If you are someone who randomly goes into Universal’s The Man with the Iron Fists without any knowledge of its writer, director and star, RZA, allow me to provide some help. First, how in the world are you not familiar with the RZA? Second, RZA LOVES Kung Fu. It’s something that has influenced nearly every aspect of his life, from his music to his lifestyle to actually studying with the Shaolin Monks. This knowledge makes it no surprise that, given his first opportunity to write and direct a feature film, he took everything he loves about the genre and plopped it down, for good and bad, into one movie.
The film takes place in China sometime in the 19th Century within Jungle Village, a place teeming with rival clans and Kung Fu treachery. When Gold Lion (Kuan Tai Chen), leader of the Lion Clan is secretly assassinated by his second in command, Silver Lion (Byron Mann), mass hysteria breaks out amongst all of the clans battling for supremacy as well as the governor’s gold. Finding himself in the midst of all the violence is a blacksmith (RZA), a man who claims no allegiances and finds himself making weapons for whoever walks into his hovel. He’s in love with Lady Silk (Jamie Chung), a young prostitute who loves him back and shares in his dream of them both getting out of Jungle Village and living happily ever after.
As Silver Lion’s reign as new leader of the Lion Clan takes hold, Gold Lion’s son, Zen Yi the X-Blade(Rick Yune), discovers Silver Lion’s treachery and arrives in Jungle Village to avenge his father. Around this same time Jack Knife (Russell Crowe), a nefarious Englishman with a penchant for debauchery, also arrives for reasons unknown, but is quick to make his presence known. It’s not long before things get so out of hand that the Blacksmith can’t sit idly by any longer and, rather than making weapons, he has to become one.
If that sounds like a lot going on, you don’t even know the half of it. With this being RZA’s first film, which he not only directed but also co-wrote with Horror favorite Eli Roth, it is obvious that he was a kid in a candy store wanting to put every single idea he had into one film. It doesn’t necessarily make the film bad. I quite like the film, personally. What it does do, however, is create some serious narrative issues as there’s four or five different lead stories going on throughout and the sequencing and time spent on each aspect is varied and makes for an uneven bit of storytelling.
The acting is also up and down. Although he has a few acting credits under his belt, RZA is often obviously not an actor. He’s serviceable in the role and even has some genuinely good moments, but doesn’t have a whole lot of range which makes it tough when the film sits on his shoulders.
On the opposite end is Russell Crowe, who seems like he is having an absolute ball with his role. His character is one of many vices, and Crowe revels in every single one of them.
Another standout is Byron Mann, who portrays Silver Lion. He portrays him as this eloquent and eccentric villain who’s fabulousness grows more and more with each instance that he returns to the screen, bringing him to near Prince levels by the end of the film. Mann is also obviously having a lot of fun with the role, and that bizarre playfulness really adds another dimension to a character that could have easily been super generic.
The film does have some bright spots. The action and violence is quite impressive, even amidst some “quick cut” editing. There’s some legitimate choreography to the proceedings that refreshing in a day and age where violence often gets hidden off-screen. It also is beautifully shot and is at times breathtaking to look at, which makes some of the gorier scenes that much more so.
Bottom line, RZA made his Kung Fu epic. Yes, it’s filled with mixed performances, some stilted dialogue and a narrative that is all over the place. Yet, these are things that nearly all Kung Fu films have. This is the genre and for that, I’m appreciative. There’s a reverence to those films of yore while still trying to be its own beast.
High-Def Presentation
The Man with the Iron Fists comes to Blu-Ray with a MPEG-4 1080p AVC Encode and looks absolutely phenomenal! The film was shot with Red One cameras, and this HD transfer of the film does it complete justice. Colors pop of the screen with a life all their own. Skin tones are extremely life-like and show every pore and scar on the actors’ faces. Fine detail is shown throughout, whether it be from the magnificent outfits worn throughout or the extravagantly elaborate settings of the film. This is a reference quality film here sure to make an HD lover’s equipment shine.
It’s hard to believe, but the audio might be even better than the video. As soon as the movie begins, it becomes immediately apparent that the discs DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track is going to rock you with its sheer power. Every punch, kick and slice thunders from the subwoofer while the rears remain consistently active with ambient noise and effects to create a nearly overwhelming atmosphere. Dialogue remains crisp throughout, although it can become a bit overshadowed at times by the soundtrack. When a song comes on, you know it. This is an incredible audio track provided by Universal.
Beyond the Film
For me, this is where the Blu-ray for The Man with the Iron Fists truly disappoints. There are next to no special features on the disc. In fact, the biggest “feature” included is being able to watch the Unrated Cut of the film, which adds an extra 12 minutes of violence, gore and sex. There’s almost 30 minutes worth of Deleted Scenes, although after inspection most are merely extended from scenes already in the movie.
What boggles my mind the most is that there is no audio commentary from the RZA. He’s lent his Kung Fu knowledge and love to several audio commentaries for various DVDs and Blu’s that he had nothing to do with, so why not comment on his own film? It strikes me as really bizarre and, being a fan, sorely missed.
Below is a complete list of all included special features:
- Unrated Cut (HD, 108 min)
- Deleted Scenes (HD, 24 min)
- A Look Inside (HD, 2 min)
- On Set with RZA (HD, 5 min)
- My Scenes Bookmarking
- BD-Live (although nothing extra to do with the film itself)
- PocketBlu App Enabled
- D-Box Enabled
This release also includes a DVD and Digital Copy of the film for your computer or portable device.
It could be my own personal love for RZA and Kung Fu, but despite its flaws, I enjoyed The Man with the Iron Fists. It’s definitely not a film for everyone. It is filled to the brim with nearly every Kung Fu idea and cliche one could imagine, terrible dialogue and nearly nonsensical plot included in that. That doesn’t completely forgive the film its problems. It definitely has some pacing and storytelling issues. For what it is, I find it quite enjoyable. Universal has seen that the film has received an unbelievably impress PQ/AQ presentation that will surely impress. Unfortunately, the special features do not do the same and truly leave one wanting more. Despite that, I say if you like a fun, violent and at times ridiculous film, than The Man with the Iron Fists is definitely for you.
– Matt Hardeman
Shop for The Man with the Iron Fists on Blu-ray for a discounted price at Amazon.com (February 12, 2013 release date).
