Review: Fist of Fury


Bruce Lee stars as Chen Zhen, a martial arts student in the 1930s whose master is murdered, resulting in an enraged Lee taking on rival Japanese, who control Shanghai, and beating the crap out of them. Riki Hashimoto plays the leader of the Japanese who tries to pressure the martial arts school to hand over Chen Zhen or else he’ll have the school closed down and everyone arrested. Robert Baker plays Hashimoto’s Russian ally, whilst Paul (Ping Ou) Wei plays a slimy interpreter, as he later would in “Way of the Dragon”.

 

Written and directed by Lo Wei (“The Big Boss”), this 1972 martial-arts flick is far and away Bruce Lee’s best-ever starring vehicle, and probably one of the best martial-arts films ever made. This is the one to see, folks. It kicks arse. It’s the story of Chen Zhen, whose tale would also be told in Jet Li’s “Fist of Legend” and the uneven “Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen” (with a slightly miscast Donnie Yen). This is definitely more indicative of director Lo Wei and Golden Harvest than Bruce Lee, which is to say that it’s a period piece, rather than the more modern-set “Way of the Dragon”, directed by Lee himself. That suits me, as I do enjoy a good old-fashioned martial arts film, they seem more cinematic than some of Lee’s cheaper-looking films like “Way” and “Enter the Dragon”.

 

Things get off to a fine start, with a fun, Ennio Morricone-esque music score and opening credits scene clearly inspired by Sergio Leone. The music goes on to distinguish itself from Morricone, but is still really good. Lee himself impresses early on by taking out nearly as many Japanese as Godzilla in one awesome display of sheer badassery. You can tell Steven Seagal is a Bruce Lee fan, as he’s nearly as infallible on screen. Lee’s Chen Zhen absolutely does NOT fuck around, and he is not someone whom you want to piss off. His speed is also incredible to witness. What impresses me most about Lee here is his acting performance in just his second starring vehicle (after “The Big Boss”, his second-best film), much better than in any of his other films. He’s making a genuine effort to portray a character, rather than merely play an extension of himself, as I feel most of his other performances tend to suffer from. He can act! As terrific as the action is, the story and lead character really do put this one over-the-top and make it truly memorable (So long as you’re not watching a dubbed version. Subtitles are the way to go, guys. Reading is Good!). Riki Hashimoto also stands out as the intimidating-looking Japanese villain of the piece. That guy has mucho presence.

 

This leaves “Enter the Dragon” for dead, let alone the rest of Lee’s filmography. Far and away Bruce Lee’s crowning achievement and one of the best martial arts films you’ll ever see. Amazingly, it’s mostly due to the script, as terrific as the action is. A must-see for action fans, the firing squad freeze-frame ending is absolutely hilarious, too.  

 

Rating: B+

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