Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen_360P

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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

Another fest of ass-kicking from Hong Kong superstar Donnie Yen, LEGEND OF THE FIST is loosely based on the same legend as Bruce Lee's FIST OF LEGEND and Jet Li's FIST OF LEGEND. Yen plays a masked freedom fighter battling against imperial Japanese forces during their occupation of Shanghai during the 1920s, and the film is a rousing, action-packed slice of superlative entertainment. Okay, so the action doesn't quite have the edge of the similar IP MAN and its sequel, but generally speaking it's very good indeed. There's a particular viciousness to the scenes involving Yen going around and battling or murdering his beleaguered city's oppressors, and an involved, conspiracy style-storyline means that nobody can truly be trusted. The ending, which builds to one final bout with the enemy, is predictable in the extreme but nonetheless crowd-pleasing and hugely entertaining. Yen sleepwalks through his role a bit, having played this type of character loads over the years, but he's given strong support in the likes of established names such as Shawn Yue, Anthony Wong and Shu Qi. The fast-paced story is handled well by Andrew Lau's Infernal Affairs, who brings the same kind of twisty, gritty vitality to this story as he did with that hugely influential cops vs. gangsters movie. And, of course, there are lots and lots of scenes of Yen kicking ass as only he knows how, including a spectacular opening that celebrates the little-known Chinese role in WW1.

Previously this year, there were "True Legend", "14 Blades", "The Legend is Born: Ip Man" and the breathtaking "Ip Man 2". They have been well- made and enjoyable. September brings up another Donnie Yen flick: "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen". The movie was actually not bad at all. The acting was not really bad at all and everything was fine. But, why a 6? First, unlike "Ip Man 2", the movie didn't get to roam many places as the setting like previous martial art flicks. Instead, most of the movie or at least 85% of the movie took place in a club. That made the movie look pretty dull and boring. I just wanted more locations and explore more of Chen Zhen's world rather than staying in a club doing nothing; in the club, there were only some non-action stuff and they were boring. Secondly, the climactic moment. What the hell happened to Chen Zhen. It's just so strange if you watch the climactic scene. In other words, you're facing a tough enemy and you didn't even get to hit him once in the first round. Suddenly, you rose and the enemy didn't get to hit you once. So "what the hell happened". It's just perfectly shot in the first part and it just suddenly drops in the second round. Thirdly, why did Donnie Yen do the signature "haya" noises of Bruce Lee. I didn't hear any of those noises in the first movie. What happened to Chen Zhen? It's just so bizarre and unnecessary. For the others, they were fine. The music was satisfying enough to raise suspense for the movie and the action scenes were perfectly directed. Nothing wrong with the others. However, the movie does show quite some semi-* scenes which were pretty disturbing. Compared to "Ip Man 2", "Chen Zhen" has bloodier action scenes. Overall, the martial action movie was enjoyable and worth to be watched. Only those three things spoil the enjoyment of the film. Prince AJB's rating: 6/10 or 60% Thanks for reading my review and hope it is useful.

This film is not bad, the action is continuous! Acting: Donnie Yen has one serious intense expression all the time. Although you might laugh when he wears that mask, looking like Zorro/Daredevil/Spiderman standing on rooftops. Shuqi looks ugly and unnatural. Huo siyan(she's killed by Shuqi) is so pretty and when she died it was so poignant! Anthony Wong is a veteran and acts as good as ever. The bad guys are all one-dimensional and ugly. Choreography: Awesome. Donnie Yen takes off his shirt. He is really quick at fighting and running. Lots of blood and torture!! Plot: Basically it's a simple "Japanese--Bad. Chinese--Fight". It portrays what China is really like accurately though. Most of the times they are not united as seen from when they start fighting amongst themselves instead of against enemies. I think it's because they're too crowded. Sentimental parts are not bad, like Chen Zhen's parts and Shuiqi's parts.