Legend of the Fist

High-production values here. They spent some money on this one. The action starts in 1917 along the front-lines where Chen Zen(Donnie) makes a name for himself. The action sequences in the opening moments of the film are absolutely jaw-dropping. I really thought I was in for a treat. Then LOTF(heehee) dives into the plot which is overdrawn, dull, and boring. There is very little character development, very little in terms of subplots, and very little action for the middle hour of this film. It's a shame too, because from the choreography to the effects, the action sequences might be some of the best ever put to film. I could make a film about walking my dog around the block with more depth than this, and while that's not what I should expect from an action flick, I SHOULD expect a lot of action. If you take out the first and last ten minutes of the film there is 5 minutes of action(also incredible). Unfortunately, the wait is so long that it's not worth the wait. I would watch the opening and ending till the DVD stops working, but I won't ever sit through this whole movie again. 54/100

Ip Man was an uplifting movie that showed how the spirit of martial arts and national pride overcame oppression from the Japanese military. Legend of The Fist on the other hand is an ugly, mean spirited mess. A historical drama like Farewell My Concubine or John Rabe is suited for dealing with heavy subject matter like the Japanese occupation of China. Not a movie marketed as a martial arts extravaganza. Especially when the first action scene shows Donnie Yen defeating German Soldiers with the precision of Spider-Man and Daredevil. He pretty much demonstrates that he could end World War I by himself. I would have been fine with more of that. But the focus of the movie is not on the action scenes or Donnie's crusade against the Japanese military. The main focus is how evil the Japanese military is, and what atrocities they commit. Thankfully it's not as detailed as say Schindler's List, but it's shoved in the viewers face nonetheless. There are a ton of subplots which also get in the way and ruin the narrative. Certain characters are also poorly written despite the best efforts of the actors portraying them. They exhibit traitorous behavior but then go back and fourth in their alignment, so it's hard to sympathize with or hate them. One of the characters even gets raped just to tastelessly move the plot forward and motivate revenge. It comes across as very cheap and does not make the viewer want the hero to beat the bad guys. If Ip Man could be a good drama with appropriately placed action scenes, why not this movie? On a 1 to 5 scale, it deserves a 1.

COULD this movie be directed by Andrew Lau, the guy who helmed the epic "Infernal Affairs" series? I checked the closing credits just to make sure - and yes, it must be Lau's most disappointing work, his really 'Infernal Effort'. If the mood of the film isn't so serious, I would have thought that 'The Return of Chen Zhen' is a comedy, a spoof of Bruce Lee's character and his Green Hornet role. The legend of Chen Zhen was born when the late Bruce Lee played him in the 1972 blockbuster, "Fist Of Fury". However, the fictional Chen Zhen was resurrected lots of times including the 1994 "Fist of Legend" where Jet Li played him, and in the 1995 TV series, "Fist of Fury" with Donnie Yen as the hero. This movie is the continuation of the TV series, taking place seven years after the apparent death of Chen Zhen who was shot after discovering the guy responsible for his teacher's death in Japanese-occupied Shanghai. Now disguising himself as a playboy businessman (albeit, with just a thin moustache), Chen Zhen (Yen) frequents the Casablanca nightclub owned by a Shanghai mob boss (Anthony Wong), planning to infiltrate the mob when they form an alliance with the Japanese. However, when Chen is not courting sultry singer Kiki (Shu Qi), he dons a black mask and takes out some Japanese hit-men who have been knocking off the Chinese named in a Death List. The movie opens in spectacular Bruce Lee fashion, with Chen Zhen taking out a battalion of enemy soldiers during the First World War. Next, when we see him at the Casablanca nightclub, ostensibly as a partner of the owner, tons of questions flood our mind, like where does he get the money to play the role of mysterious wealthy stranger? What does he intend to accomplish at the nightclub other than starting an affair with Kiki, who is much more than meets the eye? Then when we see him fighting the Japanese as the Masked Avenger, things start to get comical. Well, the scriptwriters have provided some comic relief characters - in the form of bungling cops played by Huang Bo and company, but we have to take that one-man-whacks-dozens 'schtick' with more than a pinch of salt. If you expect to see Donnie Yen flaunt more of his "Ip Man" stuff here, forget it. Director Lau spends more time on flashy visuals, opulent sets and lame and under-developed subplots, while Donnie Yen keeps repeating "the Chinese are not the sick men of Asia". The climactic ending recalls Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury" - by now a mandatory finale of almost every effort involving Chen Zhen (so don't go spoiling for spoilers). On the acting front, Shu Qi helps to provide some sparks and emotional resonance to the proceedings while Anthony Wong does his usual Anthony Wong stuff. As for Donnie Yen, I get the feeling that he is playing Bruce Lee more than portraying his version of 'Chen Zhen'. The others are just forgettable. - by LIM CHANG MOH