Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Fist of Fury Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 15, 2009

Brice Lee's second feature film "Jing wu men" a.k.a. "Fist of Fury" (also distributed in the U.S. as "The Chinese Connection" and "The Iron Hand") arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises. The only supplemental feature on the disc is a short interview with actor Yuen Wah. With optional Traditional Chinese, Thai, and English subtitles. Region-A "locked".

I decide

It is easy to see why Bruce Lee immediately captured the minds of many with his second feature film, Fist of Fury. He moves like a gazelle yet strikes his opponents with ferocity that even today remains unsurpassed. Also, there are scenes in the film where his body looks so tense, it almost feels like something in it is about to snap.

Fist of Fury is a classic revenge story. It follows the deeds of a young man, Chen Zhen (Lee), who returns home to Shanghai to attend the funeral of his teacher, Ho Yuan Chia. After the ceremony, a group of Japanese men arrive at the school where Chen Zhen spent years learning the secrets of kung-fu and leave a large sign reading “Sick Man of Asia", an insulting reminder that Ho Yuan Chia’s school is no longer the respected institution it once was.

Chen Zhen follows the Japanese back to their school and things get rather complicated. He defeats every single one of their students in a spectacular fashion, and then walks away. Angered, the Japanese then gather a large crowd of fighters and head back to set the record straight with Ho Yuan Chia’s disciples. While Chen Zhen is away, they wreck havoc and produce one final warning -- deal with Chen Zhen on your own, or we will.

When Chen Zhen returns, he is told to leave Shanghai because it is the only way Ho Yuan Chia’s school would survive. Cheng Zhen is devastated. He promises to leave but instead hides in the local cemetery. Later on, he accidentally learns that the Japanese are responsible for the death of his teacher and all hell breaks loose.

Fist of Fury is not a film that would surprise you with a great story and rich characters. After the initial twenty or so minutes you would know exactly how the film ends. The dialog is also notably rough -- a mix of Cantonese, Mandarin and English -- but given the weak plot it is perhaps exactly what the film needed.

Still, Fist of Fury is a rather remarkable film, one that has inspired countless copycats. There is a unique atmosphere in it, which I am convinced would continue to fascinate viewers for years to come, as well as style that give it an edge over most other martial arts films that I have seen. Also, thye unbridled ferocity which which Lee attacks his opponents is simply breathtaking.

There are a couple of very curious cameos in Fist of Fury. Future martial arts superstar Jackie Chan (Twin Dragons) appears as one of Jing Wu’s students. Legendary fighter and long-time Chan friend Yuen Biao (The Sword Stained with Royal Blood) also has a small role. Even Lam Ching-Ying (Eastern Condors), a close friend and member of Sammo Hung Kam-Bo’s troupe, quickly steps in front of the camera.

Technically, Fist of Fury looks a lot more convincing than The Big Boss. Cinematographer Chen Ching-Chu’s lensing in particular is a lot more focused and fluid. The fights, choreographed by Lee, are also longer, better executed and effectively captured on film.

Fist of Fury was the second and last collaboration between director Lo Wei and Lee. The two parted ways after a series of much-publicized in the media disagreements (a few of which were directly related to the film’s anti-Chinese content).

In the U.S., Fist of Fury has appeared under a number of different titles, including “The Chinese Connection”, “Laugh Track: Chinese Connection”, and “The Iron Hand”. They were introduced to avoid confusion with Lee’s first film, The Big Boss, which was marketed domestically as “Fists of Fury” (and in Europe as “Fists of Glory”).

Fist of Fury Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Lo Wei's Fist of Fury arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises.

This transfer looks slightly better than the one Kam & Ronson Enterprises gave The Big Boss. Contrast is a bit stronger while clarity and detail more consistent. Edge-enhancement pops up here and there but, generally speaking, it is quite tolerable. Digital noise, however, is a lot more prominent, and those of you with larger than 50' screens will certainly notice its presence.

The overall condition of the transfer is acceptable, but as our screenshots reveal, Fist of Fury looks dated. I personally share the opinion that unless these early Bruce Lee films Kam & Ronson Enterprises are bringing to the market undergo massive restorations, this is the best they could look in high-definition. Finally, I would like to quickly point out that many of the huge scratches, marks and burns Fist of Fury had on DVD are nowhere to be seen on this Blu-ray transfer. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" disc. Therefore, in order to access its content, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player).

Fist of Fury Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Mandarin Dolby Digital EX 6.1 and Thai Dolby Digital EX 6.1. For the record, I opted for the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track for the purpose of this review.

Similar to the Big Boss, there are few lip-sync issues with this release, but this is not a mastering issue (some of the actors spoke their lines in different languages). This being said, I thought that the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track was a bit too aggressive. During many of the action scenes, the surround effects were unnaturally strong. The bass also appears to have been boosted quite a bit. Obviously, some of you would end up being impressed, but I certainly thought that dynamically the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 should have been a lot more conservative. The dialog is clear and easy to follow.

I could not hear a substantial difference in quality between the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track and the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track. The dynamic levels are identical and so is the quality of the dialog.

For the record, Kam & Ronson Enterprises have provided optional English, Traditional Chinese and Thai subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

Fist of Fury Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Interview - a short interview with Yuen Wah in which he recalls his past work as a double, including his contribution to Fist of Fury. With optional English, Thai and Traditional Chinese subtitles. (10 min, 480/60i).

Fist of Fury Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Similar to The Big Boss, this Blu-ray release of Fist of Fury is for hardcore Bruce Lee fans only. Certainly, this is the best the film has ever looked, but there are a number of issues with the transfer. However, I don't believe that Kam & Ronson Enterprises are actually responsible for the majority of them. Recommended.