Online review: Analyze of Kung Fu Films--Fist of Fury

Online review: Analyze of Kung Fu Films--Fist of Fury

Fist of Fury is one of the representing films of Bruce Lee. The story develops into a simple form. The story started at the early 20th century in Shanghai. Chen Zhen (Bruce Lee) is one of the apprentices of Huo Yuanjia. When he back to Shanghai, he found that his master has died because of illness. During the funeral, Japanese dojo insult Chen Zhen and his master. After that, Chen Zhen fights with Japanese a few times and show the power of Chinese Kung Fu.

The reason for choosing this film is mainly because the genre of this film. This film is known as Kung Fu Films. The films of Bruce Lee are classified as the classic of traditional Kung Fu Film of Hong Kong. However, at that period of time, in 1970s, this kind of Kung Fu Film is not a traditional one but a innovate one. The image of Chen Zhen is outstanding. In the film, he is representing a Chinese which is masculinity. In the past, the image of Chinese is not presenting with a masculinity body. As the result, the masculinity body and the kick of Bruce Lee become the symbol of his Kung Fu films.

The present of martial arts also make Bruce Lee’s film outstanding. In the tradition type of Chinese Kung Fu Film, the martial arts are usually in a slow speed and unreal. However, the martial arts in Bruce Lee’s film, his actions are well designed and in a fast speed. It use less late process but more on the real action. As the result, even this film was taken in 1970s; the martial arts are still fantastic. Audience can fell the powerful of each action and it looks like real. It makes this film, although the story was forming in a simple way, it was will a fantastic one.

The topic of this film is very clear. In a film, the must be a message. This message decode by the audience. This film provides the message in a clear way which is talking about the nationalism of Chinese. The nationalism is the theme of this film. In the beginning, Chen Zhen was angry because Japanese insult him with a banner of “Sick man of Asia” (東亞病夫). The words “Sick man of Asia” was used in the past to explain China is a weak state in Asia. In the film, Japanese was represented with a negative image. For example, Huo Yuanjia was killed by Japanese. In the film, Chinese was not respect by Japanese and Japanese own privilege in China. With the developing of the story, Chen Zhen fights with Japanese a few times. He shows the power of Chinese and the nationalism of Chinese as he won the Japanese and even Russian.

To sum up, the story of “Fist of Fury” is in a simple form, which Bruce Lee fights with enemy and won. With the new form of presenting martial arts, this film makes a new interpretation of Chinese Kung Fu Films and become a classic one.

 (522 words)

Leung Man Hin, Tobiuo (10487336/21238462)