REVIEW:
If you were to ask me, I would tell you that I consider Fist of Legend to be the ultimate martial arts movie. Yes, I do mean "of all time". Sure, I would rate Crouching Tiger higher as an overall movie, for its touching story, but as a martial arts movie you do not get any better than Fist of Legend. It is, in fact, the movie that really got me into martial arts films and HK films in general. Some Jackie movies warmed me up, and a viewing of Fist of Legend had me dying to see any HK movie I could after it. Its intriguing and thought provoking story, amazing acting performances, and of course unrivaled martial arts scenes make it an undisputable winner - a true classic.

Fist of Legend takes the "avenge my master" concept that has been done countless times and manages to turn it into a unique, though provoking, and ultimately memorable story. It adds elements of racial tension, loyalty to friends, and love in just the right amounts. A major subplot is actually much of a Romeo and Juliet story. Despite the tendency of many Chinese to hate all Japanese during these times, Chen Zhen has a Japanese girlfriend he loves. This ultimately forces him to question his feelings about the Japanese as well as face dilemma in choosing between her and loyalty to his clan. We also see a distinct difference in beliefs among the Japanese. Some of the military leaders believe in doing whatever is necessary and completely walking over the Chinese, while others believe that this is bad for everyone and have more of a sense of fairness and justice. Only the ending disappoints, as it is a major cop-out - but that still doesn't ruin the amazing film that leads up to it.

Not to go without mention are the amazing performances in the film. Not a single person stands out as acting poorly or over-the-top. Every character shows the right amount of restraint and fits the given role perfectly. Jet Li, as usual, is exceptional with his calm and wise demeanor, yet with just a touch of rage inside him that causes him some amount of confusion.

Before I go on, I must address the "remake" aspect of the film. It is, in fact, a remake of Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury" (not to be confused with "Fists of Fury" aka "The Big Boss"). Some die hard Bruce Lee fans will, no doubt, take offense that this film does not follow the original so closely. Chen Zhen's character is toned down, being more of a pillar of respectability and wisdom than Bruce Lee's rage-filled Chen Zhen. Fist of Legend also shows a more favorable side to the Japanese than its inspiration. Some may argue that as a political cop-out, while I personally believe that it is a deeper route to take allowing for tension between the "good" Japanese and "bad" Japanese. Its likely that not all Japanese held the same beliefs about the China situation during these times. Either way, if you are looking for the Bruce Lee movie, watch the Bruce Lee movie. This movie is a new take on the story with a whole new feel, and if you can get past Jet Li not being Bruce Lee, you should be able to appreciate Fist of Legend for what it is.

Finally, we must look at what Fist of Legend is especially known for - its amazing fight scenes. While over-the-top wirework dominates 90's martial arts cinema, Fist of Legend takes a more grounded route with minimal wire use. The fights will have you in awe. There is, of course, the obligatory dojo scene where Jet Li fights off tons of Japanese clan members, in style and with composure. Later on, we will see more in-depth one on one fights. These are some of the best fight scenes you will ever see and the final fight, in particular, is long and involving. It is worthwhile to note that renowned choreographer, Yuen Woo Ping, is in charge here and shows that he can produce amazing fight scenes even without the high flying wire antics he is known for in the 90s.

What can I say? This film is truly the ultimate martial arts film. If I could only have one HK martial arts film, this would be it. The combination of a touching story and absolutely amazing fight scenes make this a classic. I believe that this movie is a great film for both martial arts film aficionados and newcomers alike. Truly inspiring work.

REVIEW
Without a doubt, Fist of Legend is Jet Li's finest film and arguably one of the greatest martial arts films of all time. Ironic and all the more impressive considering that the style of combat and demeanor he adopts for this film are not his specialty.

In the early 1930's, Shanghai is under occupation by various foreign powers including Japan who is using this foothold to prepare for an invasion of the mainland. One of the opposition leaders to Japan's influence in China is Fok Yuen Gaap, a kung fu master and founder of the Jin Wu school. A local Japanese General by the name of Fujita (Billy Chow) has had the teacher poisoned before a match with the leader of a competing Japanese school which results in his death.

As the film begins, Fok Yuen Gaap's leading student hears of his master's death and rushes back to Shanghai from Japan where he has been studying. Chen Zhen (Jet Li) arrives to find the school's reputation in tatters. Unable to believe that his master could have lost a match, Chen challenges the Japanese master who fought Yuen Gaap and beats him easily. This confirms his suspicion and after performing a crude autopsy discovers that Yuen Gaap had been poisoned. With the destruction of China's martial arts reputation and the impending invasion in mind, General Fujita kills the Japanese schoolmaster in order to frame Chen for murder but his trial is thrown out after Mitsuko (Nakayama Shinobu), his Japanese girlfriend shows up to claim he was with her at the time of death. Freed of these charges Chen now has to face discrimination against Mitsuko by his own brothers at the school which leads to a confrontation with Yuen Gaap's successor, Ting On. Chen beats Ting On in a fight and goes to live in the country with Mitsuko. Their solitude is broken after General Fugita sends Matsuko's uncle (Yasuaki Kurata) to kill Chen. Chen is beaten by Fumio but the samurai has great respect for Chen and spares his life.

