No Offense, Bruce Lee, but . . .

I've been watching a wide variety of films lately--not reviewing most of them, simply because I haven't had the time, and there have been other things to blog about. But today's a slow news day for me, so I'm going to catch up on something I've been meaning to write about. I love me some martial arts movies, and while I've seen most of the big names over the years, I realized I was really lacking in the Bruce Lee department. I've seen Enter the Dragon, and . . . that's about it. So when I saw The Chinese Connection/Fist of Fury was on instant streaming, I gave it a go.

Hmm . . . .

Not really too impressed with it. The plot was disjointed, the acting really subpar, the picture awful (not the movie's fault, I realize)--but the worst offense were the fighting scenes. They were just . . . okay. It was dubbed, which I hate. Does anyone know if Bruce Lee really made those ridiculous sounds when he was fighting, or if they were dubbed in? I mean, it sounds like the epitome of a bad spoof of a Kung Fu movie, which I realize is likely because people were imitating these very sounds, but still . . . it just doesn't work. So I finished the movie and filed it under the Two Stars category, mainly giving it credit and a nod of thanks for providing an essential stepping stone to allow me to enjoy Jackie Chan movies and Iron Monkey today.

Then I saw it had been remade by Jet Li, now called Fist of Legend. Not only that, but the fights were choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping--the genius behind Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Kill Bill, Iron Monkey, Drunken Master, and Black Mask fame. It wasn't on instant streaming, but that sounded like a movie worth an actual wait for the DVD.

It was.

The story was actually engaging and faceted. The acting was great. The production values were excellent. And the fights were fantastic. Just a great example of a martial arts movie firing on all cylinders. I loved it. So Bruce Lee, I totally respect you, and I'd never say this to your face (because I value my life), but Jet Li totally wins this round. Sorry.

And in other news--thanks to four of your clicks yesterday, my blog made a whole $5.11. Thanks! :-)