Fist of Fury | |
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Hong Kong film poster
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Traditional | 精武門 |
Simplified | 精武门 |
Mandarin | Jīng Wǔ Mén |
Cantonese | Zing1 Mou2 Mun4 |
Directed by | Lo Wei |
Produced by | Raymond Chow |
Written by | Lo Wei |
Starring |
Bruce Lee Nora Miao |
Music by | Joseph Koo |
Cinematography | Chan Ching-kui |
Edited by | Peter Cheung |
Production
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Distributed by | Golden Harvest |
Release date
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Running time
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108 minutes |
Country | Hong Kong |
Language | Mandarin Cantonese |
Box office |
Hong Kong: HK$4,431,423 North America: US$3,400,000 |
Fist of Fury is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Lo Wei, starring Bruce Lee in his second major role after The Big Boss (1971). Lee plays Chen Zhen, a student of Huo Yuanjia, who fights to defend the honor of the Chinese in the face of foreign aggression, and to bring to justice those responsible for his master's death.
In early 20th century Shanghai, Chen Zhen returns to Jingwu School to marry his fiancée. However, tragic news awaits him: his master Huo Yuanjia has died, apparently from illness. Chen is deeply saddened and traumatised by the sudden demise of his teacher. During the funeral, people from a Japanese dojo in Hongkou District arrive to taunt the Jingwu students. Wu En, translator and advisor for the Japanese dojo's grandmaster Hiroshi Suzuki, taunts Chen by slapping him on the cheek several times, and dares him to fight one of Suzuki's protégés. They present a sign to Jingwu School, bearing the words "Sick Man of East Asia", seemingly to insult Huo Yuanjia, describing the Chinese as "weaklings" in comparison to the Japanese. The protégé taunts the Jingwu students to fight him and promises, "I'll eat those words if any Chinese here dare to fight and defeat me."
Shortly afterwards, Chen Zhen goes to the Hongkou dojo alone to return the "gift" (the sign). He faces hostility from the Japanese students and they engage in a fight. Chen Zhen defeats all of them, including their sensei, single-handedly and effortlessly, using a nunchaku as a weapon during the fight. He smashes the glass on the sign and makes the students who taunted him earlier chew up the paper bearing the derogatory words, so as to make them literally "eat their words".
Later, Chen takes a stroll to a park. A Sikh guard refuses him entry, due to a posted sign that forbids dogs and Chinese in the park. After the guard allows a foreigner to bring her pet dog into the park, a Japanese man approaches Chen and tells him that if he behaves like a dog, he will be allowed to go in. Chen beats up the man and his friends in anger. After the fight, Chen breaks the sign. The guard blows his whistle to alert the police, but the citizens that watched the whole fight help Chen to escape the park.