As surprising as this may seem, Jet Li’s remake of a Bruce Lee classic was able to do more than match the original. In 1994, Jet Li starred inFist of Legend, a Hong Kong kung fu film that revisited the story ofFist of Fury. Released in 1971,Fist of Furywas the second offive Bruce Lee movies. Although not as significant asEnter the Dragon,Fist of Furyleft its own mark on the martial arts genre.
An original story,Fist of Furytells the story of Chen Zhen, a Chinese martial artist who returns home to find his master dead and his school being tormented by the region’s Japanese occupants.Fist of Furysees Bruce Lee’s Chen Zhen take a heroic stand against his people’s oppressors, with the film being driven by a strong, patriotic theme. InFist of Legend, Jet Li takes over the role of Chen Zhen from Bruce Lee, in a story that keeps the original premise of the film but also adds its own flavor to the narrative. Most impressively, it actually surpassesFist of Fury.
Fist Of Fury Is An Iconic Martial Arts Classic, But It’s Not Even Close To Being Bruce Lee’s Best Movie
Fist Of Fury Is Great, But It Has Its Weaknesses
54 years after its release,Fist of Furyremains a popular and memorable entry in the martial arts genre. However, it’s important to note that Fist of Fury is generally considered - at best - the third best of Bruce Lee’s four completed movies. That’s partially becauseEnter the Dragonis naturally regarded as the quintessential Bruce Lee movie, not to mention thegreatest martial arts movie of all time. There’s also the matter ofWay of the Dragon, which features the Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris battle, which is remembered as one of the greatest martial arts fights ever.
Fist of Furywas the second of two films that Bruce Lee made with director Lo Wei, with the first beingThe Big Boss. Both were released in 1971.
Fist of Fury,for its part,contains some standout action sequences, specifically the one where Chen Zhen uses the nunchucks to deliver a humiliating defeat to a group of thugs.Bruce Lee fighting with nunchucks inFist of Furyis among the actor’s famous moments on the silver screen. That, combined with Lee’s other fight scenes in the film, are what make up most ofFist of Fury’sentertainment value. In addition to the nunchuck scenes,Fist of Fury’siconic status is owed largely to the fact that it’s one of only a few Bruce Lee movies, not unlike the situation withThe Big Boss.
Comparably speaking,Way of the DragonandEnter the Dragonare much more complete movies. They’re also positive steps in Bruce Lee’s evolution as a martial arts star; his movies arguably got better and better with each outing, asThe Big Bosswas topped byFist of Fury, and that continued from there. Just as Lee’s approach was developing, so was the genre as a whole, as kung fu movies were still fairly new at the time, considering that1970’sThe Chinese Boxerwas the very first of its kind.Fist of Furywas a good-quality kung fu film and a fun viewing experience, but far away from being his best work.
Fist Of Legend Is Arguably Jet Li’s Greatest Movie
Fist Of Legend Is One Of The Best Martial Arts Movies Ever Made
Conversely,Fist of Legendfrequently finds itself in conversations about Jet Li’s best movie, often in the company of films likeOnce Upon a Time in ChinaandFearless. All three are highly-touted martial arts classics with spectacular choreography, memorable protagonists, and interesting stories. In the case ofFist of Legend,a strong case can be made that not only is it Jet Li at his best, but that it’s also one of the best martial arts movies of the 1990s.
Its 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes - compared toFist of Fury’sless-than-ideal 65% - speaks volumes about its reputation. As a martial arts film,Fist of Legendis the complete package, offering plenty of beautifully choreographed fight scenes, complementing a powerful story about a martial artist’s efforts to save his dojo from their Japanese enemies. The fight scenes are shot in a way that perfectly showcases the depth of Jet Li’s talent in kung fu and wushu, utilizing long takes and incredibly fast movements to create surreal action on par with those seen inFist of Fury.
What Fist Of Legend Does Better Than Fist Of Fury
Fist Of Legend Is Superior To Fist Of Fury
Perhaps the most impressive thing aboutFist of Legendis how it compares toFist of Fury. Before the film’s release, it was difficult to imagine any martial arts film remaking a Bruce Lee movie and living up to the expectations that come with that task. ButFist of Legendshockingly does that and more. It succeeds in improving on whatFist of Furyhad to offer. It takes the underlying premise of the story, and builds onto it, creating a more nuanced and believable cast of characters forJet Li’s Chen Zhento interact with.Fist of Fury’scharacters are one-dimensional in comparison - and that extends to Chen Zhen himself.
InFist of Fury, there’s very little that distinguishes the talented and confident Chen Zhen from the rest of Bruce Lee’s characters, with his only noteworthy quality being his pride in his Chinese heritage.Fist of Legend, on the other hand, paints the hero as a much more complex hero, someone who isn’t just trying to beat the foreigners in his homeland and prove Chinese superiority, but dives deep into the character’s internal struggle as he looks for a way to help his school survive against the threats of the Japanese.
It’s also worth noting thatFist of Legendis more accurate to both the setting and the style of martial arts in the film.Bruce Lee fights with his own signature kung fu styleinFist of Fury, whereasFist of Legendmakes an effort to depict the fighting style taught by Hua Yuanjia, the real-life martial artist who ran the kung fu school at the center of the story. In this respect,Fist of Legend’saction is more authentic.
