Great Film overall

good back-story, and good acting

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Before I became an action junkie I was an action fan. I especially have always found myself drawn to martial arts films. But there was a name I despised in my early days of action cinema critique: Jet Li. Jet Li is well known for his wirework sequences and most of his later projects depended entirely on wires. Li's Fearless is a well respected film in the martial arts scene but I found it to be not practical enough. Even today I don't think most of Li's later work is worth the time of day with the exception of Hero, which stands on its own merits as an artistic masterpiece.My dislike for Jet Li has been quelled recently, as well as my distaste for wirework. Once Upon a Time in China is full of gravity and physics-defying stunts but those scenes are inventive and fun, especially the final ladder sequence. Tai-Chi Master, despite every wire being present in the frame (which is distracting) still provides some excellent displays of martial arts mastery. But in a filmography crammed with non-practical action films, it's nice to come across Fist of Legend.Fist of Legend is an homage to Bruce Lee films, which could send us on a tangent about why I hate Bruce Lee movies and how overrated I think the majority of his work is…but let's stay focused. Li plays Chen Zhen, a Chinese student living in Japan during the late 1930s. With tensions between the two nations high, he faces a lot of adversity. Thankfully, he knows martial arts and is willing to break the bones of anyone who gets in his face.Eventually he learns that his master in China has been killed by a Japanese martial artist, prompting Chen to go home and seek revenge.Before discussing the fight sequences, let's discuss some of the drama. While I didn't think a lot of it was interesting or engaging, I liked the film's portrayal of the hate the Japanese and Chinese held for each other. Chen is in love with a Japanese girl, which leads to some obvious mistrust of his intentions and judgment among his fellow Chinese. Fist of Legend handles the relationship between Chen and Mitsuko quite well and doesn't devolve into racism or the kind of typical derision you see in a lot of Eastern period pieces. While the romance wasn't the crux of the movie and didn't play a major part, it was commendable nonetheless.What is truly commendable, though, are the fight sequences. From the first battle between Chen and a hoard of Japanese students to the final fight where we see Li use a belt to face a man with a katana, this is a martial art fan's wet dream. Li proves he can be just as efficient at practical martial arts as he is with the impractical, showcasing a variety of styles in his battles with the Japanese occupiers. There is not a bad fight sequence to be found in this film, all of them edited pretty well and many lasting five-ish minutes, providing a lot of adrenaline and excitement. If I were to list my favorite martial arts films insofar as battles are concerned, Fist of Legend would be in the top five, maybe even the top three. The choreography and stunt work are that damn good.I don't have too much to say or criticize. Fist of Legend doesn't provide a lot of thought-provoking material but does provide what you want: dozens of minutes of hard-hitting martial arts action. This is Jet Li's best showcase of skill and perhaps his best film overall. I implore you to find a way to watch Fist of Legend and give it a shot: it's worth your time.

