New Fist of Fury - 88 Films - November 23rd 2020

[Killer Meteor]

Originally Posted by drobswim13

Isn't this the guy whose mom was a big name something-or-other in the cinema scene and that's about the only reason he got acting gigs?

I have no idea! Sammo's grandma was a big star at one point...

[Markgway]

Funnily enough, the first time I saw this it was the uncut 2hr version with English dub.

[OldPangYau]

Originally Posted by Killer Meteor

THANK YOU!!!! I've been wondering what that music was for nearly 20 years!

The film also features some of my favourite Tangerine Dream music, "Rubycon".

I hope the lawyers don't read these threads...

Also look up "Bloodsucker", also by Mandingo... and there's your Cantonese version theme, lol.

In regards to this being the "official" sequel, while I've stated as such over the years, it's really only "official" in that it has Lo Wei back as director, and brings back Nora Miao as Yuan Li-erh (or as she disguises herself as, "Miao Li-erh", lol), and Hang Ying-chieh in a different role compared to his character of "Feng Kwai-sher" from the first film. But I do agree that the unofficial sequel, Fist of Fury Part II (which *also* brings back actors from the first film, Tien Feng and Li Kun, both reprising their same roles) feels more connected and even goes the extra length to recreate the Jing Wu school.

Funny enough, I feel like with tweaks to both film stories, they could have been "sidequels". Cut out the fake Yuan Li-erh's death in Fist of Fury Part II, and choose which film should use Chen Zhen's nunchucks, and then you can have one story that follows Yuan Li-erh in Taiwan and the other following Chen Shen (Chen Zhen's brother) and the Jing Wu school back in Shanghai. Boom, sidequels, lol. I mean, hell, the whole Chen Zhen story has been VERY loose in connective tissue for decades in regards to sequels, spin-offs, side stories, etc.

Originally Posted by Markgway

Funnily enough, the first time I saw this it was the uncut 2hr version with English dub.

Same, lol. That was pretty much the *only* version that was here in the US for years (aside from trimming the Chinese-only text of the opening credits), until the Shout Factory budget DVD called "Jackie Chan Beginnings", which is when the older Fortune Star master finally appeared in the US with the 80+ min Cantonese cut of the film.

[Killer Meteor]

Originally Posted by OldPangYau

Also look up "Bloodsucker", also by Mandingo... and there's your Cantonese version theme, lol.

In regards to this being the "official" sequel, while I've stated as such over the years, it's really only "official" in that it has Lo Wei back as director, and brings back Nora Miao as Yuan Li-erh (or as she disguises herself as, "Miao Li-erh", lol), and Hang Ying-chieh in a different role compared to his character of "Feng Kwai-sher" from the first film. But I do agree that the unofficial sequel, Fist of Fury Part II (which *also* brings back actors from the first film, Tien Feng and Li Kun, both reprising their same roles) feels more connected and even goes the extra length to recreate the Jing Wu school.

Funny enough, I feel like with tweaks to both film stories, they could have been "sidequels". Cut out the fake Yuan Li-erh's death in Fist of Fury Part II, and choose which film should use Chen Zhen's nunchucks, and then you can have one story that follows Yuan Li-erh in Taiwan and the other following Chen Shen (Chen Zhen's brother) and the Jing Wu school back in Shanghai. Boom, sidequels, lol. I mean, hell, the whole Chen Zhen story has been VERY loose in connective tissue for decades in regards to sequels, spin-offs, side stories, etc.
.

It's funny how the FOF sequels treat the nunchucks as some sort of magic weapon...only for New Fist to go "take this Bruce" and have Jackie upgrade to the Chinese three section staff! It doesn't make much sense for Chen Zhen to have a Japanese weapon, but Fist of Legend has him studying in Japan...but no nunchucks in that version!

I don't think Nora HAD a name in the original on-screen...the reissue prints give her one at the end credits.

Another music cue from NFOF...the music when Lo Wei goes to meet Nora is an old library cue that was the title music for the Boris Karloff Mexican opus The Snake People.

The English dub for NFOF is the usual lot but the endless chatter wears one down after a while, especially during the old master's birthday speech when he is competing with some especially shreiky opera (the Mandarin version plays music instead, which is much better). There are some giggles to be had from cornball lines like "Kill you? We'd never do that, we're a kung fu school, so calm down". That John Fiedler voice given to Suen Lam's police captain is very much finger nails on a blackboard!

I will give NFOF credit over FOFII (which I otherwise prefer) in one respect...it's not a blatant copy rehashing all those scene of a police inspector who isn't Lo Wei endlessly not doing his job! Neither one brings back the geisha stipper sadly...

[Killer Meteor]

Originally Posted by OldPangYau

Also look up "Bloodsucker", also by Mandingo... and there's your Cantonese version theme, lol.

AKA the theme from BRUCE LEE'S SECRET!

[Killer Meteor]

Originally Posted by Markgway

Funnily enough, the first time I saw this it was the uncut 2hr version with English dub.

Same hear, I picked up a dubious looking VHS (no company logos or copyright warning) in Music Zone alongside the 4FrontVideo Fist of Fury II. Was not expecting both tapes to have the nunchaku scenes intact! To this day, I have no idea why the latter was uncut, especially as the cover art was still censored, and nobody else encountered this tape uncut.

