The Man with the Iron Fists
1/4
Starring: RZA, Russell Crowe, Rick Yune, Lucy Liu, Jamie Chung, Dave Bautista, Byron Mann, Daniel Wu
Rated R for Bloody Violence, Strong Sexuality, Language and Drug Use
RZA's "The Man with the Iron Fists" is meant to be a love letter (or should that be "blood letter?") to those cheesy kung fu specials that were a cult sensation back in the day. I haven't seen those movies, and I'm not one who has a taste for those "so bad they're good" movies (although there are a few that I do like). Regardless, I can still say that I saw this movie and thought it sucked.
The story takes place in some warped version of ancient China, probably circa the late 1800's. Steampunk weaponry, weapons that may well have been designed by Rube Goldberg's ancestors, and traditional Chinese buildings and clothing. The governor (Terence Yin) wants to transport a sizable amount of gold, but to do that, he must transport it through the crime ridden town of Jungle Village, in which crime runs rampant. He enlists Gold Lion (Kuan Tai Chen) to accompany it along the journey, but he his betrayed by his lieutenants, led by Silver Lion (Mann). Gold Lion's son, Zen Yi (Yune), learns of his father's death and returns for revenge. Also in the mix are a reluctant (of course) sword maker (RZA), the head of a brothel, Madam Blossom (Liu) and a British adventurer with an unknown agenda (Crowe).
The film's main flaw is that I didn't care about anyone or anything. RZA makes Blacksmith (as he is called) into what is probably the least interesting character in recent years. Byron Mann is incredibly irritating (clearly, his thespian skills haven't improved in the 13 years since the last movie I saw him in, James Foley's wretched cop thriller "The Corruptor"). Lucy Liu is awful, although not in the "good" way she probably intends. Russell Crowe appears to be enjoying himself immensely, although he seems to know he's in a cheesefest, which makes him stick out. He is the most watchable character in this film, however. The only one who gets what the movie is trying to be is Rick Yune. He's got his tongue planted just far enough in his cheek that he's neither too serious nor too fatuous.
RZA is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. Based on the evidence, that's what he should stick to. He has no grasp of what it takes to make a movie, or bring a character to life. The film is sloppily made, and the action scenes are boring and dizzying because RZA insists on close ups during them. At least he had a decent editor; the original cut was four hours long, and RZA suggested that they split it into two films until Eli Roth convinced him not to. Thank God for that.
Starring: RZA, Russell Crowe, Rick Yune, Lucy Liu, Jamie Chung, Dave Bautista, Byron Mann, Daniel Wu
Rated R for Bloody Violence, Strong Sexuality, Language and Drug Use
RZA's "The Man with the Iron Fists" is meant to be a love letter (or should that be "blood letter?") to those cheesy kung fu specials that were a cult sensation back in the day. I haven't seen those movies, and I'm not one who has a taste for those "so bad they're good" movies (although there are a few that I do like). Regardless, I can still say that I saw this movie and thought it sucked.
The story takes place in some warped version of ancient China, probably circa the late 1800's. Steampunk weaponry, weapons that may well have been designed by Rube Goldberg's ancestors, and traditional Chinese buildings and clothing. The governor (Terence Yin) wants to transport a sizable amount of gold, but to do that, he must transport it through the crime ridden town of Jungle Village, in which crime runs rampant. He enlists Gold Lion (Kuan Tai Chen) to accompany it along the journey, but he his betrayed by his lieutenants, led by Silver Lion (Mann). Gold Lion's son, Zen Yi (Yune), learns of his father's death and returns for revenge. Also in the mix are a reluctant (of course) sword maker (RZA), the head of a brothel, Madam Blossom (Liu) and a British adventurer with an unknown agenda (Crowe).
The film's main flaw is that I didn't care about anyone or anything. RZA makes Blacksmith (as he is called) into what is probably the least interesting character in recent years. Byron Mann is incredibly irritating (clearly, his thespian skills haven't improved in the 13 years since the last movie I saw him in, James Foley's wretched cop thriller "The Corruptor"). Lucy Liu is awful, although not in the "good" way she probably intends. Russell Crowe appears to be enjoying himself immensely, although he seems to know he's in a cheesefest, which makes him stick out. He is the most watchable character in this film, however. The only one who gets what the movie is trying to be is Rick Yune. He's got his tongue planted just far enough in his cheek that he's neither too serious nor too fatuous.
RZA is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. Based on the evidence, that's what he should stick to. He has no grasp of what it takes to make a movie, or bring a character to life. The film is sloppily made, and the action scenes are boring and dizzying because RZA insists on close ups during them. At least he had a decent editor; the original cut was four hours long, and RZA suggested that they split it into two films until Eli Roth convinced him not to. Thank God for that.
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