Movie Review: The Man with the Iron Fists (2012) directed by RZA
Jungle Village is a lawless town, inhabited by various clans (most named after animals) that engage in frequent turf wars. The Blacksmith (RZA) is one of the few important neutral parties. He uses his skills to make superior weaponry for anyone who can pay money. Despite his expertise, weapons manufacturing isn’t the Blacksmith’s passion. But he needs the cash to buy the freedom of Lady Silk (Jamie Chung), who works at the brothel of Madame Blossom (Lucy Liu).
The plot kicks in when the Governor asks Gold Lion (Kuan Tai Chen) to guard a shipment of government gold being shipped to the Northern provinces. The quickest route lies directly through Jungle Village, and as Lion Clan is the strongest in the village, the Governor is counting on them to make sure all goes well. Sadly, Gold Lion’s second in command Silver Lion (Byron Mann) and the Governor’s advisor Poison Dagger (Daniel Wu) conspire to steal the gold and keep it for themselves. Shortly thereafter, Gold Lion is murdered and the blame placed on the conveniently dead Hyena Clan Chief. Now they just need to wait for the shipment to arrive and spring their trap.
One problem. Silver Lion isn’t the rightful heir to leadership of the Lion Clan. That would be Gold Lion’s son, Zen Yi aka the X-Knife (Rick Yune). He’s been off courting his lover, and is returning to investigate his father’s death. Zen Yi wears a unique Blacksmith-crafted armor that is a sheath for multiple knives, most hidden. Combined with his superior martial arts skills, this makes him a formidable foe so Silver Lion hires Brass Body (Dave Bautista), an assassin with unbreakable skin, to deal with the matter.
Brass Body’s assault on Zen Yi brings the Blacksmith out of his neutral status, as he nurses the young warrior back to health. In an effort to find Zen Yi’s hiding place, Silver Lion and Brass Body cut the Blacksmith’s forearms off. Near death, the Blacksmith is rescued by mysterious Westerner Jack Knife (Russell Crowe), who has his own agenda. They work together to forge iron prosthetic hands (ala Crippled Avengers) for the Blacksmith, and then it’s time for them and Zen Yi to seek vengeance and save Jungle Village from being destroyed by the Jackal troops dispatched by the Emperor to follow up the gold shipment.
This movie is RZA’s love letter to the kung fu movies he watched growing up. Most of the movie was filmed on location in China, and several actors just go ahead and speak their local dialects with subtitles. There are some fine action scenes, and it’s appreciated that RZA doesn’t hog the screen or central character time.
There are no real good guys in the story, just not-as-bad ones who are wronged and have to fight back. Poison Dagger, conversely, is super obviously a villain. (Why do rulers keep hiring obviously evil advisors?)
Jack Knife is a weak point for me. His sexual and substance consumption excess is evidently supposed to make us think he’s awesome, but just came across as gross.
There’s an extended post-credits scene/sequel hook with dubious special effects (the effects in the movie proper are excellent)–that wasn’t followed up at all in the sequel.
Content note: Lots of martial arts violence, often gory (the unrated cut has more). Women in underwear and implied nudity, onscreen clothed sex. The Blacksmith is Thaddeus Smith, a freed slave, and his backstory has pre-Civil War racism in it, and copious use of the N-word. (Pam Grier as the Blacksmith’s mother!) Some rough language, especially referring to the brothel workers.
Overall: A decent homage to the kung fu films of old, the love shows. Recommended to martial arts movie fans.
