The Legend of the Fist

Had the chance to catch Donnie Yen in the Legend of the Fist. To sum it up, I rather enjoyed it quite a bit!

This movie continues where Bruce Lee left off in the Chinese Connection (you know, the movie where he beats up an entire karate dojo). Donnie Yen plays Bruce Lee's character in the Chinese Connection, Chen Zhen, but the movie takes place 10 years after the events of the Chinese Connection.

I didn't have any expectations going in but as a fan of Bruce Lee, this movie pays homage to his fans and Bruce. There are signature Bruce Lee moves in this movie, the Kato outfit, and numerous references to the Chinese Connection movie. They've updated the dojo fight and incorporated elements of the Chinese Connection very nicely into the Legend of the Fist. Even the Bruce Lee war cry makes its way into the movie - ha! I liked it!

Now I'm by no means a kung fu movie enthusiast, but I really enjoy how other kung fu movies have really taken the story of the Chen Zhen/Chinese Connection and expanded on it.

Here's a quick run down:

• Jet Li's Fearless: This is the story of Chen Zhen's Sifu, Huo Yuan Jia: his history, how he built the school and the famous fight that he lost against the Japanese.

• Bruce Lee in Chinese Connection: After hearing the death of his Sifu against the Japanese, Chen Zhen takes matters into his own hands and avenges the death of his Sifu, while also paying the ultimate price.

• Jet Li in Fist of Legend: Probably one my favorite movies, Jet Li's Fist of Legend is a retelling of the Chinese Connection. If you haven't seen it, you're missing out. Watch the subtitled version, not the dubbed version.

• Donnie Yen in Legend of the Fist: Chen Zhen's story continues after beatuing up the Japanese and manages to avoid executionby escaping to Europe using his skills in the battle field, only to return to Shanghai after world war 1, and takes on an active role in uniting China.

Let me know what you guys think!

Until then.