The Man with the Iron Fists | Review
‘The Man with the Iron Fists’ could have been one of those movies that’s so silly and bad it’s good. Sadly this isn’t the case. Wu-Tang Clan rapper and newcomer filmmaker RZA directed, co-wrote, and stars in this good-looking mess of a film. Despite some good ideas, RZA’s lack of directing experience clearly shows in the film’s execution.
RZA portrays The Blacksmith, who later becomes the eponymous Man with the Iron Fists. The Blacksmith is the token black character in Jungle Village, set somewhere in 19th century China. He forges deadly weapons for the several different types of clans. He’s in a relationship with the prostitute Lady Silk (Jamie Chung), both of whom are saving up all their money in order to start a new life outside of Jungle Village.
The Blacksmith’s stable life takes a turn when rival clans fight over a large shipment of imperial gold. We slowly meet the different kinds of clans one by one, ‘Game of Thrones’ style, though the only one that’s really important is the Lion Clan. When the leader of the Lion Clan is betrayed and assassinated, the treacherous Silver Lion (Byron Mann) becomes their new leader, aided by his loyal servant Bronze Lion (Cung Le). This switch in leadership changes the honorable Lion Clan into a gang of thieves. They force The Blacksmith to make hundreds of weapons to use in the struggle for the imperial gold.
The son of the murdered Lion Clan leader, Zen-Yi (Rick Yune), hopes to seek revenge against those who were involved in the assassination, including Silver Lion and Bronze Lion. Rounding out the cast is Jack Knife (Russell Crowe), a British soldier who’s deadly with knives, Brass Body (Dave Batista), a massive mercenary who has the unique ability to turn his entire body hard brass, and Madam Blossom (Lucy Liu), the owner of the Pink Blossom brothel Lady Silk works at and the leader of her own clan of assassins.
There’s a lot going on in the film, though it’s not always comprehensible. Random characters appear and disappear at different times, and keeping track of who’s on who’s side is not really clear. It doesn’t help that RZA narrates the film in the most boring, non-engaged way possible. His subdued portrayal of The Blacksmith gets tiresome really quick, and unfortunately this lasts for the majority of the film’s 96-minute running time. It isn’t until The Blacksmith obtains his Iron Fists that RZA gives somewhat of an energetic performance. Everyone else’s acting isn’t that much better either. Rick Yune, Dave Batista and Jamie Chung are wooden and Russell Crowe merely phoned in his performance. At least Byron Mann and Cung Le get to have a lot of insane fun as the over-the-top bad guys.
The film’s choreography by Corey Yuen is so-so. RZA wanted this film to be a nod toward old-school kung fu movies. It’s an admirable try, but the fight sequences and the way they’re edited results in uninteresting battles. There are moments of brilliance, especially in the Yin-Yang fight sequence involving twin royal guards, and a free-for-all finale that finally showcases Madam Blossom’s deadly assassins, but overall the martial arts choreography is downplayed by the quick and confusing editing.
‘The Man with the Iron Fists’ is “presented” by Quentin Tarantino and features buckets of blood and loads of violence, but it has none of his comedic and storytelling flair. It’s understandable why Tarantino would put his name on this film in order to help sell it to audiences, but with his stamp comes the expectation that RZA has given us something cinematically valuable. RZA still has a lot to learn, but the success or failure of this film will no doubt be important to his growth as a filmmaker as it’s given him experience.