Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (精武風雲:陳真) is a 2010 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Donnie Yen, Shu Qi, Huang Bo, and Anthony Wong. The movie is directed by famed director Andrew Lau. Donnie Yen pulls double duty as the action director. The supporting cast includes Shawn Yue and Huo Si Yan. The story is based in Shanghai and France.
The movie is based on the Chen Zhen character of the Bruce Lee Fist of Fury movie. This movie is a continuation of the wuxia series that starred Donnie back in the 90s. The movie starts in France as Chen Zhen and his troupe are trying to make it out of the battle zone to go home. Chen Zhen gives his "dog tag" to a fellow solider for good luck. However, that solider is the one that bites the dust. Chen Zhen does some crazy stuff to end the battle. Back in Shanghai, Chen Zhen is looking for support from notable Chinese businessmen and scholars. Chen Zhen doubles as a night club socialite. By night, he's out fighting the Japanese who have a list of 100 people that they've targeted to kill. Will Chen Zhen win like in the previous Fist of Fury?
If you've seen the recent Donnie movies, this is along the same lines. A storyline that contains that Chinese people are not worthless if they stick together. That theme is strong in this movie again. I wonder if this trend will continue or we'll look back on this era with fondness and cheesiness. In anycase, was the movie any good? Yes, it was well made and presented a passionate story. But the formula seemed played out to me. Still an enjoyable film if you haven't seen a Donnie film recently, since you won't know the formula. You'll also really need to know the Bruce Lee version well.
The Chen Zhen character has become a "super-hero" character and Donnie plays that up in this film. Started by Bruce Lee, honed by Jet Lee, expanded upon by Donnie. Chen Zhen lives on!
