New Fist of Fury could have been so much better. Sure, it was the film that began to launch its star, Jackie Chan, into the martial arts stratosphere but it’s not nearly as smooth sailing as the original film, made 5 years earlier, by the same director, Lo Wei, who was convinced Jackie was the second-coming of the late Bruce Lee.
Even the set design looks a little dour as a traditional Kung-Fu school gets taken over by the Japanese . . . by any means necessary. This is what the martyrdom of Chen Zhen (Lee) got from the Jing Wu martial arts school: more oppression to keep the Chinese from uprising.
With literally no safe place left for her, Chen’s fiancée Li Er (Nora Miao, reprising her role from Fist of Fury) escapes to Japanese-occupied Taiwan to hide at her grandfather’s school. Despite her attempts to lay low, she runs afoul of karate master Okimura (Chan Sing, The Iron-Fisted Monk), who plans to take over all of the Chinese-run schools in Taiwan. The only person who could help her has no interest in learning Kung-Fu at all. What is she going to do?
This is the deadly territory we are thrust into when New Fist of Fury begins. It is equal parts confusing and tension-filled as the characters are assembled and then sent off to a foreign land, with the sole responsibility of not drawing attention to themselves. It works for a while as Miao is more than capable of fighting back.
Unfortunately, our interest isn’t sustained due to some long sequences and rather shoddy editing. We aren’t drawn back into the drama until an aimless thief, known only as Ah Long (Jackie Chan), befriends Li Er after unknowingly stealing the nunchaku once yielded by the late Chen.
But, like I mentioned, he doesn’t want to learn Kung-Fu. He’s far too busy stealing his way through life. Will he give into his fears, or will he learn the martial arts of Jing Wu and fight alongside Li Er against the Japanese?
Starring Jackie Chan, who plays an amiable goof who gets himself in a whole lot of trouble, and directed by Lo Wei, New Fist of Fury was an attempt to cast Jackie as the new Bruce Lee but, obviously, it didn’t work out. Their styles just don’t mesh well together and, as you see from the circumstances here, Jackie is much better as an everyman character . . . not a chiseled fighter who is confident in every move he makes.
There are moments where he gets to shine but those moments are few and far between as the movie just really wants him to be Bruce. He’s not, though . . . just look at the scene where he actually picks up the stolen nunchucks and uses them in battle to scare off his attackers. Not knowing how to use them, he flips them here and there and manages to scare off a great deal of would-be attackers before hilariously poking himself in the eye.
And that’s probably the best scene in the entire movie.
Considered to be one of the few “official” sequels to a Bruce Lee film, the new 2k restoration of New Fist of Fury from the original negatives by Fortune Star is being handled by Arrow Video.
Limited Edition
Home Video Distributor: Arrow Films
Available on Blu-ray - August 29, 2023
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles: English
Video: MPEG-4 AVC
Audio: Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono; Cantonese: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono; English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Almost five years after breaking all Hong Kong box office records with the instant classic Fist of Fury, his last collaboration with the late Bruce Lee, director Lo Wei got to work on a sequel. It would be the first major leading role for Lo’s latest discovery, a young actor who had been a stuntman on the original film but would soon be as massive a star as Lee. His name: Jackie Chan.
Video
Arrow Video brings New Fist of Fury to Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Interiors are strong. Colors don’t exactly pop throughout, but it is the blood effects - burning bright in the transfer - which seal the deal. It’s full of great atmosphere thanks to the quick-footed script and looks visually eye-popping due to the 1080- upgrade. Black levels are strong throughout, bringing out nice details in both the loud and quiet moments.
Audio
Fans get the original Mandarin and English lossless mono audio for the Theatrical Cut, plus newly uncovered alternate Mandarin and Cantonese mono audio.
Supplements:
Commentary:
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See Special Features.
Special Features:
Loaded with plenty of satisfying supplemental items, Arrow Video also includes two versions of the film: the original theatrical version and the severely truncated Cantonese/English re-release version, which cuts 40 minutes out of the film. Both versions feature 1080p/24hz high-definition encodes and are sourced from new 2K restorations.
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New 2k restoration from the original negatives by Fortune Star
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High Definition (1080p) Bluray transfers of the 120-min Original Theatrical Cut and the 82-min 1980 Re-release Cut
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Original Mandarin and English lossless mono audio for the Theatrical Cut, plus newly uncovered alternate Mandarin and Cantonese mono audio
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Original Cantonese and English lossless mono audio for the Re-Release Cut
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Newly translated optional English subtitles
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New feature commentary on the Theatrical Cut by martial arts cinema experts Frank Djeng & Michael Worth, co-producers of Enter the Clones of Bruce Lee
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New feature commentary on the Re-Release Cut by action cinema expert Brandon Bentley
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New Fist, Part Two Fist, a new video essay by Bentley comparing New Fist of Fury to the rival sequel made simultaneously, Fist of Fury Part Ii
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Trailer gallery, including a Chen Zhen trailer reel of sequels and reboots
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Image gallery
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Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
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Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
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Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Jonathan Clements and an archival retrospective article by Brian Bankston
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 120 mins
Director: Wei Lo
Writer: Wei Lo; Lei Pan
Cast: Jackie Chan; Nora Miao; Sing Chen
Genre: Action | Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Lo Wei Motion Picture Company
Official Site: https://www.arrowvideo.com/blu-ray/new-fist-of-fury-limited-edition/14837767.html?autocomplete=productsuggestion
Release Date: July 8, 1976 (Hong Kong)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: August 29, 2023
Synopsis: A young man sets out to avenge his grandfather's death and prove his martial arts mastery.
