his master (Huo Yuanjia, the real-life founder of Jing Wu Men, whose death at age 42 remains shrouded in mystery).

Li, like Lee, had a celebrated martial arts history on the peripherals of movie making and wisely eschews emulating the late icon's distinguished style and oft-parodied mannerisms bringing to the role his own furnished technique but none of the raw emotion that made "Fist of Fury" impossible to turn your back on.

Here, director Gordon Chan assumes that not all Second World War era Japanese were right wing military fascists and that many Chinese were just as racist as their overseers -- fine -- but he does it at the audience's expense as "Fist of Legend" turns into a fourteen car pileup whenever the action stops.

Yuen Wo-ping, in what was supposed to be a (welcomed) return to natural choreography in order to synchronize the film with the 1972 original, subtracts most of the wires from his usual shtick but cannot resist occasionally under-cranking some of the combat sequences to the point of near craziness.

Largely comprised of a supporting cast who are more comfortable on the small screen "Fist of Legend" is better suited for the aforementioned medium though it is often considered Jet Li's magnum opus outside of the Asian market where it failed to generate a following.

Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: MrBooth
Date: 08/30/2005
Summary: Jet's finest work, and one of the best MA films

FIST OF LEGEND is rightly regarded as a classic by almost everyone, and should be one of the most widely seen martial arts films - except that it has unfortunately been treated miserably on DVD everywhere except France. Most heinously, it is only available dubbed into English in the US and UK - no better way to ruin a film. Additionally the film has never had a decent DVD quality release in its homeland. Popularity can be a curse, sometimes - well, when it means that mainstream US companies start buying the rights to you at least.

I probably don't need to mention that FIST OF LEGEND is a remake of Bruce Lee's FIST OF FURY, with the story tweaked to give a more balanced view of Chinese and Japanese cultures (FoF was rather monochromatic). Jet Li's Chen Zhen is a much calmer fellow than Bruce Lee's ball of animalistic rage, and he even has a Japanese girlfriend. The changes to the story do definitely improve it, at least for a more modern audience for whom blatant nationalism is a bit unseemly. Characterisation is generally better in the film, and the narrative is well thought out and presented... in fact it's one of the best scripts ever to grace a martial arts film, I would say. Credit to Gordon Chan.

As if having a superlative script (and great cinematography and soundtrack) weren't enough, FIST OF LEGEND also features some of the best fight scenes of the 90's, and is widely regarded as Jet Li's finest hour. Jet's films had tended to become more and more wire enhanced and ridiculous as time progressed, after his involvement with ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA and SWORDSMAN 2, which is in some ways a shame since he was one of the people who least needed wires to do spectacular things with his body at the time. Fist Of Legend mostly forgoes wires (at least their overt use for defying gravity) and shows something of a return to the grounded, gritty martial arts of the 1970's - the kind of fight scenes Bruce Lee wanted to promote, in other words. The fights are still filmed with fairly modern sensibilities though, including some dramatic camera angles and fairly rapid editing to include reaction shots etc (rather than just letting the camera sit back and watch the actors doing their job). They're also undercranked quite a lot, as is Yuen Wo Ping's wont... I wish he'd restrained himself a little bit more on this film though, as the extra speed does lessen the feeling of weight & power at times (especially with the extra 4% speedup you get if you're watching the film on a PAL release like me). Jet Li is certainly fast enough by himself not to need any extra help from the camera!

Whilst everyone talks of FIST OF LEGEND as Jet Li's finest hour, I should perhaps mention that it's also about the best role Chin Siu Ho ever had. At times he's more impressive than Jet with his flexibility and speed, though he doesn't have the same power that Jet does. He gets some great fight scenes in this film though, and it's notable that he doesn't rely on stunt doubles for taking impacts and falls like Jet does ;)

Also worth mentioning is Yasuaki Kurata, who has been awesome on many occasions but may have reached his most awesome in this film too. His role is little more than a cameo, but his fight with Jet is one of the best fights put on film - the way the fight develops the characters in particular. He is doubled quite a lot in the fight, but he was getting on a bit at the time so I think we can forgive him. One thing that shouldn't be forgiven (though not Yasuaki's fault I presume) was the decision to dub *some* of his dialogue into Cantonese, using a voice actor who sounds absolutely nothing like his Japanese voice (which I think is his real voice). Why?

