Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen

Chen Zhen, who fought in the Chinese labour battalions in Europe during the First World War, returns to Shanghai after being presumed dead. He hides his identity, takes work in a nightclub, and at night fights the Japanese occupation apparatus as a masked man. The film is not interested in martial arts. It is interested in reusing a legend: the character of Chen Zhen comes from Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury, in which he dies. This production resurrects him and places him inside a narrative of national resistance, with the mask and cape referring directly to the image of Kato. The form is built on style: slowed fight scenes, dark nightclub design, a stylised period Shanghai. Andrew Lau directed; he was one of the directors of Infernal Affairs. Donnie Yen stars and is also responsible for the action choreography, with Shu Qi and Anthony Wong in the cast. Who it is for: viewers who like Hong Kong action and period martial arts films. Who it is not for: anyone after historical nuance. The film makes no secret of its nationalist register and draws the Japanese characters in one dimension.