Meanwhile, the Jin Wu school has been formally challenged by General Fujita. Ting On manages a painful recovery from the disgrace of losing to Chen and visits him knowing this may be his last chance to see his old friend. Matsuko returns to Japan and Chen accompanies his friend to the challenge. Ting On is no match for the brutal Japanese officer's karate skills and Chen steps in to fight which leads to the general's death. To appease tensions between Japan and China, Chen agrees to accept responsibility for the General's death, but his friends may have other plans.

To begin with, this story which ties together the pre-World War II tensions between China and Japan as well as the changing face of martial arts in the modern world has become the foundation for so many kung fu movies. Its difficult to convey just how important was Lo Wei's creation of Chen Zhen (AKA Chen Jun) as portrayed by Bruce Lee to the Hong Kong film industry. But few if any films ever came close enough to the original or even dared to try for fear of failing to live up to Lee's performance. Donnie Yen may have opened up the possibly for another direct feature film adaptation after his successful Fist of Fury television series premiered on Hong Kong television. Shortly after the filming of that series came Fist of Legend that brought together the creative mastery of Jet Li in Bruce Lee's role, several Yuen brothers including Yuen Wo Ping doing choreography, and Gordon Chan whose eclectic skills as a writer and director helped bring about such memorable films as Fight Back to School (1991) and King of Beggars (1992).

Fist of Legend is a powerhouse film that gets just about everything right when it comes to creating a modern martial arts film. The filmmakers carefully steered away from the one-sided depictions of racial intolerance by Japanese with a refreshing relationship between Jet Li and a Japanese woman played by the lovely Nakayama Shinobu. In a memorable scene where Chen pauses during a tense fight with his old friend at the Jin Wu school, he looks at purposefully at Matsuko just before he decides to go on the offensive. This seems to underline the fact that Chen is fighting for more than just Chinese independence, but also for equality and tolerance in general, something Bruce Lee's Chen would never had been so sensitive to.

The Yuen brothers obviously decided early on not to replicate Lee's moves and it was a good idea. Jet Li is a student of northern wushu which is soft, rather than southern boxing which is where Bruce came from with his former Wing Chun training. As Li was portraying a student of "hard" kung fu, his approach is much more intense and brutal in its execution than ever seen before. He would go on to replicate this style in Kiss of the Dragon (2001) and to a lesser degree in The One (2001). Yuen Wo Ping smartly allowed various elements of Li's own moves to be incorporated, thus creating a visually stunning repertoire of moves which Li unleashes upon his foes from agile kicks to rapid punches. The choreography is some of the best ever conceived of by the Yuen brothers. Every move and every camera shot is dynamic and creative without being too fantastic. You rarely if ever see the same move or angle and lots of little touches such as slaps to the face add that bit of zest to each battle.

The costumes, sets, and acting performances are all top notch. Having Yasuaki Kurata portray a sort of mentor and foe to Jet Li was a masterstroke of casting. Kurata has been in dozens of Japanese vs. Chinese martial arts films and many of them quite good, although he was usually cast as the bad guy. This is perhaps his finest performance in terms of acting and likely his last great martial arts role. Chin Siu Ho who once gave Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh a run for their money in The Tai Chi Master (1993) deserves special mention for his stellar performance as Ting On, the new master of Jin Wu school. Again, the filmmakers expanded on the original story by including a rivalry between Ting On and Chen, one that nearly destroys him. In fact, he steals Jet Li's dramatic thunder by being the most distraught protagonist. On the flip side, Jet repeats his stoic image he perfected in Once Upon a Time in China (1991). Unfortunately, he isn't able to capture any of the raw intensity that Bruce Lee was so capable of. This may be another reason why other characters such as Ting On are given more time in the spotlight.

Another complaint I have is how Jet Li's character seems to simply saunter into the final showdown with General Fujita by tagging along with Ting On. Despite Fujita's attempts to have Chen dealt with earlier on, there isn't any real emotion invested in Jet Li's battle with Fujita. The impression I get is that this Chen Zhen spent all his frustration and anger after his first encounter with the Japanese karate school. But, that's a small gripe next to the incredible physical performance Li gives. For sheer kickass entertainment, you cannot beat Fist of Legend. By any standard, this is a classic of martial arts cinema and if you haven't seen it yet, I pity you.

