In 19th century China, a small jungle village has
become a battleground. Under pain of
death, the village blacksmith (Rza) has been supplying weapons to the various
warring parties. He asks no questions
and takes no sides in any conflict, preferring instead to silently stash away
his earnings. Eventually, circumstances
force him choose sides, at which point he uses his skills to become a living
weapon.
The Man with the Iron
Fists is Rza’s highly touted passion project, written in collaboration with
Eli Roth and “presented” by Quentin Tarantino.
It’s a martial arts film, done in the style of the classic “chopsockies”
that Rza devoured throughout his formative years. It also culminates a creative odyssey that
began nineteen years ago with the release of the Wu-Tang Clan’s classic debut
LP Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Taking that storied musical legacy into
account, The Man with the Iron Fists
would appear to have an impossible task on its hands. Despite such insurmountable odds, the film manages
to deliver.
The first wave of Wu-Tang alums had an unpolished, gritty
feel. That was a huge part of their
appeal. The same can be said for the
genre of films that inspired them. The Man with the Iron Fists carries on
in that same tradition, though not solely due to budgetary limitations. Rza shows little aptitude for the nuances of filmmaking. His shot selections, even during mundane
moments, feel rather awkward. The same
goes for his editing choices. Many key
moments lack any connective tissue in the visual sense. The viewer is often forced to fill in the
blanks.
To be fair, such ineptitude is very much in keeping with the
aesthetic of the films Rza is trying to emulate, many of which were notoriously
crude. The Man with the Iron Fists
is reminiscent of the latter day Shaw Brothers productions, released during the
late 70’s and early 80’s. It even echoes
the films of Joseph Kuo. Rza hasn’t
crafted a homage, but rather an example of something that a more skilled
filmmaker would someday pay homage to.
Iron Fists doesn’t just emulate classic chopsockies, it actually is one.
In the last decade and change, directors like Quentin
Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez been at the forefront of an ongoing B-movie
revival. Their collaborative double
feature, the appropriately titled Grindhouse,
is an example of that sentiment at its most indulgent. Iron
Fists could have easily played as the third entry of a triple bill along
with Planet Terror and Death Proof (The two films that Grindhouse is comprised of).
The major difference between Iron Fists and the two halves of Grindhouse is that Tarantino and Rodriguez had a keen sense of
self-awareness. By comparison, Rza views
the material with unwavering reverence and not a hint of irony. While that could definitely be seen as a
crippling flaw, it also exudes a certain charm.
It makes the film somewhat endearing, despite its shortcomings.
The rather clunky filmmaking proves stifling to the film’s
fight scenes. Cinematographer Chi-Ying
Chan and editor Joe D'Augustine offer an abridged version of Corey Yuen’s fight
choreography. Again, the viewer is left
to connect the dots. That sort of thing
is nigh unforgivable in a film of this type.
On a much more positive note, the weaponry and bloodletting are
endlessly inventive. Rza shows a child’s
enthusiasm for such things.
Rza takes the same approach to filmmaking that he does to
music, which is to say that he samples profusely. Early Wu-Tang albums were a collage of
influences and ideas from a myriad number of sources. Likewise, Iron
Fists culls from a number of Asian B-movie genres. It borrows most heavily from the Shaw
Brothers catalog. Savvy viewers will
note obvious references to King Boxer,
Five Venoms, Crippled Avengers, 36th
Chamber of Shaolin, Five Element
Ninjas, and Eight Diagram Pole
Fighter. Rza also borrows from Japanese
Anime classics like Ninja Scroll and Fist of the North Star. There are also nods to the Star Wars saga. In one instance, the infamous Wilhelm scream
can be heard on the soundtrack. Spotting
these references is like playing a cinematic game of Where’s Waldo?
Aside from bad dubbing and non-existent production values,
perhaps the most notorious aspect of this genre is the acting. Again, Iron
Fists falls right in line with its many inspirations. Cung Le, Byron Mann, Rick Yune, and Daniel Wu
often come off like stock players in a late 80’s Shaw Brothers film. As the blacksmith, Rza barely emotes. On the other end of the acting spectrum are Russell
Crowe and Lucy Liu. As Jack Knife, Crowe
not only chews scenery, but savors the aftertaste. Despite the outlandish settings, he seems
right at home. As Madame Blossom, Lucy
Liu is the female answer to Han from Enter
the Dragon.
The Man with the Iron
Fists is not, in the traditional sense of the word, a “good” movie. On a technical level, there’s not much to
recommend. Yet, by the onset of the
third act, I found myself enthralled by its nonsensical story. Throughout its running time, I had most
certainly been entertained. How can that
be possible if the film isn’t actually any good? The answer is simple. Whatever his flaws as a filmmaker, Rza’s
enthusiasm is infectious, and eventually trumps his limitations.
" Throughout its running time, I had most certainly been entertained. How can that be possible if the film isn’t actually any good? The answer is simple. Whatever his flaws as a filmmaker, Rza’s enthusiasm is infectious, and eventually trumps his limitations."
ReplyDeleteThank you for articulating that critique, I couldn't quite find those words. But they are my sentiments after seeing the film, dead on. Man With The Iron Fists is an homage made in the spirit of fun. The film's best enjoyed with that in mind.
Even though I cringed at the editing of the fight sequences it wasn't a deal breaker for me and I ultimately enjoyed the film as well. Good review, my one disagreement is I actually felt Bryon Mann gave a great acting performance as Silver Lion. I thought his charisma shone above the others and that he added an appropriate amount of humor to his part as well.
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