Last but not least, FIST OF LEGEND is definitely one of Billy Chow's best roles too!

It's hard to say whether the fact that so many people did their best work in this film is the cause or effect of its greatness. Was it just a fortunate coincidence that they all reached a peak at this point in their careers, or was it the strength of the script & director that brought out the best in them?

Whatever the reasons it came out so well, FIST OF LEGEND is definitely one of the essential Hong Kong films that everyone should see if they have even a passing interest in martial arts. Now, who's going to rise to that and provide us with a decent DVD release for English speakers? (that means original language & soundtrack, no added sound effects, anamorphic video restored & remastered to the best standards and well translated subtitles!). Anyone?

Reviewer Score: 10

Reviewed by: Arshadnm6
Date: 04/18/2005
Summary: The film that made Jet Li a Legend.....

This popular remake of Bruce Lee's classic Fist of Fury casts Jet Li in the shadow of Bruce. While studying in Japan, Chen Zhen (played by Jet Li from ‘My Father is a Hero’, ‘Hitman’ and ‘High Risk’) receives news that his old martial arts teacher, Master Ho has suddenly passed away following the lose of a martial arts contest against a rival Japanese marital arts school. Chen Zhen instantly returns to China and discovers that master Ho died whilst fighting a Japanese soldier (played by Lau Hok-Yin from ‘First Strike’). Chen Zhen finds it difficult to believe that master Ho would lose to such an amateur-ranked fighter (played by Jackson Lau from ‘China Strike Force’ and ‘Police Story 4: First Strike’), so he challenges the Japanese soldier himself only to easily defeat him and his students and therefore, orders an autopsy to discover the true reason behind his master’s. On discovering that master Ho was poisoned, Chen Zhen seeks the truth and tries to piece together the clues left behind. Meanwhile, since the Japanese are trying to exert their influence over the whole of China, Chen Zhen plots vengeance by fighting several Japanese martial artists. Finally, a senior general’s (Billy Chow from ‘Eastern Condors’ ‘High Risk’ and ‘Dr. Wai in ‘The Scripture with no Words’) intentions become clear behind the death of Master Ho and Chen Zhen is constantly at odds against pursuing a Japanese love-interest, allaying uncertainties by master Ho’s son (played by Chin Siu-Ho from ‘Mr. Vampire’, ‘The Tai Chi Master’ and ‘Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars’) of his inheritance over the Chinese martial arts school, facing martial arts challenges and uncovering the whole truth. A veteran Japanese martial arts master (played by Yasuaki Kurata from ‘So Close’, ‘The millionaire’s Express’ and ‘Conman in Tokyo’) also appears throughout the movie as Chen Zhen’s love-interest’s uncle along with a hesitant senior police officer (played by Yuen Cheug-Yan from ‘Iron Monkey’, ‘The Tai Chi Master’ and ‘Last Hero in China’).

The action is hard-hitting, realistic and a breath of fresh air with respect to other fast-forwarded and wire-worked fight scenes in all other martial arts movies. The movie does carry some twists and deals with the issues of responsibility, family honour, respect, tradition and so on. It seems to be very high-budget and intentionally carries the claustrophobic feel of bustling and crowded town areas. Moreover, the storyline is very straight-forward but carries several sub-plots and the acting is top-notch since all of the characters seem to grow from their experiences throughout the movie (especially Chen Zhen). The fight scenes originally utilise strategy and different types of fighters which is clearly visible from the adaptive techniques used and portrayed by action choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping. However, there is one flaw in this movie since all of the female actors are demoted to inferior roles as petit, cute and well cultured and mannered damsels, most of the time (as done in ‘Project A part I and II’ and ‘Lady Rose and Mr. Canton’). This may be a little sexist and opinionated considered that most of the male actors are martial arts practitioners and somewhat brutish and hormone-driven. A possible explanation for this could be director Gordon Chan’s view of females, as repeated in other movies like ‘2000A.D.’.

This movie improves on the classic ‘Fist of Fury’ and injects more life into it as well as developing many other aspects of the predecessor. The emotions felt by the characters and complex situations encountered are wonderfully captured. Also, this movie was mainly introduced worldwide by director Quentin Tarantino (directed ‘Pulp Fiction’, ‘Jackie Brown’ and ‘Kill Bill Volume I and II’) and has been the envy of all other martial arts movie-makers. This movie must have been responsible for pushing action star Jet Li and fight choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping to international stardom.

