R E V I E W :    Fist of Legend  

Reviewed 3/22/01 | Background | Movie Review | DVD Review | Recommendation

Background 

Buena Vista / 1994 / 103 minutes
Directed by Gordon Chan Ka-Seung
Screenplay by Gordon Chan Ka-Seung, Ip Kwong Kim, Lam Key Toa
Region 1 only

Jet Li and action choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping worked together initially on Once Upon a Time in China II in 1992 and again on Last Hero in China and Tai-Chi Master in 1993. Gordon Chan Ka-Seung co-wrote The Bodyguard From Beijing for Li earlier in 1994.

A remake of a Bruce Lee film popularly known as Fists of Fury, Fist of Legend was released in Hong Kong cinemas in December 1994 and grossed nearly HK $15 million.

Li and Yuen subsequently collaborated on Black Mask in 1996. Chan produced Hitman for Li in 1998.

Movie: plot, performances, production, rating

Plot: The time is 1937. The Japanese occupy Shanghai. Chen Zen is a student in Japan. One day he learns that his master back in Shanghai has been killed by the Japanese master of another school. He returns to attend the funeral, and also extract revenge. He is in love with a fellow student, a Japanese girl. She follows him to Shanghai. He attempts to share what he has learned about martial arts in Japan with his fellows. Conflicts ensue.

Performances: Jet Li came across very well as Chen Zen. Most of the other performers who stood out did so because of their abilities as martial artists.

Production: Yuen Wo-Ping's choreography appears lightly wire-enhanced, but whipsaws the audience back and forth with inventive action in tight spaces. Gordon Chan Ka-Seung's direction is economical and unfussy, concentrating on the story and the fighting. Horace Ma's production design is exquisite. The cinematography by Derek Wan focuses on primary colors and avoids shadows, which are interesting choices and reflective of some the stereotypes depicted in the film.

Rating: Category IIB (Hong Kong); R (United States). Considerable kicking, punching, and bloodshed.

DVD: look, sound, subtitles, and features

Look: The letterboxed (1.85:1) is sterling. The black levels are quite deep, the colors are saturated, bright, and vibrant, and the fleshtones look natural. The source print looks very clean. Some scenes have been cut for this version.

Sound: Remixed DD 2.0 dubbed English audio track. The sound itself is very good, with active but not distracting surrounds. The big problem is the dubbing. The original soundtrack featured both Cantonese and Japanese. Because cultural differences play a big part in the plot - including problems with communication - it is inevitable that the film suffers from being dubbed into English. I have not seen the original version, so I cannot even pretend to be authoritative on this point. Some have complained about the poor quality of the new musical score; again, since I have not heard the original score, I have no basis for comparison.

Subtitles: None, except for a few scenes early in the film in which Japanese is spoken - large yellow English subtitles are provided. Easy to read white closed-captioning is provided.

Features: A simple menu with 18 chapters and no trailers. No other features.

Buy, rent, or pass?

Rent. Spectacular action scenes mesh well with dramatic points in the story. The film suffers due to being dubbed into one language (English). Jet Li is very good, both as an actor and martial artist, playing the conflicted protagonist Chen Zen.

Visit Asian DVD Guide for more information (and complaints) about this disk.

 

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