I should have known going in that this was going to be a bad movie because of two words: Quentin Tarantino. No, he didn’t direct this hot mess of a movie, but he did serve as producer and Tarantino is King Midas in reverse. Whatever he touches turns to crap.
The film is a rap influenced martial arts film with tongue firmly in cheek and the action cranked up to 11. Trouble is, it doesn’t work. There are way too many characters most of whom look exactly alike. That is, the Asian villains all have the same look while the “good” guys look very similar except for Russell Crowe who struts through the film brandishing a truly bizarre weapon that’s part Bowie knife, part handgun.
Much of the action takes place in a highly stylized whorehouse that is populated by dozens of beautiful women. The Man With the Iron Fist is played by RZA who also served as director. I don’t know what this gentleman’s real name is or why it’s not good enough to serve as credit for his work here. The Man is a stoic blacksmith who through a couple of welded iron fists, wreaks his vengeance in the third act.
All of the action looks like it was edited in a blender, the lighting can be murky in spots and often times difficult to figure out what you’re looking at. Tarantino does his best to give everything a hip vibe; the result is just one big mess.
I will give some credit to the film however. In almost all films that involve sword fighting in some form, a lot of the action is either bloodless or contain a tasteful amount of bloodshed. Not so here. When people get gutted by incredibly sharp and lethal weapons, there’s no holding back on the outcome. A lot of blood is shed in this film. You may find that a plus or a demerit.
I can’t recommend this mess to the general audience but if you’re a hardcore martial arts film fan or if you believe the con that Tarantino is any kind of a great filmmaker (he’s not), then by all means. Knock yourself out.
I won’t be wasting my time on this one again.
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