Overall, this movie uses new techniques (in action and acting) which pay-off quite well. It also shows that a lot of thought and effort was invested into making this movie. In my view it is the best martial arts movie to-date.

Overall Rating: 8.3/10

Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: zarrsadus
Date: 12/12/2003
Summary: Still Good

I first saw Fist of Legend about 3 years ago and last night I finally got around to re-watching it. After seeing the countless recent American Jet Li movies (not counting recent Chinese movies like Hero), his older movies are still his best. The fight scenes are well crafted and make you really appreciate Jet as a martial artist. The story was decent, nothing out of the ordinary with a typical revenge plot for a martial arts movie.
While not epic in scale, this movie nonetheless is a great watch for anyone interested in seeing Jet Li's earlier days as a true martial artist. 7/10

Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: SteelwireMantis
Date: 08/23/2003
Summary: Sheer, entertaining Kung-Fu flick

Jet Li reprises the role of Chen Zen in Gordon Chan's remake of 'Fist of Fury' and pays tribute to Bruce Lee.

While studying in Japan, Chen Zen (Li) recieves news that his master Ho Yuan Ja was killed in a Kung-Fu match. Not believing it, he returns to his school Jing Wu Mun in Shanghai to solve the true reason leading to his master's death. After defeating the Japanese martial artist Akutagawa (Jackson Lau) in an epic fight scene, the Japenese General (Billy Chow) kills Akutagawa and frames Chen Zen. His only non-Chinese witness allowed to testify for him in court is a Japanese girl, which leads to threaten his relationship with Jing Wu Mun. After he is forced to leave the school, he faces unlimited challenges that come his way and must face the General in a final showdown.

Well, to be honest, this is the best Kung-fu film made by Jet Li (yet his best acheivement was OUATIC). Although there are a few scenes that involve Jet Li using wires, most of the time we get to see pure hand-to-hand Kung-Fu. The plot was quite dragging but the fights are well-polished by Yuen Woo-Ping, yet this was the film that convinced the Wachowski Brothers to hire him for 'The Matrix'. Like I was saying that even though the plot was quite thin, it provides a good background for fight scenes to be staged and the excellent fights make up for the plot holes. All in all, this is a good remake of the 1971 original, the fights are as enjoyable (even though there is no nunchaku use in this film) but Jet Li makes it up by using a buckled belt in the finale against Billy Chow.

In a nutshell, it delivers one thing: entertainment and great fights, definitely a milestone achievement for Kung-Fu cinema and Jet Li's career. This is personally my all-time favourite kung-fu movie, unmissable.

*****/*****

Reviewer Score: 10

Reviewed by: balstino
Date: 05/02/2003
Summary: Great fights, OK film.

The fights are very accomplished, and the japanese girl is very cute, having good chemistry with Jet Li. I liked it, but as a film it is nothing special.


Reviewed by: Mikestar*
Date: 11/15/2002
Summary: 'Fist of Legend' pulls no punches

Undoubtedly one of Jet Li's best performances this film is polished, entertaining and highly watchable.

The overall product itself represents the best that Hong Kong has to offer, including action choreography (the infamous Yuen brothers), script (a loose re-make of Bruce Lee's "Fists of Fury"), meditative direction (a nice suprise from Gordan Chan who has a tednancy to produce uneven films) and assured performances (especially from the supporting roles of Chin Siu-ho and Yasuaki Kurata).

Not suprisingly (and largely due to two impressive and extended fight sequences) this film had become somewhat of a cult classic amongst martial arts devotees. The choreography of the fights themselves (including wire-work, shots and sets) are deftly combined, producing kinetic and jolt-like responses.

The action is backed up by a contemplative plot, one which charts complex issues of nationhood, identity and loyalty. Through re-invisioning a Bruce Lee classic, Chan imbues his film with modern references and issues, negoitiating Hong Kong's immediate future in the period leading up to 1997.

Unlike the uncertain conclusion of 'Fist of Fury', the climax of this film is significantly tempered and mediated. Jet Li's character survives through stealth and mystery, suggesting the perseverance and restoration of localized identity regardless of an uncertain future.

