Dragon Dynasty brings the film that many consider one of Jet Li’s best in a great new two-disc version that has a ton of great special features. What’s missing however is hearing from Li.
Chen Zhen (Jet Li) is away studying in Japan in the 1920s, somewhat unwanted since the Japanese students do not want Chinese in their school, when he hears that his former master has been killed in a challenge match. He returns to China to the school of Jing Wu Men to mourn his fallen master.
He goes to the dojo of Ryoichi (Jackson Liu), the man that defeated his master, and when he challenges him to a fight he discovers that the man isn’t a good enough fighter to have defeated his master in combat. An autopsy reveals that his master was poisoned. Ting’en (Siu-hou Chin), an old friend of Zhen’s, is now master of the school. Since Chen is a better fighter than Ting’en, a rivalry develops.
Zhen is framed for the murder of Ryoichi by General Fujita (Billy Chau), the Japanese general that controls the town, the resulting trial and its consequences will lead Zhen into a battle to decide the fate of the school.
Fist of Legend is a remake of Bruce Lee’s Fists of Fury. At first director Gordon Chan thought it was insanity to try and redo the Bruce Lee classic but on further thought decided that he might be able to do something with the concept. Indeed, Jet Li strengthens the screen whenever he appears - not to mention that his skills as a fighter are put on full display.
The problem is that he’s not on the screen on occasion and a subplot with Ting’en takes up far too much of the show. Yet when Li returns its time for some ass kicking action. In some way Li gets his revenge in the final battle as Siu-hou Chin gets waylaid and it’s Li’s show.
The final showdown is a humdinger as the massive Billy Chau makes one great opponent. You’ll have to wade through the romantic plots and other character’s storylines but it will be Li’s wonderful performance, both of acting and kung fu, which you’ll be watching for.
Fist of Legend is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Disc one contains the film and a commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan. Disc two has a collection of fabulous interviews.
The first is the 35 minute “The Man behind the Legend” which interviews director Gordon Chan (in English). The 23-minute “Brother in Arms” interviews kung fu impresario Chin Siu-ho (subtitled). The 29-minute “Way of the Warrior” interviews Kurata Yasuaki (subtitled).
The 26-minute “School of Hard Knocks” shows a fighting seminar at the Kurata Action School. There’s also a 9-minute appreciation of the film with film critic Elvis Mitchell and director Brett Ratner.
Next are 5 minutes of deleted scenes and two trailers totaling 4 minutes. Where the set may be lacking is that there’s no interview with Jet Li. However, there’s still enough here to satisfy the kung fu fan.
Jet Li is one great fighter and the Fist of Legend only goes to prove that the legend is true. Where the film falters a bit is that Li is cast to the back of the plot for a section of the film.
However, the grand battle royale at the end places him firmly at the front again. This great new edition adds some great special features and is highly recommended for fans of Li and kung fu cinema.
Fist of Legend (Two-disc Ultimate Edition) is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
Your Talkback on this Story