Fist of Legend

The last movie of my martial arts marathon is an absolute classic that I never get tired of watching: Fist of Legend.

Since Fearless is my favorite movie of all time, you'd think it would also have to be my pick for the best martial arts movie of all time. However, if I'm to choose the best example of the genre, I'd have to go with Fist of Legend. It's really everything that you want in a martial arts movie: a thin but serviceable plot, decent characters, acting that may sometimes seem stiff but never makes you completely gag, and - most important - lots of great fight sequences. Further, the film is directed and shot in order to best highlight the moves of the martial artists. Sometimes this makes for a rather crude look but it's just a sign that the director has his priorities straight. The master/student dynamic receives screen time, including some discussion of martial art technique and philosophy. What more could you ask for?

Of course, since the movie was made in the early nineties before Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ushered in the age of more technical martial arts films (both wire-fu and true genre films), there is also ill-fitting music, cheesy sound effects, and strange dubbing. Personally, I do not watch martial arts movies with the English dubbing, though sometimes it's tempting so you can watch the moves more closely. I did check out Fist of Legend's English dub and the voices were not too bad (as far as that goes). Actually, I'm not sure what language this movie was originally shot in because the soundtrack in Mandarin and Cantonese does not match the lips of the actors any better that the English version! Strange!

In terms of fights, you will get your money's worth. You get not one, but two scenes of Jet Li taking on a crowd of adversaries. Add to that a fight between Li and co-star Chin Siu Ho (Tai Chi Master). By the way, Ho also gets some great action scenes of his own, which is great. There's a fight between Li and a Japanese master, as well as the final showdown with the Japanese villain. The plot is amusing enough to hold your attention until the next fight scene, and none of the fight scenes are overlong. Warts and all, Fist of Legend  is pretty perfect.

Another thing I like about this movie is that - even though it was filmed more than a decade before Fearless - it is actually a kind of sequel to that film. Li's character Chen Zhen returns to China to uncover the conspiracy behind the death of Huo Yuanjia, the master Li played in Fearless. Of course, the movies were not planned to fit together so there are plenty of things that don't gyve. Ho plays Huo Yuanjia's son, which will throw people who watched Fearless as in that movie Huo Yuanjia only had a daughter. Also the name of the Japanese martial artist who challenged Huo Yuanjia is different in this movie and his fighting skills are in question.

But these are minor quibbles (and are actually part of the endearing charm of this rough gem). Fist of Legend  would be my pick for best martial arts movie of all time, and I recommend it as a starting point for people who want to see a real representation of the genre as Li and Ho are in top form!

Kiss of the Dragon

My martial arts movie marathon continues. I hadn't watched this movie in a long time, so I wanted to give it another chance. Unfortunately, as I remember, Kiss of the Dragon is a weak martial arts film despite some sweet fights. The problem is the movie makes the fatal mistake of giving other elements equal importance to the martial arts performances, as well as being afraid to sacrifice some polish in order to optimally showcase of the chops of its star (Jet Li).

I'm not saying martial arts movies can't have strong plots, sub-plots, character development, love stories, etc. Nor am I saying that they shouldn't use technically strong cinematography or art direction. However, these elements must always be made to serve - and serve-up - the fight sequences. If this approach is not used, a film will usually tear itself apart. It will not deliver enough martial arts action to please fans of the genre, nor will it have enough of anything else to please the rest of the audience.

In Kiss of the Dragon, Luc Besson (a really talented writer/director) gives way too much screen time to a subplot with Bridget Fonda playing a crack ho trying to get her daughter back. Fonda gives it her best, but she's sunk by limp dialogue and the fact no one is watching for any reason except to see Jet Li. Additionally, director Chris Nahon clearly doesn't understand the genre at all. He shoots the entire movie the way he would if this were a Rambo film: loads of cutting, objects in the foreground, flashy cinematography, etc. That's fine for standard action flicks, but a martial arts movie often has to forego some of that polish to allow the audience to get a real good look at the martial artists in action. As a result of this inappropriate direction, even the strongest fight scenes in the film - and there are some good ones - don't have the impact they should because the movie gets in the way of us watching them.

Another aspect of the movie I did not like - again arising from the fact that the people in charge of the film just don't get this genre - is that there is nothing in the screenplay that provides Li's character with any kind of motivation or back story that suggests the spirit of the martial arts. Frankly, this movie could have starred any Hollywood action actor if you replaced the martial arts with gun fights.

