So, I heard you liked kung fu movies... memes aside that's really the heart of the film. You're either in one of two camps when it comes to loving kung fu movies. A) You've seen
Enter the Dragon and think it's neat. Well, of course you do. It's
Enter the fucking
Dragon. It's got actual production values, John Saxon, Mr. Handy-Man, and a peerless martial artist that can act, in English no less. Or maybe it's
Legend of Drunken Master or some other kung fu movie from the upper echelon. If you fall into this camp, well frankly, the camp of
The Man with the Iron Fists is not necessarily for you. As this movie is made squarely for those of us that fall into camp B, which as someone using the sobriquet of B I fall into. Those of us in camp B have slogged through literally every kung fu movie available. Our DVD collections are littered with ill advised purchases because person 1 in the movie choreographed or trained someone we loved in another kung fu film. IT is frankly a slavish devotion to the genre. It is akin to being frankly a kung fu zombie. IF you are consumed with an undying fever that can only be cured by jump kicks and terrible dubbing then
The Man with the Iron Fists is your movie.
Because dammit why not?
Not to say that it will not appeal to the casual fan of the genre, it may. Moreover though, it is made with the hardcore disciple of Shaolin in mind. The best way to describe it in terms is that it is an amalgam of humor and over the top gore, and that is all it sets out to be. It is in this simplicity that we find it. It is part grand guignol with elements of odd comedy and asides. It is not without flaws, but at the same time, if you are looking for a rollicking tale of violence and archetypes and bloodletting and ribaldry then this is your movie. Also, Russell Crowe is fat, but I would never say that to his face. It's a solid matinee choice if you're looking for an homage to this genre that you truly love. It's not high art, but there is an artistry to it's violence. It is the essence of the kung fu movie of wildly varying quality but with better production values. That's it. It's exactly what you think it'll be. Also, Silver Lion kinda steals the show, and it's obviously got the best fight scenes you'll see this year.
