LEGEND OF THE FIST boasts some topnotch production values: in the opening scenes, Donnie Yen as the superhuman Chen Zhen makes short work of the Germans in France during WWI- with the aid of wirework and cgi. When WWII rolls around, Yen, laying low as a piano player in a Shanghai nightclub, antagonizes the occupying Japanese- and then snatches a chauffeur's black leather outfit and mask from a storefront dummy (part of a display for a movie titled THE MASKED WARRIOR) and kicks some butt. The outfit is, of course, yet another copy of Bruce Lee's costume from THE GREEN HORNET. Jet Li donned same in THE BLACK MASK, another Bruceploitation flick from yesteryear. Going Li one better, LEGEND OF THE FIST also borrows liberally from Li's own FIST OF LEGEND. It's enough to make one's head spin. As is the wonky wirework we see here (again). Far too much time is spent on posturing and partying and talking before this latest Bruceploitation propaganda flick kicks into high gear- and, when it does, it's much too little and it comes much too late to save this one. When Yen does his impression of Bruce Lee during The Big Finale, it's unintentionally hilarious. And I thought these kind of movies had finally run their course. Guess not...

Saw this at London preview.

This is a loose sequel to Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury. Its not important to know that but if you are a fan of Bruce Lee, you will enjoy Donny Yen's sometimes blatant impression of Bruce Lee's nuances and war cries. If you aren't familiar with Bruce Lee, than a certain fight sequence may look a bit bewildering! There is a fascinating story to be told here with some interesting sub plots and bizarrely evolving into a comic book superhero flick. Unfortunately, it makes for a complete mess. I wont totally blame the director for that, that's an editor's job to maintain a narrative flow. The potential is there for this to work but unfortunately it just seems to me that couldn't bind it all together, or they were in a hurry to complete the film because it all seemed rushed.

However, the film is sumptuous to watch in its period settings, and the 2 leads are charismatic enough to carry the film. There is a sprinkle of humour that gave me chuckles though some were unintentional.

But the real star of the film is Donny Yen. As he gets older, he has even more star presence than ever before and when he fights, you can always feel his punches and awesome kicks. The action scenes are adrenaline pumping, visceral, with a stylish visual flair. These alone are worth the price of admission.

I would watch this again, and maybe next time I can piece a few more pieces of the story together.

Overall, see it for the brilliance of Donny Yen action and if you actually followed the story and enjoyed it, then good for you!