Fist of Fury (1972)

A young man seeks vengence for the death of his teacher.

Director:

Wei Lo

Writer:

Wei Lo (screenplay) (as Lo Wei)

Stars:

Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, James Tien

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Lee	...	Chen Zhen
Nora Miao	...	Yuan Le-erh (as Miao Ker Hsiu)
James Tien	...	Fan Chun-hsia
Maria Yi	...	Yen
Robert Baker	...	Petrov
Fu Ching Chen	...	Chao
Shan Chin	...	Tung
Ying-Chieh Han	...	Feng Kwai-sher
Chikara Hashimoto	...	Hiroshi Suzuki (as Riki Hashimoto)
Jun Katsumura	...	Suzuki's bodyguard
Chung-Hsin Huang	...	Tien
Kun Li	...	Hsu (as Quin Lee)
Feng Tien	...	Fan
Ying-Chi Li	...	Li (as Yin Chi Lee)
Tony Liu	...	Chin

Storyline

Returning to Shanghai to marry his fiancée, Chen Zhen (Bruce Lee) a student of renowned martial arts teacher Huo Yuanjia, discovers his sifu has died. During the funeral, members of a local Japanese dojo show up and insult the Chinese students. The bullying continues, with Chen fighting back, but when he discovers the truth - that his teacher was poisoned on the orders of the dojo's master - he sets off on a doomed mission of revenge.

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Plot Keywords:

kung fu classic | chinese versus japanese | imperial japan | hand to hand combat | roundhouse kick | 

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Taglines:

Bruce Lee claims his revenge through death and beyond.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the book "I am Jackie Chan: My life in Action", Chan observed an argument on the set between Lee and director Lo Wei. When it looked like the fight would get physical, Lo hid behind his wife, Liu Liang-Hua. She was eventually able to calm Lee down.

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Goofs

Outside the park that only grants admission to non-Chinese, a couple in 1970s clothing and haircuts walk by. Also, deep in the background 1960s cars are parked.

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Quotes

[an exhausted Chen comes home after fighting]
Chen: [sadly, to Le-erh] To think I was going to ask you to be my wife...

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Alternate Versions

For its original 1972 UK cinema release the BBFC requested a cut to remove a shot of a flying throat kick, though it appeared intact in all early theatrical prints and was possibly waived before release. In 1978 the film was withdrawn by BBFC director James Ferman (together with Enter the Dragon) and all nunchaku footage removed together with the previously mentioned throat kick, and these cuts, (totalling 2 mins 51 secs) would persist in all of the film's UK video releases. The cuts were fully restored for the 2001 Hong Kong Legends release.

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Connections

Version of Legend of Huo Yuan Jia (2001)

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Soundtracks

Atmospheres
Written by György Ligeti
Performed by Das Orchester des Südwestfunks Baden-Baden
Courtesy of MGM Records
Brief excerpt, played twice, during dramatic death scenes

User Reviews

Bruce is in peak form.

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.

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin Cantonese English

Release Date:

9 September 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fist of Fury

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Harvest Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 102 min (PAL) 99 min (initial release)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1