Fist of Legend (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

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong martial arts violence

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

In the final fight between Chen Zen and Gen. Fujita, every time Fujita falls to the ground his hair is longer, revealing it to be a stunt double.

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Quotes

Chen Zhen: The object of matching is to beat down the opponent.
Fumio Funakoshi: Wrong kid, the best way to beat the opponent is to use a gun.

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Alternate Versions

The Dimension version makes some changes to the original, including a new score by Stephen Edwards, new sound effects, new opening/closing credits, a slightly shortened ending, and to the script.

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Connections

Referenced in WatchMojo: Top 20 Funniest Film Title Translations (2019)

User Reviews

One of the best martial arts movies

Up until this movie I had always been let down by Jet Li's flicks except for the "Once Upon a Time in China" series. I bought "Fist of Legend" because it was one of Jet Li's highest rated movies on the IMDb (but it was behind "Hero", which I didn't like so much). I would say I had high but not unrealistic hopes for it. But this movie *needed* to be good or I would have started to consider Jet Li over-rated.

All I can say is that "Fist of Legend" delivers! The opening fight scene was surprisingly brutal and I was instantly hooked. The action doesn't take too long a break in this movie but also found the story compelling and interesting -- something unusual in a martial arts flick. Most of the protagonists are fully developed and the viewer likes and feels for them. The villains aren't nearly so fleshed out and come off as one-dimensional but oh well. Everything else from the costumes to the acting and the settings were decent. The sum package is one of the best martial arts movies I've ever seen and I've seen more than my share. "Fist of Legend" is to Jet Li as "Drunken Master" is to Jackie Chan.

I saw the dubbed Dimension US release. Although I hate dubbing and any editing of a foreign release (are you listening Dimension?), I found the dubbing here mostly okay except for the General's insanely over-the-top "evil" voice. I also felt that some of the dialog seemed to have lost meaning in the translation but it's forgivable.

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese Mandarin Japanese English

Release Date:

22 December 1994 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Fist of Legend

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Harvest Company, Eastern Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1