Bruce Lee stars as Chen Zhen—a former student of the Jingwu Men school in the Japanese occupied concession of Shanghai— who returns upon learning of his teacher’s death. During the memorial service, a group of rival Japanese martial artists insult the school and issue a challenge to all the students. Chen, seeking to avenge his master’s death, takes up their offer, while struggling with the peaceful codes of his school and his commitment to his fiancée.
To put things quite simply—it’s near impossible to top this film. Bruce Lee’s action scenes dramatically improve, boasting some of the best fights of his career. The story finds an emotional resonance in the typical Lee themes of Chinese nationalism, underdog victories and internal struggles. The plotting is tighter with a steady balance of story and action. And there’s a romance! Yes, this is the one Bruce Lee film with a tangible romantic interest—the lovely Nora Miao— and it’s surprisingly effective as well.
Still, don’t fret. The action is the focus and Fist of Fury goes wild with the amounts of fight variety. There are plenty of one versus many action scenes, including the famous moment when Lee takes on an entire dojo at one. There are all-out battles between two schools of students. And of course, the obligatory Westerner is called in for exciting man-to-man battles. All these scenes are showcased with beautiful clarity and unobtrusive editing, allowing Lee to simply work his magic with his realistic, impressive action.
But these fights are made all the more riveting because of the drama behind them. Fist of Fury wears Lee’s nationalism proudly by portraying every foreigner as dastardly antagonistic—a motif that some viewers might find too ridiculous to swallow. But if you can accept this world, get on Chen’s side or appreciate the thematic significance, you will undoubtedly find yourself brimming with tension as each conflict marvelously builds and explodes. Despite the bend towards his Chinese background, Bruce Lee becomes an underdog symbol for any oppressed persons, by fighting back and wining with just his hands and feet. Sure, the characters that prompt Chen Zhen’s anger may appear contrived, but that actual anger, that pressure building up inside him still rings very true. And it’s gloriously cathartic when he shows he has the power to do something about it.
This is made all the more complicated with his brotherhood and love interest in the mix. All of Lee’s films start with a thin element of brotherhood to them, but gradually move to favor his character’s individual goals by the end. Fist of Fury has the distinction of being the only Lee period piece film and also the only film that really questions the protagonist’s selfish desires. Lee’s romance with Nora Miao is also a touching side to the story, showing a vulnerability not present in his other work. Before he goes charging in against a Russian or a katana wielding villain, he has her to think about first.
It’s all these simply presented complications and tensions that make this film so fun to watch. Some may argue that Enter the Dragon is Lee’s best film, but if you want the best Bruce Lee, uninhibited by the demands of a Hollywood production, Fist of Fury is the way to go.
Reviewed by Tarun