Okay, forget the plot -- especially if you don't know much about WWII history. Forget about seeing this film's nuances if you can't read Chinese. But remember this film if you want to see great kung fu action. Li is in absolute top form here. The martial arts sequences are great; they're the more traditional (long, one-on-one fights with minimal wire use) type, but still wildly exciting. Overall, I just got a sense of impressiveness from Li in this movie; it's terribly hard to watch Fist of Legend and not become a fan of Jet Li. He's at his hard-ass best (the romantic subplot here is not a pronounced as many of Li's other movies) and has the moves to back his attitude up.

The team of Gordon Chan and Yuen Woo-Ping produces some outstanding results. The exposition scenes are well-done and the fight scenes are among some of Li's best. You can work with Jet Li and get crap (Lethal Weapon 4) or you can get a great film like this. Those who want to see what Jet Li can really do (without the aid of wires) should check this out.

I think I made a mistake when I bought this film. It was the first Jet Li film I ever watched, and I think it may very well have spoiled all of his other films for me. "Fist Of Legend" is, without a doubt, one of the best kung fu films I've ever seen, for various reasons. One, and perhaps most importantly, the martial arts action is incredibly fast, precise, and dazzling (courtesy of Yuen Woo-Ping). Two, it's actually a film, with a cohesive plot and credible acting, rather than mere lines of dialog meant to fill up the spaces between fights.

Technically, this is a remake of Bruce Lee's "Chinese Connection." Li plays the title character, Chen Zhen, a Chinese student studying in Japan. Upon dispatching a group of bullies with incredible ease, he learns his master has been killed in a match with a Japanese master, Akutagawa. Returning home, he quickly takes care of Akutagawa and discovers that his master was actually killed by poison. Framed for the murder of Akutagawa, he is saved only when his Japanese girlfriend testifies on his behalf. Unable to stay in his school due to his girlfriend being Japanese, and unwilling to leave the woman behind, he is forced to fight his best friend and leave the school. Eventually, he and his best friend must reconcile their differences and face the Japanese together.

Alright, so it sounds cliched, but it works so well in this film. The acting is well-done, and Li gives a pretty good performance. He manages to convey the emotions of a man torn between his school and his master's honor, and the woman he must take care of. Although the film has a pretty serious, dramatic tone (which is also a bit of switch from most kung fu films, which border on slapstick many times), Li is up to it. Unlike Jackie Chan, who lovably hams it up for the camera in most of his films, Li has an edge to him and his screen presence is undeniable.

"But let's get to the most important part," you say. As I said before, the martial arts in this film are among some of the best I've ever seen. Li is incredibly quick and fast. Unlike Jackie Chan, who is at his best when mixing in slapstick humor between the punches, Li is precise and serious. The opening fight scene with the nationalists only whets your appetite for what is to follow. Especially fun to watch is the fight between Chen Zhen and his girlfriend's uncle, who has come to test Zhen's abilities, and the long final fight sequence never gets tiresome. The pacing of the film is excellent too, so that when a fight occurs, it feels natural within the flow of the film. And if you're not a fan of the wire tricks that are prevalent in Li's other films, don't worry; they're kept to a minimum here.

The only real complaint I have is the music, which sounds like it belongs on the 6 o'clock news rather than a kung fu flick, but that's just me. Shoot, forget I wrote that. If you consider yourself a martial arts fan in the slightest, you'll need to see this film. But like I said, it's spoiled every other Li film I've seen up to date. Granted, the guy's got a pretty sizable catalog, but this one leaves a pretty big shadow for his other films to stand in. I only hope that they release this on DVD soon, because I may very well wear out my VHS copy.

If you're curious as to how "Fist Of Legend" holds up to "Chinese Connection," I'll have to be honest. I like "Fist Of Legend" a lot better. Granted, "Chinese Connection" has Bruce Lee's legendary presence. However, I think "Fist Of Legend" just works better as a movie, and I find it's one of the few martial arts movies I can watch repeatedly without it getting tiresome and predictable.

Just a little trivia: Yuen Woo-Ping (Iron Monkey) also choreographed all of the martial arts in "The Matrix." After watching "Fist Of Legend," the Wachowski brothers (who wrote and directed "The Matrix," and who are also big kung fu/Hong Kong fans themselves) decided that they needed to bring Woo-Ping onboard.

The story is essentially the same as the original 'Fist of Fury' with student Chen returning to the Jing Wu kung fu school for his master's funeral only to find the school under attack from a rival Japanese karate school. However plenty of new threads have been introduced to keep the story fresh. There's rivalry between Chen and Jing Wu's first elder and Chen has a love interest. The film is also noticeably different to the original in that it is not so starkly anti-Japanese. Yasuaki Kurata appears as a benevolent karate master and Chen's lover is Japanese. These elements help make the film more appropriate for nineties sensibilities.

