MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS, THE

Before I say anything else I will declare that The Man With Iron Fists kicks ass. It's an action packed genre flick that pays homage to the classic martial arts films of old like The Lady Hermit and Shaolin Temple. Directed by former Wu Tang Clan member, RZA, the film is an exercise in style over substance. For some that's not enough but for me I am happy to relish a highly stylised film if it maintains it's stamina and aesthetic. Being a homage flick the first natural comparison is Kill Bill but beyond that there are other influences like House of Flying Daggers, Ran and even Monkey Magic. I felt a wave of deja vu hit me with some of the township locations and realised that they are almost identical to the design of Takashi Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django, which is another comparable film. RZA and Eli Roth (Hostel) developed the script over a five year period and it's an achievement to say the least. The action is written beautifully and shot graphically and the characters, while they lack depth, are deliciously quirky & eccentric (Russell Crowe is especially good as the Englishman). The set and costume designs are magnificent... the weapon design is amazing and the soundtrack is off tap. RZA provides another brilliant hip-hop score and again proves he's one of the leading urban artists working in film (check out his work on Ghost Dog Way of the Samurai). To anyone who argues that the movie lacks depth clearly misses the point. RZA and Roth clearly had a vision and there's much attention to detail in every shot that their vision was obviously reached. I should also mention that elements of the film can also be compared with Tarantino's Django Unchained and in fact both films were originally intended to cross-over. RZA's character was written to appear in Django but due to conflicting schedules and other interfering factors the idea never came to fruition. It would have been great, though and Tarantino subsequently lent his name to this one in a "Presents" complicity. If you love highly stylised martial art fantasy films then you will want to check this one out!

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