Fist of Fury (1972)

"Fist of Fury" is an improvement over Bruce Lee's previous movie, technically speaking and the story is stronger. Above all, the martial arts choreography is simply superb and represents the best of its kind. The violence is brutal and unpretentious. There is some history associated with this film, focusing on the hatred between the Chinese and the Japanese races. That is the reason why the plot is better than usual. Bruce Lee plays the avenging student of a local Chinese school who seeks revenge for the murder of his teacher. He soon runs afoul of this Japanese school - or should that be the other way round? Soon, all hell breaks loose as Lee exerts his own brand of justice - in Kung Fu style! There is added tension in the story, courtesy of the Chinese citizens being under the control of the Japanese. Bruce Lee is a more hard-edged character in this film. He displays almost no humour or charm and is strictly business. He dispatches his enemies without a second thought and without conscience. His anger and grief surface on more than occasion and in spectacular fashion. The fight scenes are amongst the best I've ever seen in a martial arts movie and I have watched a lot of them. Real life student of Bruce Lee - American Bob Baker - is on hand as a Russian martial artist. His fight against Lee is not to be missed. For the first time, we bear witness to the use of the nunchukus. In the hands of Lee, they are an exceptionally dangerous weapon. At the beginning when Lee first enters the Japanese school, he says the line: We Chinese are NOT sick men," the cinemagoers went wild with applause during the film's release in 1972. The Chinese people immediately regarded Bruce Lee as their hero and who can blame them? "Fist of Fury" proved to be so successful at the Asian box office after breaking all records, that two different sequels were made. In my opinion, neither one of them can match the original.

Written & directed by Wei Lo (who also plays the role of The Inspector), "The Chinese Connection" is simply a classic Bruce Lee martial arts film. It of course serves its purpose of dishing out lots of great combat (complete with hilarious over use of "impact" sounds). But there's more here going on than that. This also features some funny comedy, and some particularly potent drama. It's a tale of bigotry, as the Japanese in Shanghai treat their Chinese counterparts with contempt, and demean them.Taking place at the turn of the 20th century, it stars Bruce as Chen Zhen, a student who returns to his school to learn that the beloved "Master" has died. Not only that, but he just might have been murdered, to boot. Naturally, Chen swears to solve the crime and get some revenge. He takes on all comers, while the carnage mounts.There's some pretty delicious gore in this lively affair, which goes on a bit long at one hour and 47 minutes, but it still has much to recommend it. Lo and Bruce get your attention and keep it with their many intense fight sequences. It also offers a little dose of romance, as Chen hopes to marry the girl whom he loves (Nora Miao). The villains are wonderfully despicable; you love to hate them, and eagerly anticipate the inevitable showdown between Bruce and characters such as Petrov (Robert Baker), a massive Russian who shows off his superhuman strength in one amusing segment.The acting is just fine from everybody concerned. Bruce is indeed at his best, proving his physical prowess at every turn and displaying that memorable screen presence.Good, solid action entertainment, a must for martial arts fans.Eight out of 10.

Lo Wei's FIST OF FURY is yet another strong, action-fuelled odyssey of danger, treachery, rivalry, and hatred from Bruce Lee, the undisputed king of kung fu cinema who once again gets an opportunity to display the reasons that he is still, even now forty years later, considered to be the best of the best when it comes to martial arts. Drawing on many inspirations, from spaghetti westerns to war films and even romance, the movie satisfies on a number of levels and not least with the violence-fuelled plot which makes ultimate use of the intense hatred of the Japanese by the Chinese (and vice-versa). This time around, Bruce plays a deeply flawed hero who simply cannot control his anger when confronted by a Japanese school who may or may not have had his beloved master killed. In order to satisfy his deep-burning lust for revenge, Bruce goes on a one-man mission of revenge and justice, as the police close in on him and his former comrades lose hope.Lo Wei's movie is well-directed and it goes without saying that the fights are very well choreographed, especially towards the end of the movie. Although the transfer I saw was badly cropped, many of the fight sequences are still highly impressive, showing a more human but no less indestructible side of Bruce. The finale, in which he invades the Japanese camp and takes on a massive Russian fighter, is great stuff and martial arts at its finest.The rest of the film is a mixed bag, containing heavy helpings of social comment, drama and a close examination of the situation in which the helpless characters find themselves. In a way, all of the participants have no control over what they do and so watching the inevitable tragedy play out is often gripping stuff. Although the victim of another bad dubbing job, the often strong acting shines through from the likes of Nora Miao, James Tien, and of course Bruce himself. Thus, both Lee fans and fans of the action genre in general should find much to be enjoyed in this powerful, very human drama which uses the fight scenes as a result of the plot rather than the other way round (as is often the flaw with most cheap kung fu movies). Jet Li's 1994 film FIST OF LEGEND is a very different - but no less impressive - version of the same story.

in my opinion enter the dragon is a good kung fu movie but I have to say it is overrated. why because its often picked best kung fu movie because its in English and most of the people who rate it the best kung fu movie of all time have not seen any other kung fu movie like the golden harvest or Shaw brother movies. Fist of Fury is better because it is original and focuses full on lees character unlike enter the dragon which has cheesy American characters. Fist of fury also has a iconic story set during the foreign occupation of china when china was humiliated and scene as the week country of the east by many imperia pompous nations like the British, the Japanese and the French. as a result of his master death Bruce Lee swears to take revenge against the Japanese. don't get me wrong Enter the dragon is a good kung fu movie in the top ten but it certainly isn't the best kung fu movie, I would probably put this or the 36th chamber shaolin as the best kung fu movie.