Where this film really wins is with the amazing fight scenes which must rank amongst Jet Li's, and Yuen Woo Ping's, very best work. Although subtle wirework is used to enhance some of the sequences it is never allowed to detract from the obvious natural ability on show. The fights also don't appear to have been undercranked (if they were, then I couldn't tell). The choreography is complemented by some very effective camerawork that seems to have all angles covered.

The film is crammed full of classic moments and the final showdown between Jet and Billy Chow, in his best ever appearance, is one that I never get bored of watching.

As far as Chinese martial arts films go, this is one of the best I've seen. It is visually stunning with excellent color cinematography and the fight sequences staged by the best in the business. The story isn't bad, either, although there are some inscrutable Oriental elements. Although it is dubbed (subtitles are available on the DVD for the hearing impaired) the dubbing is not as awful as it is on most such films.

According to some sources, the story is based on Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury," (AKA "The Chinese Connection") but it looked a lot different to me. First of all, it is set during a different time period, secondly, the characters are different and there's a different villain. There is no ice factory and no drug smuggling plot in "Fist of Legend" as in "Fist of Fury"). There are some similarities, of course, but then there are a lot of similarities between a lot of Chinese martial arts films. Instead of a modern day film about a drug lord and his murdering band of thugs, we have a story set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai in the 1930s, star-crossed lovers and a murder mystery.

The Japanese occupation of parts of China was one of the tragic chapters in Asian history. There were many atrocities committed by the Japanese and the anti-Japanese feeling is still strong and it wells up in this film, giving it an interesting subtext. Chen Zhen (played by Jet Li of "Romeo Must Die"), studying to be an engineer in Japan, learns of the death of his old kung-fu master in Shanghai. He rushes back to Shanghai to find out what happened.

His master was supposedly killed in a fight and Chen Zhen can't accept that. He exhumes the body and discovers his master was poisoned. That leads to a murder investigation. There's a complex relationship between the local police, the local courts and the Japanese occupation forces which makes it difficult for Chen Zhen to find justice. At one point his Japanese girlfriend comes to his rescue. Chen Zhen's friends can't accept his Japanese girlfriend and they don't like his mixing some Japanese karate moves with the kung-fu style taught by his master. He becomes ostracized from his friends. In the end, of course, there's a big showdown and a fight with the top bad guy.

The strong point of this film is the cinematography of Derek Wan. The images are imbued with the rich, vibrant color which has become a hallmark of modern Chinese films like "Raise the Red Lantern" and "Ju Dou." Yuen Wo Ping (fight coordinator for "The Matrix" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"), listed as a co-director, with Gordon Chan, stages some great fight sequences. The set design, costumes, art direction and other production values are first rate, especially for this genre. Jet Li is a marvelous martial arts expert, but somewhat wooden as an actor. If you are going to see this film, chances are, you are more interested in action than acting. This film rates a B.

Only rarely does amazing kung-fu action meet up with a solid story in the same film. Normally, this genre showcases a whole lot of kicking and crowing, with little else in the way of plot. But Fist of Legend, a remake of the 1972 Bruce Lee film, Fist of Fury, is a marvel to watch. The gravity-defying fight scenes are virtually non-stop, but what makes this film stand out from other kung-fu flicks, is that the story is pretty good. Now, if only someone would take voice dubbing seriously.

Originally made in Hong Kong in 1994, Fist of Legend has been dubbed in English. Jet Li (Lethal Weapon 4, Black Mask) stars as Chen Zhen, who returns home to China to pay his respects to his slain kung-fu teacher. Set in the 1930s, Chen finds that his homeland has been taken over by the Japanese and that his school is in disarray. It does not take long for the former student to suspect that a rival school was involved in the death of his teacher. Following a confrontation with the rival school’s students, Chen is banned from his own school for having a Japanese girlfriend. The two move out to the countryside into a small shack, as Chen continues to investigate his master’s death.

While this may seem to follow the typical you-killed-my-teacher-now-I-must-kill-you plot, Fist of Legend delves deeper. This film demonstrates some pretty impressive storytelling techniques. It has an interesting political sub-plot and by the end, the character of Chen Zhen is legendary.

But even with the interesting storyline, the main reason why you are going to want to see this film is for the impressive fight scenes. As more and more Jet Li films become available, it is easy to regard him as one of the best fighters in the genre. Much of the time, his hands and feet launch ahead so quickly, there is no way to see how Li pulls off many of his moves. The most impressive of the moves involve wires that make the actors fly as though they are video game characters in Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter.

The one serious concern I have with Fist of Legend is the dubbing of voices. Although the mistimed comments sometimes have underlying humor, far too often these same comments interrupt the film’s quick pace. That irritating weakness aside, this movie is a must-see for fans of martial arts films. Fist of Legend is a kung-fu classic.