Kiss of the Dragon is a timewaster at best. Even going in with that assumption, the best way to watch this movie would be to use the chapter menu to see Jet Li's fight scenes and then bail.

The Enforcer

My martial arts marathon hits a major piece of roadkill. This movie is a steaming pile of cow crap!

First of all, you have no choice but to watch it dubbed. Dubbing is always nasty, but the voices here remind me of something I'd hear on a Saturday morning cartoon. But that unforgivable sin pales when - after sitting halfway through this - I had seen no martial arts to speak of. Instead, there's scene after scene of some spunky little kid with his sick mommy and a woman police inspector whose point is...? The villain is a cartoonish douchebag who's not interesting enough to wait around for Jet Li to take out, and Li's undercover cop has 'fuzz' written so plainly across him that you just roll your eyes out of your head at the plot/script. I shut this piece of garbage off half-way through. Nothing was happening, and I was about to toss my lunch over the mom's deathbed scene (who cares?), the goofy lesbian gangster, and the bad dubbing. Avoid at all costs.

Worst of all is this is a Dragon Dynasty release! I have been head over heels in love with every Dragon Dynasty release I have purchased up to this point, but there was zero effort put into this and no legitimate reason why they would add such a poor entry to their line of martial arts films - especially in this condition. Obviously, I can't trust the Dragon Dynasty logo anymore. That's a big shame.

Hero

The martial arts movie marathon continues....

...although there's probably a lot of people who would call it sacrilege to describe Hero as a martial arts movie. The film relies very heavily on wire-fu, and the martial art performances take a back seat to flashy cinematography and art direction. Think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with an even greater emphasis on atmosphere and just enough swordplay to qualify for the fringes of the genre.

While Hero will likely fail to deliver on any level for a martial arts fanboy (or girl), there's no question it possesses the 'martial arts vibe' under its high gloss facade. Jet Li and Donnie Yen are two of the stars, yet Donnie Yen's role is almost a cameo. And while the fight sequences are definitely about art over form, the fight between Li and Yen works well very well and it's too bad that it couldn't have been longer.

In the end, Hero would be best described as a martial arts flavored arthouse film. If that description doesn't sound like your cup of tea, I assure you Hero is not for you. Otherwise, enjoy!

Tai Chi Master

Tai Chi Master is a tongue-in-cheek film, but it still has the spirit a good martial arts flick needs in order to work. The movie has a great cast of characters headed by Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), and Chin Siu Ho (who also teamed up with Li in the awesome Fist of Legend). I like this movie a lot, but it's probably not a film to rent if you're checking out martial arts movies for the first time. The production values are a little rough, which becomes quite evident with the wire-fu acrobatics (as in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Hero). There's also a lot of slapstick humor. Sometimes it's really funny but other times...well let's just say you'll be scratching your head more than once.

What I like best about Tai Chi Master is the friendship between Jun Bao (Li) and Tien Bao (Ho) which sits at the core of the film. Li and Ho have great chemistry, and it's no surprise they have worked together more than once. Jun and Tien become instant friends when they meet as children and find they share a deep fascination and dedication for the martial arts. Jun is a naive and disciplined, while Tien is mischievous and ambitious. As young men, they go out into the world and take wildly different paths which lead them into fundamental conflict with one another. The connection between the characters and the two male leads is what makes the film work.

The plot is good, yet still works in serving up lots of fight sequences. My only gripe there is that, with a star like Li, it's hard to understand why they went so over the top with some of the wire-fu. I'd have been much happier just watching Li do his thing without the effects. Wire-fu often requires too many slo-mos and cuts to work well in a movie that's a rough in the production department. A heavier focus on real fighting would have made the movie even stronger. I imagine part of the reason for the choice is that with the tongue-in-cheek tone, the action sequences needed to be a bit more cotton candy. Think an American action movie with their sometimes over-the-top stunts.

By the way, make sure you watch/buy the uncut international version with the option to watch in the original language with English subtitles. If you want dubbed English, you'll have the choice. I mention this because many martial arts movies are chopped and hacked for US audiences and sometimes a way to tell if you're getting something like that is that they don't offer Chinese with English subtitles as an option. I bought Dragon Dynasty's Special Collector's Edition of Tai Chi Master to ensure I got the real deal.

