Featured Audience Ratings

• JY S

  
  It's easy to see what RZA has in mind with <i>The Man with the Iron Fists</i>, but the execution just isn't there.<p>The story is prime for violence and martial arts antics, but the 100 minutes of screen time isn't as enjoyable as it sounds. The… More
  It's easy to see what RZA has in mind with <i>The Man with the Iron Fists</i>, but the execution just isn't there.<p>The story is prime for violence and martial arts antics, but the 100 minutes of screen time isn't as enjoyable as it sounds. The dialogue is poorly written and the fact that nearly all of it is in English doesn't blend well with the style and setting of the film.</p><p>The action is highly stylized and the violence is over the top bloody; however, the editing is a huge disappointment during these segments.</p><p>RZA provides the narration with an unconvincing voice and his acting skills are just nowhere to be found. Russel Crowe looks to be going thought the motions and the rest of the cast just get by with what they are asked to do.</p><p><i>The Man with the Iron Fists</i> lacks the direction to be anything spectacular, thus leading to a film not worth recommending.</p>

• Daniel L

  
  The Man with the Iron Fists is a nonsensical film with awkward action scenes and only a few amiable performances.

• Al S

  
  An outrageously over the top and refreshingly entertaining modern epic. It feels like its in the territory of the so bad its good, but manages just to be flat-out absurdly good fun, that pays great homage to classic Kung-Fu films of the past and a sheer blast of fantasy which is a… More
  An outrageously over the top and refreshingly entertaining modern epic. It feels like its in the territory of the so bad its good, but manages just to be flat-out absurdly good fun, that pays great homage to classic Kung-Fu films of the past and a sheer blast of fantasy which is a treat for the eyes and ears. A very funny, ultra-cool and wickedly action-packed adventure that's just a good spot of fun. It has some incredible scenery and design, solid special effects, along with a great music score, from the RZA himself, which an epic feel mixed with jazz and soul. It's loaded with some wild and bloody martial arts action sequences that are just bad ass and fun to watch. The trio team of Rza, Eli Roth and Quentin Tarantino, have brought a wildly enjoyable tribute to their love of old-school cinema with their dark sense of humor and vivid energy. Director, RZA crafts a fun and stylish piece of work that stands on its own as a future cult classic. Rza and Co-Writer, Eli Roth are just having a blast with their material. The all-star cast are all looking like they are have a good time. Rza is terrific, he writes, directs and stars in the film and brings something that's fun, exciting and very gorgeous. Rick Yune is wonderful. Russell Crowe is brilliant, he gives a witty, slick and very entertaining performance.

• Luke B

  
  RZA gives us a very personal film which is basically him going a tad mental with the kung-fu genre. It works for the majority of the film as it gives us a fun, daft, but always exciting action adventure. A ragtag gang of outsiders join as they search for gold and revenge. The biggest… More
  RZA gives us a very personal film which is basically him going a tad mental with the kung-fu genre. It works for the majority of the film as it gives us a fun, daft, but always exciting action adventure. A ragtag gang of outsiders join as they search for gold and revenge. The biggest problem with the film is how it jumps about with the plot, but after hearing rumours of a 4 hour cut, it's no surprise that the film needs extra narration to fill in the blanks. The fight scenes range in creativity, but are well handled. Best of all are the characters ranging from performances of reality TV stars, wrestlers, rappers, and Academy Award winners. Crowe is having an exceptional amount of fun with his part and delivers every line with the kind of self satisfaction that can only be described as endearing. There are some excellent sets and great costume designs. The RZA's performance is certainly the weakest, and it doesn't help he gives himself the meatiest and most emotional elements, but it isn't enough to stop the fun factor.

