Today’s quick review: The Man with the Iron Fists. A shipment of gold through a troubled Chinese village draws out a host of killers and treasure-seekers. Among them are Jack Knife (Russell Crowe), a debonair Englishman; Madame Blossom (Lucy Liu), a brothel owner; Brass Body (David Bautista), a metal-skinned assassin; and Zen Yi (Cung Le), a vengeful son. Caught in the middle of the violence is an honest blacksmith (RZA) who wants nothing more than peace.
The Man with the Iron Fists is a martial arts action movie that injects modern attitude into a traditional genre. Featuring colorful characters, gory action, and an arsenal of unusual weapons, The Man with the Iron Fists plenty of violence in a stylish package. The film lacks the extra polish needed to qualify as artistic the way Tarantino movies arguably do, but its action and creativity make it a fun, schlocky watch for the right viewer.
The Man with the Iron Fists is a movie that plays to its strengths. The film’s action is bloody, high-impact, and frequent. The martial arts are an excuse to showcase the film’s unconventional weapons, including bladed armor, razor fans, and the titular iron fists. The character designs are consistently good, offering a variety of interesting gimmicks for the fight scenes to take advantage of.
However, The Man with the Iron Fists has imperfections that keep it from reaching its full potential. The writing is never that clever or engaging. The film’s more over-the-top elements flip-flop between cool and ridiculous. The rap soundtrack usually has the right effect, but it often cuts out abruptly when the tone of the scene changes. None of these flaws are dealbreakers, but they are noticeable signs of miscalibration.
Watch The Man with the Iron Fists when you are in the mood for some mindless, bloody violence backed by strong character designs and creative weaponry. The Man with the Iron Fists falls short of its complete vision, but its execution is good enough to make it worth checking out for action fans. Those looking for bloody action with better presentation should check out Kill Bill. Anime fans looking for something similar should check out Samurai Champloo or Afro Samurai.
5.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for good action and creativity.