Back in those faraway dark ages known as the 90s, a fellow student at the University of Chicago introduced me to the world of modern Hong Kong cinema. Like most of the mainstream American moviegoing audience, my awareness of filmmaking out that Chinese territory by the sea had pretty much stopped dead with the 70s, Bruce Lee, etc. However, luckily for me, the UofC's DOC Film society (still one of the best on-campus film societies around) ran a block of recent Hong Kong blockbusters every year. It was there my eyes were blasted wide open by Jackie Chan's acrobatic derring do, John Woo's blood-soaked gunplay, and last but not least Jet Li.
Course all three of the above are now pretty well-known Stateside, but back then was a different story. Other than DOC films, I'd have to hunt down badly dubbed or equally ineptly subtitled copies (frequently grainy or washed out) on VHS in some dingy Chinatown shop. Which was too bad, because the 90s (as I date myself) were something of a Renaissance for Hong Kong cinema. Jackie Chan did some of his best work ever and never to be topped in films like "Drunken Master II", John Woo redefined gunplay with "The Killer" and "Hard Boiled," and director/producer Tsui Hark produced film for both of the above, as well as producing and/or directing some great Chinese fantasy films like "A Chinese Ghost Story" or "Swordsman."
Which brings me to "Fist of Legend." Hitting Asian screens towards the end of the 90s kung-fu film period in 1994, "Fist" was a remake of Bruce Lee's 1972 classic "Fist of Fury," starring Jet Li in the Lee role. The plot of both films is essentially the same: Chen Zhen, a student of real-life kung-fu master Huo Yuan-Jia (later played by Li in "Fearless") seeks vengeance against the Japanese martial artists and government officials who conspired to poison and kill his master in 1920s Shanghai. Tensions are high, as martial arts rivalries collide with the anticolonial resentment of local Chinese against the Japanese and British occupiers who have carved up the Chinese territory.
Directed by ace Hong Kong director Gordon Chan, "Fist" boast some fairly high production values for a Hong Kong film of the period. The 1920s Shanghai setting is well realized in both costumes and sets. The film also improves greatly on the plot of the Bruce Lee original, complicating the simple 'Chinese vs. Japanese' conflict by providing Li with a Japanese love interest, and a surrogate mentor in the form of a Japanese martial arts master (played by 70s Japanese Karate star Yasuaki Kurata).
But the heck with the plot - what makes "Fist" stand tall among the many kung-fu films out there is the choreography, and it is outstanding. The fight scenes are fast, complex and truly brutal, with very little wirework (though there is a decent among of sped-up camerawork). Jet Li has and still gets a lot of criticism in some circles for the amount of wire effects in his films, despite the fact that he (unlike Jackie Chan) received formal martial arts training in Wushu and was a competitive champion in the People's Republic of China. "Fist" however puts all doubts to rest as to his abilities. He really has never looked as good as he does in this film.
It should be no surprise that the man behind the action is the legendary Yuen Woo-Ping, whose work graced all three "Matrix" movies, as well as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Kill Bill" and "Kung Fu Hustle." In fact, it was watching "Fist" that convinced the Wachowski brothers to hire Yuen Woo-Ping, setting his Hollywood career in motion.
The film is also a massive love-letter to Bruce Lee's life and work. An early scene in which Jet Li challenges a Japanese master in his dojo apes a lot of the moves and camerawork from Lee's classic films, in including an overhead, multi-kick shot that should impress any viewer (and if you aren't, then stop reading and go away). Later on in the film, while facing defeat during a match, Jet Li even adopts a formless, stanceless fighting style consistent with Lee's concept of Jeet Kune Do (the martial arts philosophy he invented), and fantastic outdoor match between Li and Kurata ultimate becomes a conversation on the meaning of combat written in human movement.
If you haven't seen "Fist of Legend," you're really in for a treat. I highly recommend it. And now is the best time, since the Dragon Dynasty label has released a wonderful new DVD loaded with a clean picture, good subtitling and lots of extras. (Beware of the mid-90s DVD release which removed the original music score and adding dubbing that substantially altered the meaning of the dialogue!).
And if you don't believe me, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p2YmjZ6FRY
No comments:
Post a Comment