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Film Review: Fist of Legend (1994) by Gordon Chan

"What style is that?" - "Don't ask. If it works, it is a good one."

Making a remake of a beloved classic is always risky business, no matter what genre we are talking about, but in the case of a Bruce-Lee-movie, there is always the obstacle of the leading actor having to compete with the martial-arts legend. Consequently, , despite his status within the Chinese film industry and impressive filmography at that point, was hesitant when he was approached to star in a new version of “Fist of Fury”, a feature which cemented the reputation of Lee as one of the major forces within the genre. In an interview with Hong Kong Cinemagic director Gordon Chan explains that, even though he knew about the risks, he always felt the script was something of a weakness of the original, painting a “black-and-white” image of the conflict between Japanese and Chinese. In the end, “” does a lot more than re-tell the familiar story of a martial-arts-student avenging the death of his master, it also delves a bit deeper into the historical conflict within the story, making it one of the key elements, alongside the competition of various styles of fighting.

Although the political climate of the time is quite difficult, martial-arts-student Chen Zhen (Li) has decided to study engineering in Kyoto, Japan, but after some months attending classes and learning for tests, his stay is cut short when he hears the news of his master's death after a fight with the head of a different school. Despite his studies and his relationship with his fellow student Mitsuko (), he immediately returns to Shanghai only to find the other schools competing for the prestigious reputation of being the best one, with the Japanese army having a firm grip over the Chinese. Even though the master's son, Huo Ting-en (), has become the master of the Jingwu school, he struggles to maintain control over his students, who fear he might not be the right leader after his father's death. However, matters become more complicated when Zhen's suspicions about his master's death materialize upon exhuming the body, revealing he has been poisoned previous to the lethal fight.

With new doubts about the nature of their master's death rising and especially Zhen causing quite a stir in the Japanese school, whose master was the one who killed his mentor, the pressure increases on the authorities to find the culprit, with even the Jingwu students suspecting each other. Eventually, the Japanese army sends General Fujita (Billy Chau), decorated officer and skilled karate student, to set an end to the questions about them being involved in the death of the master, and also set an end to the leader of the protest, Chen Zhen.

Undoubtedly, Bruce Lee was (and still is) a legend within martial-arts, and he has made some highly entertaining feature, in fact, some of the best in the genre, but when it comes to their actual story, they are quite thin, essentially star vehicles, you might say. Although “Fist of Fury” offers a rich historical and cultural background to its story, director Lo Wei makes very little of use of the themes this offers, painting a very one-sided image of a complicated conflict of cultures, as Gordon Chan suggests in the aforementioned interview. While the script of this version, which Chan co-wrote, does not divert too much from the source material, it certainly adds a few more details, making the overall result much more satisfying, especially with regard to the finale and the portrayal of the tensions between Chinese and Japanese. Indeed, for the most part, the protagonist's struggle to avenge his master and, later on, fight for his love for a Japanese woman, becomes more of a conflict with tradition, represented by his Chinese roots, and progression, more or less symbolized by the Japanese. Overall, these additions put the fight of the main character on a much higher scale, making it more believable for him to become a legend for a struggle which goes far beyond the borders of his school.

Although he was skeptical about portraying the character of Chen Zhen, Jet Li does a great job as a central character. His performance emphasizes the struggle of the character to find a balance in his life, as he searches for the goals he is fighting for, making the role both physically and dramatically demanding. Unlike Lee's approach to the character, Li's interpretation highlights Zhen as someone being thrown into a fight he helped to ignite, but eventually lost control over, at least when it comes to the political dimensions of this struggle. Zhen becomes more of a mediator between the two ideologies, who are competing over who is superior, with his romantic relationship on the one hand, and him perfecting his technique, combining aspects of both worlds.

Whether you prefer this version over the former one, is of course a matter of taste, but “Fist of Legend” is definitely not an inferior clone, like too many other remakes are nowadays. Apart from the aforementioned features, no other element of Chan's movie proves this better than the fight scenes, which remain some of the best in the director's and the main actor's filmographies. Aside from the two opening fights, perhaps the most unique example is Zhen being challenged by Fumio Funakoshi (), who serves as a sort of surrogate mentor for the young man, in a scene highlighting the progression of these two, as they learn from each other in what is perhaps the only fair competition in the whole movie.

In conclusion, “Fist of Legend” is a great martial arts movie, one which is in no part inferior to “Fist of Fury” and rather expands on some of the themes and ideas of the original. Gordon Chan manages to create a feature which at times feels more satisfying than the previous version, and also highlights the development of Jet Li's skill as a martial artist and an actor.

About the author

Rouven Linnarz

Ever since I watched Takeshi Kitano's "Hana-Bi" for the first time (and many times after that) I have been a cinephile. While much can be said about the technical aspects of film, coming from a small town in Germany, I cherish the notion of art showing its audience something which one does normally avoid, neglect or is unable to see for many different reasons. Often the stories told in films have helped me understand, discover and connect to something new which is a concept I would like to convey in the way I talk and write about films. Thus, I try to include some info on the background of each film as well as a short analysis (without spoilers, of course), an approach which should reflect the context of a work of art no matter what genre, director or cast. In the end, I hope to pass on my joy of watching film and talking about it.

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