• Directors C

  
  [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] RZA has made attempts at creating his own martial arts action movie since the 1990's. His dream struggled to get produced for many years until recently when he got himself under the wing of Eli Roth and… More
  [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] RZA has made attempts at creating his own martial arts action movie since the 1990's. His dream struggled to get produced for many years until recently when he got himself under the wing of Eli Roth and fellow friend and genre fanatic Quentin Tarantino, they helped get the project off the ground. Now RZA clearly has a great passion for 70's kung fu flicks, he stylizes his homage to within an inch of it's very life. The set designs are beautiful and the sequences of limbs being cut of are wickedly unrestrained, but The Man With The Iron Fists is an all around missed opportunity. A disappointing labour of love which lacks the greatest merits of the genre it admires. For a film that's supposed to be insanely violent and low on plot it goes right in the opposite direction. If it had a plot I was made to care less about and action set pieces that excited me more it could have been a solid throw away exploitation movie. But the self indulgent script denies this as it tries to get us to relate to the characters and feel intrigued by it's overly convoluted plot. Eli Roth is likely to be the blame because his writing is laughably poor. This is coming from someone who loves his exploitation movies, but this is an homage almost equally as annoyingly self aggrandizing as Tarantino's Death Proof. As for the action sequences, they aren't choreographed decently, that's a major problem for a martial arts flick. The acting at the center of the film is awful besides RZA himself and Lucy Liu. Russell Crowe is especially dull. Performing as if he's only in it for his paycheck rather than actually trying to enhance the interesting premise. RZA wanted to make a knowingly bad thrill ride, he delivers on some fronts. He's got an eye poping visual style and assembles a fitting soundtrack, but overall the film somehow fails at being bad. If you're going to make a nostalgic tribute you need to get the basics right before trying to outsmart the inspiration. I liked this movie because of the cool sets and the various references to the classic kung fu movies of the 70's. It's an extremely likable film when it wants to be, although I expected a lot more from it. Nevertheless, it's fun to watch in places.

• Phil H

  
  Do you like homages to the old cheesy classic martial arts films of the 70/80's? lots of frenzied fighting with bones snapping and blades swishing? did you like 'Kill Bill'? then this might be for you. Presented by the man himself Quentin Tarantino you might be thinking… More
  Do you like homages to the old cheesy classic martial arts films of the 70/80's? lots of frenzied fighting with bones snapping and blades swishing? did you like 'Kill Bill'? then this might be for you. Presented by the man himself Quentin Tarantino you might be thinking this will be ultra cool, well you would be wrong, unless of course you love this kinda stuff. Quite simply this is another modern day homage to all those old Bruce Lee type kung fu movies (various classic scenes copied in this film), not just his movies but lots of various classic martial arts action flicks. The plot is your typical cliched revenge/fighting clans idea with huge amounts of overblown, ridiculously gory violence, bad hyper looking martial arts fight sequences, lots of bad extreme looking wire work, silly weaponry, silly looking characters with silly names and its all created in that retro 70's style. Of course I can't rip on the film too much as you know what your getting into when you see the film. There is no beating around the bush or hiding from what this film is going for, it does exactly what it says on the tin and this is delivering super sonic bad assery. My issue is the film isn't really a very good homage/film nor is the bad assery...errr bad ass. The whole thing looks pretty shabby frankly, there is no originality here and nothing particularly interesting as we've seen this type of thing all before. I don't really see why this went ahead, the whole thing is so corny and predictable, yes I know its suppose to be but I don't see that as an excuse. The director gave himself the leading role for flips sake despite the fact he can't act or narrate dialog a tall. The rest of the cast and their acting is dreadful (not that I expected anything award winning) accept for Crowe who roars away as he does, dunno why he agreed to be in this though. His knife gun weapon thing looks completely out of place amongst all the ninja-like warfare going on around him. There is this whole uneasy balance of real time action and fantasy which I didn't really like and I don't think it works. I realize Eastern films enjoy this stuff and it can add to the visuals but you never saw Lee resorting to shit like that. All the crazy ass wire work with people flying around doing super human things and then there's the big muscly guy who's skin turns into metal when attacked...huh?. So how come he has tattoo's...ah who cares. It all looks bright and dynamic with good sets and they have recreated the retro look well, credits included. A kind of love child spawning from 'Kill Bill' and 'Big Trouble in Little China', yet so violent and claret heavy it becomes more of a spoof lacking any real tension. Thing is the action doesn't even look that good, more cheap n tacky, at least 'Kill Bill' was super slick, hell one of the films main characters turns into 'Jax' outta 'Mortal Kombat' for pete's sake! and that's the main plot!. It also begs the question...if your forearms were made out of iron surely they would be too heavy to move? very slow going, and why would that enable you to punch through walls and other metal objects?. Its hard to review films like this really, its a homage to a certain genre which is suppose to be cheesy and kinda tacky looking. You can't take it seriously because of course its not meant to be taken seriously, on the other hand it is semi serious with its action and plot. I just wish they had cut down on the awful wire work and lost the character with metal skin, that guy really unbalances the whole thing. The fantasy doesn't really bond with the semi serious mega violence in my opinion, its just an awkward cocktail.

