Todesgrüße aus Shanghai

What's not to love about Bruce Lee? Simple answer, nothing. Bruce Lee is the man who made Hong Kong and martial art films the way they are way today. This despite he only be able to do four films.

Set in the early twentieth century in the Japanese section of Shanghai, Fist of Fury tells the story Chen Zhen (Bruce Lee). He returns to the city to marry his fiancé but finds out that his master had died. He questions the official reason about how he was killed and the Japanese Bushidō school seek to close Chen's school. The Japanese plan to arrest Chen, learn the secret of the Fist of Fury and arrest every member of the school. Chen goes on a mission of vengeance, beating up and killing anyone who was involved in the Master's murder. But he has only three days to do it and uses his resourcefulness to avoid being arrested.

The story is skeleton thin, but who cares, it's Bruce Lee. And compared to most previous efforts in Hong Kong, Fist of Fury is pretty much Oscar worthy. Bruce Lee in trying to give Hong Kong films some story, and not just focus on the swordplay. The acting isn't exactly good. Bruce Lee and Nora Miao are the strongest performs. This film's winning feature (and the whole point of watching this type of film) is the martial arts sequence. Bruce Lee is obviously the best at what he does, beating up a lot of people on the way. The camera work is extremely well done, there is no shaky cam or over-editing that is a massive problem in today's cinema. Bruce Lee also uses his nunchakus which is always fun to see. Excellent viewing.

The film also has a couple of themes. There is the themes of vengeance and actions have consequence for everyone involved. There is also a major theme about Chinese and Japanese racism and the hatred the two nations have to each other. It was a nationalistic piece for the Chinese and show that they should be strong against the Japanese. This film was made when memories of World War II was still raw in the collective Chinese conscious.

A film for Bruce Lee fans.

Undoubtedly Lee's most intense performance, Wei's powerful kung fu classic is ripe with anti-Japanese hysteria and propaganda, so much so that there's not a single pleasant Jap' in the movie (unlike the up-to-date modern re-make). That aside, essentially this is a riotous Bruce Lee vehicle, kicking out trademarks and smashing up all evil in the process. The plot (Lee's sifu poisoned by Japanese school in turn-of-the-century Shanghai) is a valid excuse to string a great line-up of fight sequences together, and what great action this is: Bruce pounds the lights out of a dojo full of evil Japs using only fists, feet and nunchakus, and the duel with Baker (Lee's real-life personal bodyguard) near the movie's end is sheer entertainment typified. Though based on factual events, the subject matter is vastly exaggerated. Nevertheless, as kung fu theatre goes, Fist of Fury is an immensely satisfying experience, and stands as probably Lee's best Hong Kong work.

Chen Chen (Bruce Lee choreographed his own fight scenes) returns to the international compound of China to find his girlfriend (Nora Miao) and old friends , only to learn of his intimate teacher's death . This is compounded by the continual racist harassment by the Japanese population in the area . As he seeks vengeance for the death of his teacher and infiltrates Japanese territory to investigate the strange events . As he sets out to avenge the death of his teacher Huo Yuanjia (Fok Yuen Gap) and at one point during the film, the Chinese Wushu students are called "sick men of Asia" by their rivals . Unlike his friends, he confronts it head on with his mastery of martial arts while investigating his teacher's murder . Chen dispatches numerous thugs and hundreds of Karate experts before a violent slug-fest with Petrov , a baddie Russian (Robert Baker, in the Cantonese and Mandarin versions of the film, his voice is dubbed by 'Bruce Lee') . Chen Chen accepted the challenge of a Russian fighter who called all Chinese people "sick men of Asia" . According to certain historical sources in China , the real-life Chen escaped from Shanghai successfully .

This violent Chop-Socky displays action-packed , thrills , fast-paced and wild fighting images . The international title of this film was "Fist of Fury" , in the United States the English dubbed version was released under the title "The Chinese Connection" to avoid confusion with "Fists of Fury" or ¨The big boss¨ , the title for the U.S. release of Bruce Lee's previous film . Packs violent combats sequences including Karate , Judo, Tae Kwon do , Hapkido and Wushu . Exciting and rousing struggles , though Bruce Lee was doubled in the fight scene between Chen and Yoshida where Chen does a somersault, while Jackie Chan doubled for the villain Suzuki when he is kicked back through the large paper windows . And impressive final fighting , the key fight sequence between Lee and Robert Baker is a mixture of punishing action and dry humor, as at one point Lee bites Baker on his leg to escape an arm lock , plus Lee boxes with Baker, jabbing him repeatedly in the face whilst wearing a cheeky grin! ; the fight comes to a dramatic conclusion as Lee side kicks Baker in the head, knocking him senseless, and then Lee delivers a lethal karate chop to Baker's windpipe, terminating his bigger opponent.

The motion picture was well directed by Lo Wei , because of the movie's racial content and personal disagreements, Bruce Lee quit working with Lo Wei after this movie . Lo Wei also directed the successful ¨Fists of fury¨ and various Jackie Chan vehicles as ¨New fist of fury¨ and ¨Spiritual Kung Fu¨.

This is a top-notch Kung-Fu movie with the unforgettable Bruce Lee . Bruce Lee one of the biggest international hit smashes , ¨Fist of Fury¨ was previously realized to his American box office ¨Enter the dragon¨. This one was made later but released before ¨Lee's Return of dragon¨ with Chuck Norris as contender , and Lee had formerly starred ¨Fists of fury¨ or ¨The big boss¨. ¨Enter the dragon¨ is his last complete movie character but his next film ¨ Game of death¨ was absurdly edited after his death , this Kung-Fu actioner was realized by Robert Clouse , an expert on Chop-Socky movies and he directed Bruce Lee's last film . ¨Fist of fury¨ is indispensable and essential seeing for Lee fans and Karate enthusiastic.

After seeing Fists Of Fury(a.k.a The Big Boss) on T.V, I was surprised that they showed his next movie The Chinese Connections(a.k.a Fist Of Fury) and I really enjoyed and I still love it, Bruce Lee was amazing, and his martial art skills were terrific, but what really amazed me the most was seeing him beating the s**t out of those japanese people, and fighting that Russian. This is the best movie Bruce Lee has made before starring in Enter The Dragon, and if you're a Bruce Lee fan please watch this movie, you'll love this.

From start to finish, the Chinese Connection (originally released as Fists of Fury) is probably the most entertaining and satisfying of all the Bruce Lee movies. Well paced, with creative and fairly realistic fight scenes distributed evenly, the movie keeps the audience's attention all the way through the long fight scene near the climactic end (I won't spoil the actual ending for you). The predictable revenge plot provides the emotional trigger to release Lee's rage-filled fights and his now-famous smashing of the "No Dogs or Chinese Allowed" sign. Equally famous is his "this time you eat paper, next time you eat glass" line. Viewers are also treated to the only on-screen kiss by Lee, some comical moments with Lee playing a bumbling telephone repairman, a cameo by director Lo-Wei as the chief inspector, and a soundtrack which effectively builds tension in the fight scenes. You won't recognize Jackie Chan as the stuntman for one of the Japanese martial artists who flies through the screen door. The most memorable part of this movie is Lee's dynamic vitality as he goes about his business, cocksure and confident, and with the goods to back it up. I am forever grateful to those who, in marketing this movie to the west, decided to dub only the dialogue and to leave Lee's original fight sounds untouched. As is evident in the US version of Return of the Dragon (aka Way of the Dragon), dubbing Lee's fight sounds is nothing short of a sin.