In 1937, a Chinese martial artist returns to Shanghai to find his teacher dead and his school harassed by the Japanese.In 1937, a Chinese martial artist returns to Shanghai to find his teacher dead and his school harassed by the Japanese.In 1937, a Chinese martial artist returns to Shanghai to find his teacher dead and his school harassed by the Japanese.
- Awards
- 2 nominations
Billy Chow
- General Fujita (Supreme Killer)
- (as Billy Chau)
Jackson Lou
- Ryuichi Akutagawa
- (as Lou Hsueh Hsien)
John DeMita
- Chen Zhen
- (English version)
- (voice)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJet Li plays Chen Zhen in this movie, a student of master Huo Yuanjia. Jet Li would then go on to play Master Huo Yuanjia in Fearless (2006)
- GoofsAlthough set in 1914, one of the cars seen on the street in Shanghai is a 1947 Chevrolet, and another is a 1948 Buick.
- Quotes
Chen Zhen: The object of matching is to beat down the opponent.
Fumio Funakoshi: Wrong kid, the best way to beat the opponent is to use a gun.
- Alternate versionsThe Dimension version makes some changes to the original, including a new score by Stephen Edwards, new sound effects, new opening/closing credits, a slightly shortened ending, and to the script.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Ultimate Fights from the Movies (2002)
Featured review
Simply put, Fist of Legend is one of the very best martial arts films ever made. It stands in a group with Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon, Jackie Chan's Drunken Master II, and...as soon as I think of anything as good as those three, I'll let you know.
Choreographed by the legendary Yuen Wo-Ping, this is Jet Li at his best (and that's saying a lot, folks). Eschewing the aerial wire stunts, Li relies on skill, speed and agility, and is more than up to the task. These fights - and there are a lot of them - are stunning. But the real wonder is that there's a real movie here underneath all the stuntwork. Interesting characters, an intriguing plot, and conflict that goes deeper than "you killed my master"; there's even some political comment. This is a thinly-veiled remake of Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury" (or "The Chinese Connection" in the US, for some bizarre reason), but the story's been widened and given more depth. There's less Japanese-bashing, with more of an attempt to pin blame on individuals instead of nationalities.
If Jet Li is ever going to have a formidable American presence, it's films like this one that should be making the conversion, instead of merely above-average fare like "Black Mask".
Choreographed by the legendary Yuen Wo-Ping, this is Jet Li at his best (and that's saying a lot, folks). Eschewing the aerial wire stunts, Li relies on skill, speed and agility, and is more than up to the task. These fights - and there are a lot of them - are stunning. But the real wonder is that there's a real movie here underneath all the stuntwork. Interesting characters, an intriguing plot, and conflict that goes deeper than "you killed my master"; there's even some political comment. This is a thinly-veiled remake of Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury" (or "The Chinese Connection" in the US, for some bizarre reason), but the story's been widened and given more depth. There's less Japanese-bashing, with more of an attempt to pin blame on individuals instead of nationalities.
If Jet Li is ever going to have a formidable American presence, it's films like this one that should be making the conversion, instead of merely above-average fare like "Black Mask".
- Nigel St. Buggering
- Nov 1, 2003
- Permalink
Details
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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