Jing wu ying xiong (1994)

Director:

Gordon Chan

Writers:

Gordon Chan (screenplay)
Lan Kay Toa (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

22 December 1994 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot:

In 1937, a Chinese martial artist returns to Shanghai to find his teacher dead and his school harassed by the Japanese.

Plot Keywords:

Kung Fu | Martial Arts | Abuse | Slap In The Face | Sword

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jet Li	...	Chen Zhen
Shinobu Nakayama	...	Mitsuko Yamada
Siu-hou Chin	...	Hou Ting-An (as Chin Siu Ho)
Billy Chow	...	General Fujita (Supreme Killer) (as Billy Chau)
Yasuaki Kurata	...	Fuimo Funakoshi
Paul Chun	...	Uncle Noh (as Paul Chiang)
Ada Choi	...	Rose
Cheung-Yan Yuen	...	Captain Jie
Toshimichi Takahashi	...	Japanese Ambassador
Carol Tam	...	Wei
Jackson Liu	...	Ryuichi Akutagawa (as Lou Hsueh Hsien)
Sun Wong	...	Cook
Man Biu Lee	...	Biu
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Shaun Britton	...	English Gentleman at dock
Tai Woh Dang	...	Ngai
Gary Mak	...	Lun - Jingwu Mun student
Kenji Tanigaki

Directed by
Gordon Chan

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Gordon Chan		screenplay
Lan Kay Toa		screenplay (as Lam Kay Toa)
Kee-To Lam		screenplay (as Kei To Lam)
Kwong Kim Yip		screenplay (as Ip Kwong Kim)

Produced by
Chui Yin Lam	....	co-producer
Jet Li	....	executive producer
Jet Li	....	producer

Original Music by
Stephen Edwards
Joseph Koo

Cinematography by
Derek Wan		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ki-hop Chan		(as Chan Kei Hop)

Production Design by
Horace Ma

Costume Design by
Shirley Chan

Production Management
Po Chu Chui	....	executive in charge of production
Helen Li	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Cheung-Yan Yuen	....	action director

Sound Department
Todd Beckett	....	sound re-recording mixer
Trip Brock	....	supervising sound editor (1999 English soundtrack)
Michael J. Fox	....	sound editor
Dean St. John	....	adr mixer (English version)

Stunts
Huan-Chiu Ku	....	martial arts and stunt double: Jet li

Camera and Electrical Department
Kwok-Man Keung	....	gaffer

Editorial Department
David B. Baron	....	editorial consultant (2001 English version)

Other crew
Norm Hvam	....	main title graphics
Shun-Yee Yuen	....	action director
Woo-ping Yuen	....	action director
Woo-ping Yuen	....	martial arts choreographer (as Yuen Woo Ping)

Production Companies

• Eastern Productions

Distributors

• Arte (2007) (Germany) (TV)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Buena Vista Home Video (2001) (Netherlands) (VHS) (rental)
• Buena Vista Home Video (2003) (Netherlands) (VHS) (retail)
• Buena Vista Home Video
• Dimension Films (USA) (dubbed)
• Evolution Entertainment (2008) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Manga Films (1998) (Spain) (video)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (France)
• Miramax Films

Other Companies

• Monkeyland Audio  post-production sound services

Also Known As:

Fist of Legend (Hong Kong: English title) (International: English title)
Cheng miu ying hung (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong martial arts violence.

Runtime:

103 min | Germany:98 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

English | Japanese | Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | France:U | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R

Company:

Eastern Productions

Trivia:

Jet Li plays Chen Zhen in this movie, a student of master Huo Yuanjia. Jet Li will then go on to play Master Huo Yuanjia in Huo Yuan Jia (2006)

Goofs:

Continuity: When Gen. Fujita sees Chen Zen kicking at his face, he grabs Chen's leg and throws him away. His arm is already down when Chen is in the air. But when Chen hits a rock, breaking it, Fujita's arm is still going down.

Quotes:

Fumio Funakoshi: What fist is this?
Chen Zhen: Don't ask, it's a good fist if it wins.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "HBO First Look: The Making of 'The Matrix' (#6.3)" (1999)

Come for the fights, stay for the movie

A remake of Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury, this movie gives us amazing martial arts sequences, with good plot and acting in between.

The fights are spectacular. A lot of martial arts movies incorporate wonderful movements and acrobatics, designed to show off the skill and grace of the fighter. However in a life or death struggle, these sometimes seem out of place. This is a "realistic" martial arts movie. You almost feel yourself cringing with each hit. As the man said: "These lads are out to hurt each other." This is fighting in its purest, taking cue from Bruce Lee's personal style, where the aim is to defeat your opponent in the most efficient manner possible. The opening fight of the movie sets its style right away and continues to its climax.

But what made this movie go above and beyond a martial arts flick is the storyline and plot. This movie deals with themes of racism, tolerance and acceptance not only between the Chinese and Japanese, but within each group as well. Here Jet Li shines in his performance. While events cause him to lose his composure and give in to his feelings, at the core you see that he is a righteous person. When he realizes the correct course of action, either by himself, or when it is pointed out by others, he does what is right. And we see the people around him learn from his behavior and they seek to emulate it.

The movie also tries to present a rather fair view of both the Chinese and Japanese. Neither side is portrayed as good or evil, rather as normal human beings, running the whole spectrum from selfish to noble, from hateful to kind.

As a martial arts movie, this is one of the best ever made, but it stands on its own as a good film, one dealing with a historical subject that has a very strong resonance even today.