The film in general is smoothly constructed, maximising a number of different elements (action, direction, narrative) to create a impressive and well-rounded product.


Reviewed by: Tai-pan
Date: 07/31/2002
Summary: Brilliant !!

I am amazed at some of the average reviews this Jet Li classic has recieved on this website. Please tell me some movies that are better than this one... because I haven't seen them. And I've seen a few.

When I watch a martial arts movie I am not looking for an Oscar quality, Best Picture movie. I am looking for brilliant martial arts action with a watchable plot.

This movie is certainly brilliant by my standards.

The story is good, the acting is decent and the action is absolutely outstanding. Hong Kong has not made many movies that are comparable to this. I really enjoyed Iron Monkey, but this is better. I have only seen 200+ martial arts movies, but for my money, other than Bruce Lee and one or two exceptions, this is the best martial arts movie I've seen.

10/10

Reviewer Score: 10

Reviewed by: Dyogenez
Date: 05/11/2002
Summary: Default action

I'm glad this was one of the first HK movies I was able to see. It set the stage for action, with a storyline that crosses action, love and drama. The fight scenes are well drawn out, and very memorable. 8/10.

Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: pjshimmer
Date: 01/13/2002

Really good movie with extraordinary actors displaying (slow, but-) extraordinary kung fu action, which still falls short to that of DM 2. The setting takes place in the 1920s, so that justifies the old-school-like kung fu.

There are mainly two very well-known stories of martial arts heroes who are also extreme nationalists. One is Wong Fei Hung, also played by Jet Li in OUATIC, the other being the story of master Fok Yuen Ka (Huo Yuen Jia) and his best disciple Chen Zhen, whom Jet Li portrays in this movie. I think there's a good balance of emotions towards the Japanese here. You can have hatred and respect for them almost at the same time. Although it irritates me to see another intense Japanese talk about the "sleeping giant" (referring to China).

There are plenty of reasons to watch this movie. Good action, pretty good story, ass kicking, jaw dropping action, the intensity of which you can actually feel. However, be warned of 2 major drawbacks. First and foremost is the horrible soundtrack. I wish they would just turn it OFF during the movie!! Secondly, the ending is a bit chessy. They obviously wanted Chen Zhen preserved and could only come up with some lame excuse in accomplishing so. Not one of Jet Li's best (action-wise, yes, but not overall); he seems a bit stiff in his acting.

[8/10]

Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: Inner Strength
Date: 01/12/2002
Summary: Pretty good

One of the MANY remakes of Fist Of Fury, the same story, but makes it slightly more interesting, probably because the master Gordon Chan directed it! Yuen Wo Ping produced it, but nothing special for him.

Jet Li is quite good in this, and probably in my eyes the best he ever did, but STILL used wires in a few scenes!

Don't think this is a rip off of Fist Of Fury, they never said it was something new, so don't feel that you will get ripped off for watching it.

A special edition DVD is currently being worked on with tons of special features on one of the best UK distributors, so watch out for that in late 2002 hopefully! The same group who remastered Police Story, Drunken Master etc.

Rating (out of 5): 3.5

(This rating is based on the year & genre, so don't think it's based as a comparison on new releases etc.)

Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Magical Rice
Date: 07/29/2001
Summary: Great starting point for newbies...

Although this movie may spoil you a bit, it is a FANTASTIC film.

Don't pay any attention to the fucking fuckers who posted the only negative comment below - this is, at the very least, worthy of a rental.

The story is impressively tight and the fight scenes are memorable (as well as some characters).

Whatever wirework they used for this film, it is undetectable since the kicks and throws are so fast and furious.

I have seen a total of maybe ten MA films since I'm just getting in to sitting down and really "watching" them at age 28 - this is by far one of my favorites up to this point and makes me want to go out and rent more Jet Li movies.

Note that one of the fight choreographers for this movie (Yuen Wo Ping) is the same guy that choreographed The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

I rate this movie an honorable 9 out of 10.

Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: Kncklz2000
Date: 06/27/2001
Summary: A must see

DAMN.....I just watched it, and I realized how good it was. If you want to know the story and plot, then watch Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury"- it's basically the same thing.

What makes this movie stand out from Bruce's is the fighting. I was really impressed with Ping. Yeah, there was a bit of wiring involved, but it didn't hurt the movie in any way.

