Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen

Ostensibly a sequel to the 1972 martial arts classic Fist of Fury, with Donnie Yen in the role created by Bruce Lee, this colorful film is set in the decadent splendor of 1925 Shanghai, where Japan and Britain vie for control of China, and Chinese gangsters cash in during the chaos. Starlet Qi Shu wobbles through the role of Kiki, a perpetually drunk chanteuse, but Anthony Wong maintains a level of modest dignity as the Triad nightclub owner Liu Yutian, who befriends Chen Zhen (Yen)—a patriot posing as an underworld figure. Unfortunately, director Andrew Lau's Legend of the Fist is not so much a coherent movie as it is a collection of cannibalized ideas and influences, from a World War I platoon movie to Casablanca to the old TV show The Green Hornet. Even the martial arts action sequences feel shoehorned into the film, while the frantic editing and swooping camerawork chop up Yen's moves beyond recognition. A strange and ultimately unsatisfying hybrid that is at times quite gorgeous but never adds up on a narrative level, this is an optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include cast and crew interviews (50 min.), behind-the-scenes segments (47 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Axmaker)