Jet Li's FIST OF LEGEND is movie making par excellence. Essentially a remake of the 1972 Bruce Lee film FIST OF FURY, this updated version sees a more complex struggle between the Chinese and Japanese authorities (both sides are shown to be racist and unreasonable at times instead of the Japanese-hating 1972 film) and far more in-depth characters than the straightforward parts that Bruce and his buddies played twenty years previously. Not that the plot is very important; being a martial arts film the emphasis is on the action, as always, and I'm happy to say that FIST OF LEGEND offers some of the most intense battles out there.

Jet Li himself is at the unstoppable peak of his powers, delivering some incredible kicks and punches, and twisting his body into various impossible positions to help him take down his multiple opponents more easily. The more I see of Li (this being the fourth film, for those who care),the more impressed I am, and his strength, agility, flexibility, and skill make him one of the finest screen martial artists in the world. Watching him fight is compulsive stuff and, on a recent rewatch, I think this film presents the star at the peak of his physical prowess.

Amid the various plot twists and turns, the action sequences flow smoothly along, helped greatly by the fight choreography of the famous Yuen Woo Ping who thankfully keeps his wirework to a minimum here so that the fights are kept hard and realistic. FIST OF LEGEND is a jaw-droppingly violent movie that begins with a bone-breaking bout in a classroom and culminates in a magnificent ten minute fight between Li and the chief villain, a sadistic and cruel Japanese General as played by the impassive Billy Chou.

This final fight is one of the best I've seen and has some great moments, like when Li gets his shoulder dislocated and when he uses his own belt as a makeshift weapon against a sword! The rest of the action is also exciting, suspenseful, and most importantly makes for great entertainment. The great Yasuaki Kurata adds impressive gravitas to his role. Production values are top-notch and the acting to a very good standard. Another Li classic and another superior Hong Kong fight flick; it makes Western competition like Van Damme's TIMECOP from the same year seem like child's play.

In 1937, a Chinese martial artist (Jet Li) returns to Shanghai to find his teacher dead and his school harassed by the Japanese. (The film is a remake of the 1972 "Fist of Fury", which starred Bruce Lee as the lead character.)

This film is hailed as influential; for example, "Fist of Legend" inspired the Wachowskis to hire choreographer Yuen Woo-ping for the fight scenes in "The Matrix" (1999). The style of fighting in the two films therefore bears some resemblance. Apparently, it was also a model for other American films from the late 1990s onward.

Being no expert on martial arts films, I couldn't say why this one had an impact when so many others did not. Maybe it was just brought to the United Sates by Miramax at the right time? If nothing else, the production value is worlds ahead of the classic Shaw Brothers films.

Set in 1914 Chinese student Chen Zhen is studying engineering in Kyoto where he is confronted by members of the Black Dragon Clan, a group of Japanese martial arts students who don't want Chinese in their country… he easily defeats them as he is a highly skilled practitioner of Kung-fu. Afterwards the student's master apologises to Chen and also informs him that his master has been killed in challenge match in Shanghai against a Japanese fighter. Chen returns to China and confronts the man he fought. He wins and is convinced that his master was in fact murdered and an autopsy soon reveals that he was poisoned. Meanwhile the Japanese fighter is murdered by General Fujita; Chen is accused of the murder but is cleared when Mitsuko Yamada, a student Chen knew in Kyoto, tells the caught that he was with her the night of the murder. This isn't the end of Chen's problems; when he returns to the Kung-fu school with Mitsuko it is made clear that she will never be welcome as she is Japanese. He leaves with her but inevitably he will fight again and ultimately face General Fujita.

There seems to be some confusion about when this film is set; IMDb says it is in 1937 but references to Japan siding with the United Kingdom against Germany suggests it is really 1914. This doesn't affect ones enjoyment of the film though. The story is solid and there is a lot of brilliantly choreographed martial arts action. This doesn't include the wire assisted leaps that feature in so many such films, it is also pretty bone-crunching at times. Jet Li is on great form as protagonist Chen Zhen; both during the numerous fight scenes and the non-action scenes. Shinobu Nakayama does a fine job as Mitsuko and Yasuaki Kurata impresses as her uncle, an honourable Japanese fighter. Billy Chow is suitably unpleasant as the dastardly General Fujita. The production values are very high; if it wasn't for the young looking Jet Li I'd have thought it was made much more recently! Overall I'd certainly recommend this for any fans of martial arts films.

These comments are based on watching the film in Cantonese with English subtitles.