• Everett J

  
  "Man With the Iron Fists" is a homage to the older 70's Kung Fu movies in the same vein as the "Kill Bill" movies were. It revolves around a blacksmith(Rza) who makes weapons for the different factions in China's Jungle Village during a time of war. He… More
  "Man With the Iron Fists" is a homage to the older 70's Kung Fu movies in the same vein as the "Kill Bill" movies were. It revolves around a blacksmith(Rza) who makes weapons for the different factions in China's Jungle Village during a time of war. He is betrayed and turns himself into a human weapon to use his ancient energy to try to save his people. The movie is pretty uneven, but it's still very entertaining. Russell Crowe is the absolute best character and really comes off like he is having a blast. He plays Jack Knife a westerner who comes to Jungle Village for vacation, or so he says. He has probably the coolest weapon I've seen in a movie in a long time. The action and fight scenes are all good, but the editing towards the end is all over the place. This is RZA's first movie as a director, and you can tell. But, he shows promise that he can do better. He also narrates the movie, and I didn't really care for that. The use of a narrator is great, but just him and the way he speaks didn't really seem necessary to the movie. Also, the movie is only 90 minutes long, and probably could have been another 30 minutes longer and really been much better. Some of the characters weren't really fleshed out very good. Problems aside, I did enjoy it, and think if your a fan of movies like "Kill Bill" or "Lone Wolf", you'll like it too. Just don't expect it to be as good, just a good homage that comes up a little short.

