(1994)
2.5
Elbert Ventura
Considered by connoisseurs of the genre one of the finest martial arts films ever made, this remake of Bruce Lee's classic Fist of Fury is a star vehicle through and through. With his intense glower and purposeful cool, Jet Li is a commanding presence; his charisma almost eclipses the movie's standard-issue plot and perfunctory direction. As with most martial arts films, the highlight is the action, and there's a lot of it. Boasting a style that's closer to sinuous than acrobatic (though he's that too), Li breaks bones and flips bodies with stylish aplomb. The climactic fight scene alone, a lengthy, spectacularly choreographed tour de force, is worth the price of admission. Though it was co-directed by Hong Kong wire-fighting master Yuen Woo-ping, who has since gained U.S. acclaim with his fight choreography for The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the movie doesn't spend a lot of time in the air. With a minimum of wire work, the movie leaves the rules of gravity alone for the most part, giving audiences the chance to see Jet Li in his purest fighting form. Packed with awesome fight scenes and some of Li's coolest moves, the movie is as good as martial arts movies get.
Fist of Legend on AllMovie
Fist of Legend (1994)