The Warlords

Like Red Cliff, The Warlords is a martial arts movie in a different sense of the word. While there are a couple scenes with Jet Li dishing out some wushu, the bulk of the action consists of large scale battles, sieges, and raids.

That said, there is definitely a rock hard moral core at the heart of this movie that fits with what I like about more typical martial arts movies: the sense of honor and the importance of male bonding over personal gain. What gives this movie its heart is that the brotherhood created by the characters played by the three male leads spins apart and leads to tragic consequences.

A little background on the Taiping rebellion, even a blurb from Wikipedia or the like, would be a good thing to read as the movie clearly assumes we know a bit about it. By and large though, this information would make the film richer but not knowing it does not impair your ability to follow the story.  The position of each male protagonist is a little vague at the start of the film, but this again is a minor issue.

The battle scenes in this movie are astounding. Some really shocking shots with limbs being severed, etc. It's graphic, but not gratuitous. Despite all the effects and costumes and such, the film never loses its emotional core. I was surprised how much I came to care about the brotherhood of these three men in under two hours.  That said, there were a few scenes that did drag a little, and this would be another slight flaw with the movie.

Of course, the length of the movie brings me to the major problem with the US release. From what I understand, 15 minutes has been cut from this film for the US release. why? Why? WHY??? Reviews on amazon.com suggest the cut footage - as was the case in the US version of Fearless - eliminate scenes that enhance the emotional power of the story. In the case of Fearless, I luckily obtained and watched the full director's cut of the international release so I was able to see the intended version of the movie.  However, no such option is available for us Yankees with The Warlords, and I have no doubt that the film suffers from the missing footage.

I find it increasingly irritating that I have to be careful to purchase or am simply unable to purchase the unedited version of so many films from overseas.  DVDs and blu-rays can store a lot of information on them. There is not reason not to release a movie with the original cut as well as the 'for dopey Americans' cut. Let the viewer decide if it's going to kill them to spend 15 more minutes with the film!

Anyway, while the pacing is a little slow at times and some of the details of the story are sketchy given the lack of historical background and the missing footage (most likely), I enjoyed watching The Warlords, though it is not a movie I would buy for my DVD collection.

Jet Li's Fearless - My Favorite Movie

My favorite movie is a martial arts movie. It's the Director's Cut of 'Fearless' staring Jet Li.
Briefly, 'Fearless' is based on the life of Huo Yuan Jia, the man who founded the Jin Wu Martial Arts Federation (a school of Kung Fu). Huo (played by Jet Li) is the son of a martial arts master and becomes a famous master himself. However, Huo is a shallow man and his interest in martial arts is based solely on arrogance. This leads to his downfall just as he achieves the pinnacle of success.

Once his success and position are destroyed, Huo is just an empty shell of a person. He wanders aimlessly, homeless, and almost dies until he slowly discovers the spirit that is supposed to go along with martial arts. At this point, Huo starts to rebuild himself.

Thankfully, there are none of the pat 'moment of truth' scenes you'd find in most movies with a fall and redemption theme. As Huo finds a real sense of self and purpose, he returns home to reclaim his life and make amends. As an extension of his own healing, he seeks to unify different schools of martial arts.
'Fearless' has lots of great fight scenes, yet it also tells a very deep and moving story with awesome cinematography. Ronny Yu makes the film so epic and yet it is so simple, almost like an ancient parable you'd read about some Zen master. Much of the reason the movie is so powerful is that the script allows the story to unfold rather than using dialogue to tell us what to think. Also, Li does a fantastic job conveying the various stages of Huo's journey in his expressions, delivery, and body language. You can really tell the difference in the character from the beginning of the movie to the end. As far as I'm concerned, that's what great acting is all about.
As is usually the case, the Director's Cut makes this a long movie. However, I never felt at any time that 'Fearless' had unnecessary scenes or dragged in pace. If anything, I think the shorter versions of the film must be lacking key scenes or subplots whose absence would lessen this very rich movie. As a result, I have no interest at all in the shorter versions.
'Fearless' speaks to me in so many different ways: the importance of friendship, the importance of wisdom versus knowledge, what real success is all about, and what it is to be a man. For these reasons, as well as the sheer beauty of the film, the great story, and the terrific fight scenes, this is my favorite movie of all time. It's also the movie that inspired me to get back into martial arts.