Fist of Fury (1972)

[精武門]

Director: Lo Wei
Starring: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, James Tien

Synopsis:
A disciple of Huo Yuanjia seeks to avenge his death.

Impressions:
Japanophile that I am, movies that play up Chinese prejudice against the Japanese tend to have a strike against them from the get-go. That's not to say Sino-Japanese tensions can't be handled in a compelling way, but Lo Wei isn't the writer to do it. The story is often terribly clumsy and don't expect much period accuracy. The dub is terrible, of course, but there may be some amusement to be had in it. Being a Bruce Lee film, the fight scenes don't disappoint and I will admit that it's fairly cool having him play such a dark, revenge-obsessed character. Chen effectively betrays all his master's teachings in his bid to avenge him. Though not handled all that well, the idea is good stuff. The fight scene with Lee's own student Robert Baker is one of the high points of the film. For martial arts action, you won't be disappointed, but its handling of matters of race and discrimination are less appealing. Take it or leave it.

Rating:
50/50