Legend of the Fist (5 Stars)

Dancer's Top Films #48

In 2008 and 2010 Donnie Yen made the first two Ip Man films. As far as he was concerned, that was the end of it. He didn't want to play the character again. Now it was time for him to move on. Ip man was one of the most legendary figures in the history of martial arts, second only to his student Bruce Lee. Who else could Donnie Yen play?

There was one other figure: Chen Zhen. Unlike Ip Man, Chen Zhen was a fictional character. He was first introduced in the 1972 film "Fist of Fury", played by Bruce Lee. He embodied the Chinese resistance against the Japanese occupation. This inspired the Chinese so much that many Chinese believed that the film was based on a true character. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

Even though Chen Zhen was killed at the end of "Fist of Fury", many other films and television series were made about him over the following years. Most were sequels, claiming that he had survived. There were also remakes, like "Fist of Legend" in 1994, starring Jet Li.

"Legend of the Fist" was made as a direct sequel to "Fist of Fury". It begins in 1917, a few years after Chen Zhen's supposed death. He just says that he survived and the reports of his death are untrue. This causes a problem in continuity. In "Fist of Fury" the exact date of the events isn't stated, but it's during the Japanese occupation, so it would have to be in the 1930's. "Legend of the Fist" claims that Chen Zhen fought against the Japanese in Hong Kong shortly before World War One began. Is that possible? Hong Kong was a British colony at the time. Did the Japanese wield that amount of influence? I don't have enough knowledge of Chinese history to answer that question.

In 1917 Chen Zhen is part of a group of Chinese who have gone to Europe to aid the British in the First World War. Chen Zhen's best friend, Qi Tianyuan, is killed, so Chen Zhen adopts his name out of respect. He returns to Shanghai. In 1925 it's a divided city. It has different sectors run by the Chinese, the British, the Americans and the Japanese. Despite being nominally part of China, everyone fears the Japanese.

The film has the aura of a spy thriller. It's centred around the night club Casablanca, where Chen Zhen works as a piano player. The owner is a rich Chinese man called Master Liu, but the guests are of all nationalities. The Japanese frequent the club in full military uniform, bullying the Chinese employees.

In this nest of intrigue nobody is what he seems. The beautiful singer Miss Kiki is the lover of first Master Liu, and then Chen Zhen.

But Kiki is really Captain Yamaguchi of the Japanese army.

The biggest deception is carried out by Chen Zhen himself. Apart from calling himself Qi Tianyuan, he also puts on a mask and a leather outfit, calling himself the Masked Marauder.

He stands on the rooftops at night, watching over the city, waiting to strike fear into the hearts of the Japanese. His stance is that of Batman, but he reminds me more of the Green Hornet's sidekick Kato, who was played by Bruce Lee in the 1960's television series. I'm sure that the resemblance is intentional.

I would like to have seen Donnie Yen return as Chen Zhen in a sequel, but alas, it wasn't to be. He was persuaded to play Ip Man another twice. But I'm sure that Chen Zhen, the character, isn't dead. He'll return again, played by new generations of actors as long as cinema exists.

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