The fights weren't your typical Yuen Ping stuff- old fashioned blocks with built in speed- but more of a boxing, kickboxing style. The camera work was superb, with a few set backs.

One thing that kind of dissapointed me was Chin Siu Ho. His fighting didn't seem to be that great. I thought he was a much better looking fighter then they made him appear to be.

Anyways, on to the fights.

The first fight takes place in Japan. Jet is a student and the Japanese come in and tell him to leave the class. He refuses and then the Japs decide to teach him a lesson. The is basically one where Jet cracks and pops out the Japs' bones.

He is notified that his teacher has been killed and returns to China. Soon after, there is a fight between Chin Siu Ho and someone else (don't know the name). It's pretty short, and not too impressive. Just some decent looking stuff.

Jet decides to visit a local Japanese martial arts school. The Japs tell him to get out, but he refuses. So now there's a 50 on one fight. This was really impressive. Really great choreography and camera work.
The teacher is brought into the dojo, and he faces off with Jet. This fight was basically Jet kicking the guy in the leg and throing him around a couple of times- but it looked good.

Bla bla bla....the Japs come to the Chinese school where Jet is supposed to be and tey want him. Chin Siu Ho tells them that jet isn't there so then there's a big fight. A lot of weaponry here. Not too great, but worth watching.

Bla bla bla. Jet fights Chin for the school and it's position. During the fight, Jet holds back because he doesn't want to hurt the other guy. But he sees that there is no point in it and just beats the crap out of Chin. Some nice boxing-style choreography here, and some amazing kick combinations.

Bla bla bla. Jet has to fight his little Japanese girlfriends' uncle. Really worth watching. Great stuff. Both of the fighters are equal, and it ends with Yusuaki giving up because he knows that there is no point in going on.

Bla bla bla. Last fight. Chin tries tp beat down Billy Chow, but can't. He gets hit pretty hard, so Jet comes in to save the day. The fight lasts about 7 to 10 minutes. I don't think I blinked once. What sucks though is that Billy seemed kind of slow with his kicks- probably because you have Jet, who's hella fast, which makes Billy look slow.

So yeah, great stuff. If you don't watch it, or you don't like it, then there's something wrong with you. It's one of the best Jet movies out there.


Reviewed by: xiaoka
Date: 06/22/2001
Summary: One of Jet's Best. Matches Bruce's version

As a retelling of the story of Chen Zhen, originally put on the big screen by Bruce Lee in Fists of Fury, Jet has some big shoes to fill, but he does it very well. This movie is a lot different then Fists of Fury, completely different feel and scope - which is a testament to how much HK cinema improved between the late 60s and mid 90s, but I digress.

The action is good, the story is well done, the acting is great - Jet is badass, the bad guys are badass. The score is a little overpowering, its one of those movies where you will NOT ever forget the theme music for the rest of your life. ;)

This movie compares well to a lot of Jet's other films, some of his earlier period pieces (WFHs and FSYs) and is better than most of his 'contemporary' ones too. I can't say that Jet has done very much I haven't liked, but this one is much more solid than some of this other ones (almost no wires, no flying around, no swinging kids around on ropes, that kind of stuff)


One word of warning - from what I understand the english dubbed version does not do the film justice, the music is different, the voices are bad. IF at all possible, stick to the original subtitled versions.



Reviewed by: RLM
Date: 05/07/2001
Summary: Average Jet Li Film

Great in some places slow in others but overall enjoyable. Worth the time to watch Li at work demolishing martial arts students and their teacher at a Japanese Dojo and the evil Japanese general at the end of the film. I enjoyed the fight between Li and the Japanese master where they both wore blindfolds. My wife enjoyed the relationship between Li and his Japanese wife. The ending seems to be written for a possible sequel so it leaves you hanging. 7/10

Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: rolandyu
Date: 04/21/2001
Summary: Good one

I think this movie is enjoyable. I spent S$ 7.00 to buy this movie, eventhough I have watched it sooooo many times.

I specially liked the Japs vs Chinese athmosphere in the movie and how gentlemen they act in most scenes. I also enjoy Jet's face expressions in every scenes.

3/5

Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy
Date: 08/04/2000
Summary: PRetty good!!

