Jing wu ying xiong (1994)

In 1937, a Chinese martial artist returns to Shanghai to find his teacher dead and his school harassed by the Japanese.

Director:

Gordon Chan

Writers:

Gordon Chan (screenplay), Kwong Kim Yip (screenplay) (as Ip Kwong Kim)

Stars:

Jet Li, Shinobu Nakayama, Siu-Ho Chin

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jet Li	...	Chen Zhen
Shinobu Nakayama	...	Mitsuko Yamada
Siu-Ho Chin	...	Hou Ting-En
Billy Chow	...	General Fujita (Supreme Killer) (as Billy Chau)
Yasuaki Kurata	...	Fuimo Funakoshi
Paul Chun	...	Uncle Noh (as Paul Chiang)
Ada Choi	...	Rose
Cheung-Yan Yuen	...	Captain Jie
Toshimichi Takahashi	...	Japanese Ambassador
Suk-Mui Tam	...	Wei
Jackson Lou	...	Ryuichi Akutagawa (as Lou Hsueh Hsien)
Sun Wong	...	Cook
Man Biu Lee	...	Biu
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
E.E. Bell	...	(voice)
Shaun Britton	...	English Gentleman at Dock

Storyline

Chen Zhen, a Chinese engineering student in Kyoto, who braves the insults and abuse of his Japanse fellow students for his local love Mitsuko Yamada, daughter of the director, returns in 1937 to his native Shangai, under Japanse protectorate -in fact military occupation- after reading about the death of his kung-fu master Huo Yuan Jia in a fight against the Japanese champion Ryuichi Akutagawa. While overcoming suspicion and ambition within the kungfu school, Chen exhumes his master to prove Hou's defeat was the result of poisoning. Both nationalities make the case a test of honor, so Chinese and Japanese pride are at stake when it culminates in Chen's final epic duel against the ruthless, undefeated Japanese general Fujita.

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Plot Keywords:

imperial japan | japanese flag | katana sword | katana | japanese army | 

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Taglines:

To avenge his masters death, He'll fight like never before!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong martial arts violence

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese Mandarin Japanese English

Release Date:

22 December 1994 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Fist of Legend

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eastern Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The U.S Version made by Miramax for its release on video in 2000 immediately caused an uproar with the Hong Kong Cinema fan community because it contained only a new English dub/score with alterations to the original dialogue and no original Cantonese option - a process many of their Hong Kong-acquired titles suffered (not to mention the edits).

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Goofs

When Gen. Fujita sees Chen Zen kicking at his face, he grabs Chen's leg and throws him away. His arm is already down when Chen is in the air. But when Chen hits a rock, breaking it, Fujita's arm is still going down.

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Quotes

Fumio Funakoshi: Why don't you show me what you've learned
Chen Zhen: [Picks up rock and breaks it into pieces] It's about the energy. About focusing on a single point in time.
Fumio Funakoshi: So, it's about energy. But tell me something, does a rock have as much energy as an opponent would?
[Slices a leaf floating in air with hand]
Fumio Funakoshi: You need a more powerful stroke when you're fighting a human being.
Chen Zhen: Let's see how I can put it into action.

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Alternate Versions

The Out of Print RITEK version from Taiwan contains approximately 3 minutes of extra footage showing the headmaster using opium with the prostitute.

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Connections

Featured in Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Movie (2011)

User Reviews

Possibly the greatest martial arts movie ever

Bruce Lee will probably always be remembered and referred to as the greatest Screen martial artist of all time, and his most famous movie probably The Chinese Connection AKA Fist Of Fury, the movie that Fist Of Legend remakes, or the story at least. I would love to have had the chance to see Bruce and Jet square off because im not sure the outcome would be so clear. In this remake Jet surpasses even the Dragon himself, and i say this in all respect to Bruce.

The story is well known, but this remake goes deeper in probing the racial conflict in japanese occupied china. Jet plays folk legend Chen Zen, famously out to avenge the death of his master by seemingly fighting every japanese martial artist in the world, while at the same time battling racism not just from the japanese but his own people.

Yuen Woo Ping is famed for his fight sequences and use of wires, but in this movie wires are used in no more than two or three scenes, while the movie still retains the classic martial arts fights, in barren landscapes and courtyards of kung fu schools. Thus this is probably the greatest showcase yet of the incredible talents of Jet. Without the use of wires jet can move more freely and more realistially and while it cannot be denied that you must have great talent to work a wire to your advantage as jet did in the once upon a time series, this really shows us just what jet is capable of everyday, and boy, what a talent.

The showdown with the japanese karate master in the hills where jet's character comes to live is beautifully choregraphed, packed with skill, gracefull like a deadly ballet and totally natural, the way great martial arts should be, absolutly awe inspiring. The same can be said for every fight sequence in this movie, all left me gasping, all left me full of admiration, not just for jet who i have long believed to be possibly the greatest talent in martial arts today or any other time, but for his opponents.

Great story, amazing fight sequences, fluent direction, smooth cinematography... it might not be as great or as grand in narration as Once Upon a Time in China or Crouching Tiger, but this is one of the greatest martial arts film ever, and accessable to everyone. One of my Jet Li favourites along with OUATIC2 and Tai Chi Master (AKA Twin Warriors)and definetly one of my all time favourites.