#1036b: WEI, Lo: Fist Of Fury (1972)

WEI, Lo (Hong Kong)
First Of Fury [1972]
Spine #1036b
Blu-ray


Bruce Lee is at his most awe-inspiringly ferocious in this blistering follow-up to his star-making turn in The Big Boss, which turned out to be an even greater success than its predecessor. Set in 1910s Shanghai, Fist of Fury casts Lee as a martial-arts student who, after his revered master is murdered by a rival dojo of Japanese imperialists, sets out to defend the honor of both his school and the Chinese people, with his fatal fists as his weapon of choice. Elevating Lee to a hero of near folkloric proportions, this historical revenge fantasy blends its stunning action set pieces with a strong anticolonialist statement and a potent dose of the fierce cultural pride that the actor embodied.

107 minutes
Color
Monaural
in Mandarin
2:35:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2020
Director/Writer


Lo Wei was 54 when he wrote and directed Fist of Fury.

Other Lo Wei films in the Collection:

#1036a: The Big Boss (1971)

The Film

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Twenty-four page paper magazine with poster featuring an essay by Jeff Chang.

Commentary

By Hong-Kong film expert Mike Leeder.

Alternate English-language soundtrack

Interview 1

With Lee biographer Matthew Polly.

Interview 2

With producer Andrew Morgan about Golden Harvest, the company behind Hong Kong’s top martial-arts stars, including Lee.

Interview 3

With author Grady Hendrix about the “Bruceploitation” subgenre that followed Lee’s death, and a selection of Bruceploitation trailers.

Multiple programs and documentaries

About Lee’s life and philosophies, including Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend (1973) and Bruce Lee: In His Own Words (1998).

Interviews

With Linda Lee Caldwell, Lee’s widow, and many of Lee’s collaborators and admirers, including actors Jon T. BennRiki HashimotoNora MiaoRobert WallYuen Wah, and Simon Yam and directors Clarence FokSammo Hung, and Wong Jing.

Promotional materials

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

By Spine #

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