I totally agree with
Jfierro
on this one!! Just like Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury", there isn't much of a plot!! When it ended, i felt cheated somehow!! Good action scenes but not as good as his other work.

7.25/10

Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: resdog781
Date: 07/31/2000
Summary: *THE* Best Jet Li Film

HANDS DOWN, the best Jet Li movie ever. In this homage/remake of Bruce Lee's "Fists Of Fury", Jet Li plays Chen Zhen, a Chinese soldier in WW2-era China, who gets some flack for marrying a Japanese girl. He returns to his martial arts school after word of his master's murder by the rival Japanese martial arts school. Naturally, Chen Zhen has to face off against the Japanese to protect the honor of his deceased master, and his entire school as well. Some AMAZING wire-fu work courtesy of the man who *really* directed "The Matrix", Yuen Woo-Ping. A good intense and stoic performace by Jet Li, as usual, as well as the evil Japanese General Atakagawa (sp?) who was the mastermind behind his master's murder. And the last fight sequence between Chen Zhen and the General is amazing. Gotta love those bicycle kicks. Bravo. Unfortunately, I can't find one damn DVD copy of the film that *isn't* the horrible U.S. dubbed version. Poo.


Reviewed by: David Harris
Date: 06/09/2000

Review courtesy of Jet Li UK - The Official Jet Li UK Fan Club (www.jet-fans.co.uk)

It is for me to review what is along with "Once Upon A Time In China" quite possibly Jet's most admired film so I'd better choose my words carefully. Anyone familiar with Bruce Lee's classic "Fist Of Fury" will be able to follow this film with no problems and if you're not familiar with it put this book down right now and go and hang your head in shame !

Written & Directed by Gordon Chan this features some of the best fight scenes you're likely to see this side of a Bruce Lee film. The first scene itself (set inside a school room) where some Japanese "warriors" attempt to get Chen Zhen (Jet Li) thrown out for being Chinese is a true classic and contains some of the most bone crunching moves I think I've ever seen.

Someone gets their leg bent back on itself and someone else has his jaw dislocated at Chen Zhen's powerful hand and the rest of them are laying damaged on the classroom floor moaning and groaning too. Their master inspects them and says to them that they should be thankful for him not causing them greater damage - what a start to the film !

I don't think that Jet has been any cooler or more intense in any role (apart from maybe "Once.....") than he is here. Villany is provided by Billy Chow as the dastardly Japanese general Fujita.

Upon returning to China after his masters death Chen Zhen goes after the Japanese guy responsible (Jackson Lou) and delivers a brutal payback that leaves him a broken shell of a man. His masters death it transpires was murder (watch for the white doctor who proclaims in a daft voice "I'm a doctor not a pathologist !").

Now you don't need two guesses to figure out who was behind it.....yes that's right it was General Fujita. As you can no doubt tell from my descriptions the fighting in this film is top of the range (there is the occasional use of wires) but for me the dramatic aspects of the film aren't quite equal so there is a kind of out-of-sync feel to the film as a whole but if it's just fighting action you're after then this is the film for you.

The inevitable showdown between Chen Zhen & Fujita does not disappoint as they throw move after brutal move at each other. Fujita pulls out a sword to gain an advantage and the response is him pulling off his belt and using it as a whip !

The finish comes when Chen Zhen wraps the belt around Fujita's throat and pulls it quickly and with force. The final scenes are different to the Bruce Lee's film as in this Chen Zhen manages to escape by having a corpse stand in for him on a stretcher !

Director Gordon Chan is for my money better suited to the modern day / heroic bloodshed genres (see "Beast Cops") but you can't deny the impact that this film has made.


Reviewed by: Fhrx
Date: 03/28/2000
Summary: Arguably Jet Li's best yet...

One of the best Jet Li Lian Jie movies, Fist of Legend is loosely based on the 1972 Bruce Lee classic Fists of Fury.

Li stars as Chen Zhen, a student of Ching Woo school who is off studying in Japan. When his old teacher and mentor is defeated and killed fighting the Japanese Master Funakoshi near his old school in Shanghai where he grew up, he returns to Ching Woo to investigate, and after discovering what really happened, he vows to take his revenge for his master.

Put simply, the action throughout the movie is quite simply superb, with well staged and well filmed fight sequences dotting the movie. One of the duals between Li and his girlfriends uncle is a master piece.

