In the 19th century Chinese town of Jungle Village, an enigmatic African-American blacksmith (RZA, Due Date), a renegade British soldier (Russell Crowe, The Next Three Days) and the crafty local madam (Lucy Liu, The Trouble with Bliss) cross paths in a power struggle that sees a clan traitor (Byron Mann, Cold War) face off against the son (Rick Yune, Ninja Assassin) of his slain former leader.Their resulting martial arts battles are complex and chaotic; a frantic ballet of well-choreographed mayhem motivated by greed and vengeance.
This plot description for The Man with the Iron Fists should sound familiar from a raft of similar genre efforts, just as it should sound slightly ridiculous. In the directing debut of star, co-screenwriter and de facto Wu Tang Clan leader RZA, the line between homage and parody is far from clear. What is apparent is the impact of two other, more experienced filmmakers associated with the project – co-writer Eli Roth (Hostel), and Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained).
Roth’s influence manifests in the film’s violence, hyperactive to the point of gratuity. Blood flows freely and body parts are flung with abandon, with the camera lingering on the more torturous moments. Tarantino’s impact on The Man with the Iron Fists seeps through everything from the film’s basic premise to the execution of many of its action sequences.
While watered down, the sum of such borrowings is far from abysmal, but also far from comprehendible or coherent. Though the combat scenes impress in their energy and vigour as the body count mounts, the messy, meaningless underlying story of warriors, assassins and the epic feud that rocks a village is predictable to the point of tedium, and sadly matched by clichéd, contrived dialogue of the cheesiest variety.
Thankfully, the feature’s performances are its salvation, as is its sense of humour. While leading man RZA fails to win such praise due to his wooden delivery, his supporting cast excel, particularly Crowe, hamming it up as the libidinous, pugnacious foreigner, Jack Knife. His efforts are characteristic of the fun and affectionate approach the film boasts, even if the results are, at best, inconsistent. Silly but sincere, The Man with the Iron Fists is, if nothing else, an interesting viewing experience.
Rating: 2 ½ stars out of 5
The Man with the Iron Fists
Director: RZA
USA, 2012, 95 min
In cinemas December 6
Distributor: Universal
Rated MA
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