Those bootleggy tapes used masters from when Jimmy Shaw of Alpha Films owned the JC/Lo Wei movies (and Fantasy Mission Force)...so naturally he gave the films new credits billing him as the producer!

[WaverBoy]

I’m going to pick this up for completist’s sake if nothing else, but tell me — is this film as bad as its rep seems to suggest? I’ll be satisfied if it’s at least got some good Kung fu choreography

[ChackieJan]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

— is this film as bad as its rep seems to suggest? I’ll be satisfied if it’s at least got some good Kung fu choreography

It is, but at least final 15-20 minutes or so are pretty decent. Mostly before that it`s quite boring flick with few ok scenes here and there...

[Killer Meteor]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

I’m going to pick this up for completist’s sake if nothing else, but tell me — is this film as bad as its rep seems to suggest? I’ll be satisfied if it’s at least got some good Kung fu choreography

Let me put it this way. You know how The Big Boss makes you wait 45min for Bruce Lee to fight?

New Fist of Fury makes you wait over 100min for Jackie to fight.

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by Killer Meteor

Let me put it this way. You know how The Big Boss makes you wait 45min for Bruce Lee to fight?

New Fist of Fury makes you wait over 100min for Jackie to fight.

Yikes

[OldPangYau]

Originally Posted by Killer Meteor

Let me put it this way. You know how The Big Boss makes you wait 45min for Bruce Lee to fight?

New Fist of Fury makes you wait over 100min for Jackie to fight.

Funny enough, I think Han "Big Boss" Ying-chieh has more fights than Jackie, lol. Also, the "rousing the troops" scene with Jackie carrying the nailed together school sign is at around 75 min into the uncut version, but only around 45 min in the Cantonese cut. Lo Wei definitely cut most of the footage in the earlier part of the film to get to Jackie taking charge much faster. Funny enough, I think he did the same with The Big Boss upon the two times the film needed to be cut down after its late '71 release, leading to Lee's first fight at the 45 min mark and most of the missing footage being in the earlier part of the film (aside from censorship cuts.)

[Killer Meteor]

Originally Posted by OldPangYau

Funny enough, I think Han "Big Boss" Ying-chieh has more fights than Jackie, lol. Also, the "rousing the troops" scene with Jackie carrying the nailed together school sign is at around 75 min into the uncut version, but only around 45 min in the Cantonese cut. Lo Wei definitely cut most of the footage in the earlier part of the film to get to Jackie taking charge much faster. Funny enough, I think he did the same with The Big Boss upon the two times the film needed to be cut down after its late '71 release, leading to Lee's first fight at the 45 min mark and most of the missing footage being in the earlier part of the film (aside from censorship cuts.)

Han and Chen Sing definetly are the best things in the movie.

I was thinking of Big Boss as well - Jackie seems to be being screen-tested by Lo Wei as they make the movie, and consequently gets promoted. Contrary to what the reference books say, Jackie's character in this is very much a proto-type of his Drunken Master persona (young layabout who doesn't take kung fu seriously), and not a Bruce clone.

I do wonder if the film was meant to have Nora as the main fighting hero (even to the point they have a female villain), then downplayed her in favour of Jackie (probably because her fighting Chen Sing was likely very dangerous!)

[chen lung]

Need a little help with this clip, please.

Can anyone work out what's being said by each man? Their dialogue overlaps, so it's hard to make out.

Our Japanese translator thinks it's Mandarin, but myself and a friend think it's Japanese.

[chas speed]

I think I will probably just stick to Jackie films that were made from 1978 on, but I would still get a kick out of seeing this.

[grim_tales]

I haven't seen NFoF. interesting. Wonder if its as good as Fof?
40 min is quite a difference in footage.

[chen lung]

Yeah, I never considered Jackie to be a Bruce Lee imitator in these movies, despite what several writings state.

For me, ‘New Fist’ does have bouts of lousy choreography, and it’s only when Long comes into his own that it gets better in this regard. I don’t mind the film myself, and the narrative/story is just as important for me.

Anyway, I hope this release will afford for improved viewing. Whilst it’s certainly no masterpiece, I think newcomers should give it a chance, and it deserves to be revisited once for fresh judgement by those who dismiss it. Worst case if opinion doesn’t shift: it can always be resold to someone craving the slipcase!

[Killer Meteor]

New Fist of Fury's English dub is one of the few that retains the Japanese speaking Japanese portions.

[chen lung]

Almost finished (about half a dozen lines left), but can someone verify these two clips:

1. We know the second part is "- Where are you from? - Taipei.", but we can't work out the first.

2. I think Chen Sing's character says something (it sounds like "喜欢").

[Liersi]

Originally Posted by chen lung

Almost finished (about half a dozen lines left), but can someone verify these two clips:

1. We know the second part is "- Where are you from? - Taipei.", but we can't work out the first.

2. I think Chen Sing's character says something (it sounds like "喜欢").

Wow, these are hard to decipher. Overlapping acoustics just swallowing entire words. And no context for the fight (never seen the film).

2. Would it make sense for him to say 喜欢? During an attack? He's attacking the knee, so I assume he says 膝關 (xi1guan1), knee (joint). What does he say before that, though? hun1?

[OldPangYau]

Been a little quiet here... Time to drop the trailer I edited for 88 Films

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpD3...ature=youtu.be

And yes, I know Jackie starred in Cub Tiger From Kwantung first, but let's be honest, New Fist of Fury was his first widely released starring role, lol.