Fist of Legend (1994) is one of the best Jet Li's martial arts ever made! I think this film is a classic martial arts film, it is filled with excitement and action. I love this film to death it is my third favorite Jet Li film ever! Widely regarded as the greatest film of two legendary careers, Fist of Legend teams superstar Jet Li with martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping (The Matrix) for "some" of the best fight sequences that you see. In this tribute to Bruce Lee's classic The Chinese Connection (Fists of Fury). Jet Li radiates sheer power and coolness as a Kung Fu phenom living abroad who returns home to avenge the death of his master and save his martial arts school. Shifting effortlessly among diverse fighting styles. Li even fights blindfolded and wields his belt as a deadly weapon. Fist of Legend is essential viewing for any Jet Li fan and "the promised land for Kung Fu cinema.""The object of matching is to beat down the opponent."Plot: Chen Zhen, a Chinese engineering student in Kyoto, who braves the insults and abuse of his Japanse fellow students for his local love Mitsuko Yamada, daughter of the director, returns in 1937 to his native Shangai, under Japanse protectorate -in fact military occupation- after reading about the death of his Kung-Fu master Huo Yuan Jia in a fight against the Japanese champion Ryuichi Akutagawa. While overcoming suspicion and ambition within the Kung Fu school, Chen exhumes his master to prove Hou's defeat was the result of poisoning. Both nationalities make the case a test of honor, so Chinese and Japanese pride are at stake when it culminates in Chen's final epic duel against the ruthless, undefeated Japanese general Fujita.So the basic plot is more about the First World War as the Japanese forces are on their way to besiege the German port of Tsingtao in China and it is set in the Shanghai International Settlement in 1914. A lot of Jet Li fan's are choosing Once Upon A Time In China I and II as their favorite Jet Li film, I choose Fist of Legend as my favorite Hong Kong movie and I absolutely love. Watching the first time this film, I thought it was way better than Bruce Lee film because, Jet Li's character Chen Zhen was well decent written and he wasn't violent person like was Bruce Lee (I am sorry I am not disrespecting Bruce Lee but his portrait of Chen Zhen was too violent and racist for me.) I love Bruce Lee and Fists of Fury is not my favorite Bruce Lee film and I think Jet Li was way better as Chen Zhen than Bruce Lee that is just my opinion.Director Gordon Chan write and directed this martial arts flick perfectly and made more a human portraying drama in this film which I love it to death. A sequel was made in 2010 Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen in which Gordon Chan was a writer and started Donnie Yen. Fist of Legend inspired the Wachowskis to hire choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping for the fight scenes in The Matrix. The style of fighting in the two films bears some resemblance. This film has also Yuen Woo-Ping who also directed my favorite action martial arts flick In the Line of Duty IV (1989) with Cynthia Khan and Donnie Yen in the lead role and of course Tiger Cage II (1990) with Donnie Yen in the lead role again which both of the films are my favorite Chinese action martial arts films and stunts are performed realistic. Here we have Yasuaki Kurata from Bloodfight (1989) as one of the bad guys who fights against Jet Li. Considered one of Jet Li's finest movie, what sets this version apart from Bruce Lee's original one is the depiction of the Sino-Japanese relationship: while fist of fury's (Chinese connection) Japanese characters were caricaturing villains partaking in numerous immoral activities, the Fist of legend portrays the Japanese in a more humane way. Although the setting lends itself for a revenge plot, Fist of legend is more about justice and honor than killing and revenge. Training scenes: Unlike other martial arts movie, the protagonist here trains to maintain and improve himself, as opposed to acquiring new skills. The training methods brought forward by Chen Zhen are unorthodox by traditional Kung Fu standards. His method of body conditioning include casual western exercise such as jogging, rope jumping, one arm chin-ups and push ups. Despite embracing new methods, it is shown that Chen Zhen still values more traditional training methods such as form practice, target striking and sparring exercises.Fighting scenes: The fights in Fist of legend are realistic enough that wire enhanced movements easily go by unnoticed. As usual, Jet Li's movements quick and are sharp, making the fight scenes a pleasure to watch. The fight choreography, imagined by Yuen Woo-Ping became an inspiration for many subsequent Hollywood productions, including the Matrix and Kiss of the Dragon.Overral: Fist of Legend is my favorite Hong Kong Jet Li Kung Fu film that I love to death. The rating I am giving is 10/10 for a perfect entertaining martial arts flick! Fist of Legend is a 1994 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Gordon Chan, featuring action choreography by Yuen Woo-ping, and produced by Jet Li, who also starred in the lead role. The film was released on 22 December 1994. It is a remake of the 1972 Fist of Fury, which starred Bruce Lee as the lead character.10/10 Grade: Bad Ass Seal Of Approval Studio: Golden Harvest Starring: Jet Li, Chin Siu-ho, Shinobu Nakayama, Billy Chau, Yasuaki Kurata, Paul Chun, Yuen Cheung-Yan Director: Gordon Chan Producers: Jet Li Screenplay: Gordon Chan, Lam Kee-to, Kim Yip Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 43 Mins. Box Office: HK$30,724,330

Review: Although this movie was made in the early 90's, the concept is a pretty old school. How many Kung Fu movies have we seen were the hero says to his enemy, "You Killed My Master"? Basically the whole film is based on Jet Li revenging the death of his old master, and to get to the truth of his death, he has to challenge Japan's best fighters with the help of his friend. Like many old school martial arts movies, the acting is pretty sketchy but the action scenes were great. You kind of want them to stop the chatting and just get on with the action but thats just my personal opinion. I liked the authenticity of the whole film and the showdown at the end with the Dolph Lundgren lookalike was quite good, but I still prefer the proper old school Kung Fu movies. Watchable!Round-Up: This is Jet Li in his usual kicking butt mode. I haven't seen his co-stars in any other movies, but I'm sure they will be popping up during my Jet Li season. The film does have a Bruce Lee feel to it which is why it went down so well at the box office. Personally, I have seen the film a few times before so I knew what to expect and I still enjoyed watching it again. Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: HK$31millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their Jet Li movies about a man who is seeking revenge after finding out that his old Kung Fu master has been mysteriously murdered. 6/10

One of the most applauded martial arts movies to date, this piece of art offers much more than flawless, thrilling action: plausible characters having real dilemmas and making actual decisions, based on their own moral codex. Each and every of the five-or-so protagonists is a human being with a set of values that he or she tries to follow, each and every fight is meaningful and serves to advance both the plot and character evolution. In this, Fist of Legend has achieved more than everything else that has been done in its genre and in fact transcended it, and should surely rank amongst the greatest movies of all time - much like Casablanca did for the classical melodramatic flick.Set in the time of the Japanese occupation of China and revolving around Sino-Japanese lovers, Fist of Legend presents numerous conflicts of morally right and wrong action, such as national pride versus racial prejudice, misuse of power versus right for self-defense, limits of loyalty to an authority, limits of self-sacrifice for the sake of love. It is amazing how so much of it could be crammed amongst the grand amount of action, but the result is unparalleled, creating the single movie where every fight has deeper meaning than just the hero thrashing another bad guy. When everything is poised for the grand finale, Fist of Legend delivers a truly epic battle between a hero standing for humanity with all its faults and a being that has lost all human traits save for the physical shell. Never before or after can I remember having such a strong feeling that humans could, and should, actually punch through concrete when the time is right.Unless you really, really can't stand Asian action cinematography or just hate movies that are not in English, there is no reason why you shouldn't enjoy this movie. Oh, and if you ever decide to watch only one, only ONE kung-fu pic, in your whole life, EVER... this has to be it.