Człowiek o żelaznych pięściach

RZA seems to have fallen in love with the film Kill Bill, on which he collaborated as a musician. After all, that’s the area he understands best. His work with people like Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, and others in the group Wu-Tang Clan speaks volumes. As a rap group, they are specific and unique, and RZA himself has great qualities, as his voice is truly distinctive, memorable, and very gritty. However, this man has ventured into film and found it appealing. The Man With the Iron Fists is his standalone project, where he took on roles in directing, screenwriting, music, and even acting. He plays the lead role, even though it seems his character remains in the background throughout. He is supported by other great actors—Russell Crowe, who for once doesn’t play at the top level, Lucy Liu, who reprises her role from Kill Bill, complete with a similar scene, and others, primarily Chinese/Hong Kong actors who excel at martial arts and especially the wushu style that was popularized on screen by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and used in many other films. Unfortunately, in The Man With the Iron Fists, wushu doesn’t look very good, and at times it is genuinely incredibly unbelievable. The story is set in feudal China, although one of the characters is Crowe’s British soldier. The environment is quite well-executed, especially the interiors. They are beautiful, ornate, and truly reminiscent of a Chinese film. However, the story isn’t that interesting; it’s presented in the style of Chinese legends, so it ultimately looks good. Most of the focus is on making the scenes visually appealing, cool, and modern, which it achieves. It’s a nice illusion that works for this film. As a debut, it’s good for me because RZA knew exactly what he wanted to make, and he accomplished it. (05.03.2013)

The number of old kung-fu movies I’ve seen is about zero, so I’m not precisely the target audience of this fan homage, It was awfully boring. Otherwise, I’m rooting for this genre effort by Eli Roth, but I’m looking forward more to his horror productions (Clown, The Sacrament, The Last Exorcism II), as well as his upcoming directorial work (the 1970s cannibal horror The Green Inferno); we will meet there again in terms of genre. Unfortunately, I’m unable to appreciate The Man with the Iron Fists. (14.12.2012)