As with all the movies physical work, Li displays why he was China’s national champion in Wu-shu. His grace as he performs his techniques is brilliant. This movie comes highly recommended to anyone looking for great fight scenes as they plentiful and are all magnificent.

One particularly memorable piece of action is when Li uses his belt like a Kung-Fu steel whip chain to defeat a foe. Staves and swords are also used in a few of the big fights with great skill.

To top it off, Chen Zhen’s girlfriend is beautiful, the overall quality of the film is top notch, the sets are all very well done and even the dubbing on the English track is quite well done as well, even if some of the voices sound a bit strange.

Overall, I give Fist of legend 9 / 10

Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: SUPERCOP
Date: 12/27/1999
Summary: Another entertaining Yuen Wo-ping vehicle.....

This remake of Bruce Lee's classic Fist of Fury features the fast paced action direction of Yuen Woo-ping and the talents of Mainland martial artist, Jet Li. Li stars as Bruce's character, Chen Zhen, the vengeful student out to gain revenge on his sifu's death. Although Gordon Chan Kar-seung is credited as director, he was not on the set during a fraction of the picture. This is where Yuen Woo-ping takes over, delivering his blend of excellent choreography and methodical pacing, which is unfortunately overtaken by extreme, cartoonish undercraking. Despite this, the fights will likely satisfy even the most jaded kung fu fan, and the film overall will surely please most Bruce Lee fans.


Reviewed by: jfierro
Date: 12/21/1999

Jet Li's tribute to Bruce Lee's "Fists of Fury", and the classic kung fu movies of the 70's, complete with epic theme music and widescreen fight scenes. Jet Li looks great and fights great; he really seems to love this role. The plot and characterization are actually superior to the original movie, with much less Japanese bashing. Very good entertainment, but still leaves you feeling a bit empty afterwards.


Reviewed by: hkcinema
Date: 12/21/1999

A great kick-ass kung-fu flick... a reworking of the Buce Lee classic The Chinese Connection is better plot wise but Jet Li is no match for Bruce Lee... all around very good with some great fight scenes...

(8/10)

[Reviewed by Andrej Blazeka]


Reviewed by: Rindge
Date: 12/09/1999

I was absolutely floored by how good this movie was. In my opinion this movie was much better than the original one with Bruce Lee could ever hope to be. I loved how they changed the plot around to have Jet Li fall in love with the Japanese girl, reminiscent of 'Heroes of the East AKA Challenge of the Ninjas'. It was also pretty cool to have the Japanese master from heroes of the east also star in this movie also as a Japanese master. He almost looked as young as he did in heroes of the east (you gotta love the makeup). The fight scene between him and jet li was out of this world. On my scale of one to four this movie gets a four star rating.


Reviewed by: hokazak
Date: 12/09/1999

A partial re-working of the Bruce Lee movie, "Chinese Connection" (aka "Fist of Fury"). Jet Li's version has a more balanced presentation of the interactions between the Chinese and Japanese - not all Japanese are bigoted, evil and deceptive this time, and the sweeping anti-Japanese sentiments on the part of many Chinese are called into question, too. (All this within a very specific historical context...)


Reviewed by: hkcinema
Date: 12/08/1999

This is a great film, the best (that I've seen) of the non-flying people variety. It's a remake of the classic "Fist of Fury," with Jet Li as the hero. Jet Li is simply incredible, and this movie shows how he doesn't need any special effects, just great kung fu, to entertain.

(9.5/10)



[Reviewed by Dale Whitehouse]


Reviewed by: spinali
Date: 12/08/1999
Summary: NULL

When the Japanese occupy Tsingtao in 1921, Chen Zhen's (JetLi) martial arts teacher dies under mysterious conditions. Chen abandons his studies in Japan only to discover a Machiavellian plot by iron-man General Akatagawa to destroy China's power to revolt. It's an exciting tale, intelligently told; always careful to remain balanced in its politics, it shows a China where race militates against love and reason -- a problem which, unfortunately, affects all sides of the political spectrum. But brilliant martial arts action, choreographed with clarity, is near the heart of this one. A rousing musical score, crystalline photography, and an excellent supporting cast helps turn this into a classic.

(4/4)



[Reviewed by Steve Spinali]

Reviewer Score: 10