Legend of the Fist: Return of Chen Zhen

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen is an outstanding kung fu picture and an outstanding bit of agitprop.

Donnie Yen (the Ip Man films, the Iron Monkey films, Blade II, Hero, Shanghai Knights) follows in the footsteps of Bruce Lee and Jet Li as the titular hero in this third Chen Zhen film (Lee originated the role in Fist of Fury and Li played him in Fist of Legend.).  Yen, gifted with extraordinary speed and agility, is a formidable martial artist and a charismatic performer.  Through a combination of world-class editing, practical stunts, wirework, and seamlessly executed CGI, Legend of the Fist turns him into a just-that-side-of-superhuman hero.  The film puts him into a variety of brilliantly choreographed fights, one of which even includes a “tribute to Bruce Lee” nunchuck bit that brought a huge smile to my face.  Oh, and bonus: Yen can act!  Shu Qi (The Transporter, So Close) plays the love interest and, well, I’d watch her fold laundry for 90 minutes.  Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, (Vengeance, the Infernal Affairs movies), plays a sympathetic nightclub owner, and he’s steadily rising in my estimation.  I’m going to start looking for movies on the strength of his name.  Director Andrew Lau (the really quite good Infernal Affairs movies) knows how to direct action, and he knows how to direct acting.  He’s created a very slick, very good, very professional kung movie.  I loved it on those merits alone.

But Legend of the Fist has a whole other thing going on.  Chen Zhen’s story takes place during the period of Chinese history called the Warlord Era, between World Wars One and Two.  The once-proud nation was divided and weak and easy prey for both Western powers, who sought commercial exploitation, and Japan, who wanted an empire.  Anyone who wants to understand contemporary Chinese political thought and international strategy needs to understand this time -- it has become a touchstone of Chinese identity.  This was the time when the proud kingdom was on its knees, when tiny Japan maligned it as the “weak man of Asia.” When Legend of the Fist begins, Chen Zhen and his comrades are in Europe, fighting WWI with the Allied Powers.  The film tells us they had no military training and were sent as laborers, digging trenches and hauling ammunition.  Of course, they get shot and blown up just easily as the white men carrying the rifles.  When the war concludes, China’s ignored in Versailles and its erstwhile allies look the other way as Japan begins its conquest.  Chen Zhen becomes a resistance leader, fighting the evil Japanese and standing up for Chinese national pride.  He and his allies humiliate the Japanese.  They humiliate the corrupt English police chief who, when humbled, mumbles an American-inflected “whatever.”  Chen Zhen, thus, becomes a symbol of modern Chinese nationalism, of a nation fighting complacent Western and Western-allied powers for respect.  Chen Zhen wins.

I imagine this goes over hugely well with Chinese audiences and, for that matter, with the Chinese government.  But you don’t have to be Chinese to groove on the fantastic action, the very good performances, and the intellectual exercise of analyzing nationalist film’s place in modern China.  I thought Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen was fantastic.  If you like this genre, I think you’ll love it, too.

Ip Man 2

Ip Man 2, while not quite as good as Ip Man (reviewed here), still ranks as a thoroughly successful martial arts picture.

Donnie Yen reprises his role as Ip Man (Ip is his surname, Man his given name.  If he were in the US, he’d call himself Man Ip.).  He and his family are refugees in Hong Kong, their pre-war lives of affluence in mainland Foshun nothing but a memory.  The first film indicated that Ip was a smart businessman, but even a smart businessman needs a little starting capital.  For Ip, that means offering lessons in Wing Chun. 

Soon, Ip’s standing before a gathering of the martial arts masters of Hong Kong, offering to fight any challengers for the right to be called Master.  This is a fantastic sequence, even better than the film’s climactic fight against a cocky English boxer.  It combines comedy (two Masters conferring, “You wanna go first?”  “No, I think you should go first.”) with class and grace, showing us Masters fighting hard, but pulling their punches so as not to do any real damage.  The battles convey a sense of respect and sportsmanship, with Ip bowing to each defeated opponent and telling him, “Thank you for letting me win.”  When Sammo Hung himself, as the Big Boss, takes center stage against our protagonist, the film delivers a real treat.  Hung has always been a big boy – he was the “fat one” during his days at Peking Opera – and it’s a real delight to see a man who’s pushing 250 lbs trading moves with the younger, fitter Yen.

So if Ip Man 2 still has Donnie Yen and even puts fight choreographer and director Sammo Hung in front of the camera, why doesn’t it measure up to Ip Man?  Simply put, the stakes aren’t as high.  In Ip Man, the hero tries to keep his family alive during the Japanese occupation of China.  In Ip Man 2, he’s just another immigrant trying to make it in a new town.  Nobody’s pointing a gun at him.  Further, the fights use more wire work, which is a distraction in the quasi-realistic world Ip Man 2 tries to create.  Combine that with a greater reliance on fast-paced editing in the fight sequences, and we have a film that, rather than the brilliance of its predecessor, merely checks in as very very good.

But hey, I’ll take very very good every time.  Ip Man 2, while not a masterpiece, is still better than most martial arts films on the market.  I’d happily watch it again.

Ip Man

Ip Man is the best martial arts films I’ve seen Ong Bak: Muy Thai Warrior.

Donnie Yen (who grew up in Hong Kong and Boston) plays Ip Man, the fellow who invented Wing Chun Kung Fu and who, years after the events of this film, taught Bruce Lee.  Here, he’s a prosperous gentleman in the Chinese town of Foshan.  Foshan is a center of martial arts education, and he’s respected as the greatest practitioner around.  Oh, and he’s also a great guy, always willing to help a friend and going out of his way to avoid embarrassing those who would challenge him.

And then the Japanese invade.

And that’s all I’m going to say about the plot, except to tell you that this isn’t the “brave resistance leader” movie I expected.  Ip Man knows that punches and kicks aren’t much good against machine guns, and he’ll be happy if he can just figure out how to keep his family alive through the occupation.  That isn’t to say that there are no punches and kicks, just that they’re carefully set up and they happen for a reason.  Ip Man’s fights may be fun and cool in the beginning of the film, when everything’s generally ok, but they take on considerable dramatic weight after the Japanese show up.  I found myself not just grooving on the choreography and execution, but emotionally engaged in each battle and worried for their outcomes.

Look, you know and I know that the world is full of great dramatic films.  You want to know if Ip Man works as a martial arts picture.  It does, and here’s why:  Sammo Hung, who choreographed and directed the fighting sequences, has been doing this for a long time: he was one of Jackie Chan’s classmates in Peking Opera School, a brutally difficult academy that takes athletic kids and turns them into adults capable of amazing feats of grace and violence.  Hung went on perform in a career’s worth of films and television programs (including a short-lived American cop show), and today he divides his time between performing and directing.  Donnie Yen, the film’s star, has performed against martial arts luminaries such as Jet Li in Hero and Jackie Chan in Shanghai Knights.  In other words, we’re talking about an action director and a star who both know what they’re doing (We expect the opponent stuntmen to know their craft.  Ability to execute stunts is their calling card, while Hero Character actors also need to look good, be able to emote reasonably well, etc.  Sometimes, for Hero Characters, stuntwork ability comes in second.).  This assurance translates into fight scenes that actually make sense, with long takes that allow us to see and appreciate the work and the artistry that the performers bring to the production. 

So what we’re talking about here is a movie with dramatic heft and first rate martial arts action.  Add excellent production values and historical resonance, and we have a recipe for success.  Ip Man is a winner.