The Man with the Iron Fists

The Man with the Iron Fists is just what Hollywood needed, a fun mindless movie made by an up-and-coming director. RZA, a first time director, showed that he has a ton of talent behind the camera and it looks like he learned a ton from his Hollywood mentors. Being backed by Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth is a great honor for a first time director and RZA proved that he was up to the challenge by crafting an action packed guilty pleasure. I was surprised by the quality of the cast that he was able to assemble, and was really shocked to see Russell Crowe headlining the movie. More actors need to realize that they can do lighthearted movies sometimes and not always act in soul crushing dramas. 

The action in this movie is in line with the great kung fu movies of the past. Everything is played slightly over the top and it is awesome to see in motion. You have Rick Yune, who is literally wearing a "Suit of Blades", Russell Crowe wielding a Gunblade, and Batista has metal skin. Each weapon is more extravagant than the next and it makes each character feel special and it lends to the epicness of each fight scene. It was just refreshing to see a movie from a genre that has not been heard from in the States in a while. I truly hope that this movie leads to a resurgence of the Kung-Fu genre because Hollywood could do with a dose of pure action movies instead of coming out with generic rom coms and depressing dramas. 

The story itself was nothing really special, but the fact is that not too many people are going to be rushing to see this movie because of the story. The action is the main attraction and the acting was actually better than I thought it was going to be. Russell Crowe looked like he had a blast filming this movie and plays his character perfectly and Rick Yune shows that he really deserves to headline more movies in the future. Most people know Rick as the main villain from the first Fast and the Furious movie, and in this movie he shows that he is a complete badass. The whole movie could have been centered around his quest to avenge his father's death and it would have worked just as well. RZA also did a serviceable job as "The Blacksmith", but he should really consider focusing on honing his talents behind the camera and leave the acting to the actors. 

The Man with the Iron Fists is a fantastic debut by RZA. It does get a little out of hand at points but what can you really expects from a first time director that is also starring in the movie as well. If you are a fan of action movies and kung fu movies in particular then you should go out and see this as soon as possible.