• Markus R

  
  Produced (not directed or written) by Quentin Tarantino (so you know it's going to be bad) "The Man with the Iron Fists", Wu Tang Clan member RZA's first try behind the camera, doesn't disappoint as far as "bad" movies go. This is truly an exercise… More
  Produced (not directed or written) by Quentin Tarantino (so you know it's going to be bad) "The Man with the Iron Fists", Wu Tang Clan member RZA's first try behind the camera, doesn't disappoint as far as "bad" movies go. This is truly an exercise in visual and structural ineptitude, which could only be the work of an amateur filmmaker. RZA, starring alongside an obese Russell Crowe and Cung Le (which should tell you all you need to know) in this rather poor grindhouse homage to old Kung Fu movies, narrates the simplistic story of a black blacksmith (RZA) who must protect his village from a deadly band of assassins. But even this story takes a hit, as it becomes overcomplicated by RZA's dreadful storytelling abilities. This mess of a film also stars Lucy Liu, who is by far the most tolerable character, playing the Madam of the town brothel. But not even Liu playing a watered down version of her character in "Kill Bill: Vol: 1" or a halfway decent final battle sequence can conceal the amount of problems that essentially cut "The Man with the Iron Fists" off at the wrists. Truthfully, I haven't wanted to like a movie this much and been so very disappointed by the result since "Battle LA". Why is this movie so bad? Well, the fact that the entire movie distractingly switches back and forth from English to Mandarin (I am only speculating) for reasons unexplained to the viewer, is the first of many head shakingly dreadful decisions made by RZA. But for a more in-depth breakdown, the following is a very brief (that is, if you enjoy long rants) analysis of RZA's first film: RZA is no writer: While the classic Martial Arts film concept itself is interesting, the script co-written by RZA himself, as well as Eli Roth (Tarantino's protégé) is rather weak. Surprisingly RZA (only one of the best DJ's/lyricist alive) can't write dialogue to save his life. And while Roth has never been a master of the spoken word himself, it becomes all too obvious between which lines of dialogue RZA has written and which are insertions from Roth, when a character goes on a stiff 5 minute rant that ends with a rather Tarantino-esque one-liner. As for the story itself, the problem lies in that it becomes overly cramped with stupid subplots. Every time the story begins to head in a finite direction, RZA does his damnedest to add another idiotic twist, or have the character cease all action in order to spout out one more bit of needless exposition, complicating matters for an audience that was barely on board to begin with. RZA is no director: Sometimes a filmmaker can get away with gratuitous violence because it is intricate to the story (or sometimes simply on pedigree alone). But when your story hangs on by a thread and your directing is suspect, the sporadic occurrence of intense brutality doesn't so much come off as shocking, as much as it adds to the clunkiness of the film. Now, RZA does use some stylized camera techniques that obtain a semblance of that cool-factor he is looking for, but yet again, problems arise when he uses them in excess. RZA is no actor: Maybe the least important aspect of a grindhouse film like this is the acting, although there is something to be said for a self controlled actor who knows how to overact. In saying that, every scene with RZA, is almost comically stunted by his inability to hold his own around A and B-list actors and actresses. His own character must run the gambit of emotions here, from anger, to sorrow, to a man who is in severe anguish. So, if anything, his own script asks too much of him. Something good: If you try hard enough, you can probably find something good to say about any movie...well, maybe except for "Grown Ups". In the case of "The Man with the Iron Fists"...um...well...the soundtrack is good (although, at times ridiculously misused) but this is to be expected since music is what RZA does (NOT DIRECTING). Final Thought: I do realize the intention of a film like "The Man with the Iron Fists" is to champion a hardy slathering of over-the-topness, but that doesn't change the fact that this is quietly one of the worst directed films of the year. At times it's so bad that one would wonder how Quentin Tarantino thought it was a good idea to financially back this project at all. But on the other hand, it wouldn't shock me if it were to come to light that Tarantino had given RZA the money, called up a few of his actor buddies, and told Eli Roth to make his script readable, as a repayment for RZA's work on the Kill Bill soundtracks. Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole I. Ashland Follow me on Twitter @moviesmarkus

• William D

  
  "The Man with the Iron Fists," the first film directed by RZA (of the legendary rap group Wu Tang Clan), isn't terrible, but it's pretty lifeless. It's just so predictable and mediocre. It's a run-of-the-mill martial arts movie, such as you've seen a… More
  "The Man with the Iron Fists," the first film directed by RZA (of the legendary rap group Wu Tang Clan), isn't terrible, but it's pretty lifeless. It's just so predictable and mediocre. It's a run-of-the-mill martial arts movie, such as you've seen a thousand times before. I would have expected RZA to do something much fresher. There's no pizzazz whatsoever; it just moves along at this plodding pace. Flat flat flat.

• Drake T

  
  At times it's "so bad it's good" but more than often.. it's just bad. The plot is just terribly messy, characters were cheese and the dialogue? You can't tell whether RZA was aware of the parody or if he was actually trying. The film BARELY stands as a… More
  At times it's "so bad it's good" but more than often.. it's just bad. The plot is just terribly messy, characters were cheese and the dialogue? You can't tell whether RZA was aware of the parody or if he was actually trying. The film BARELY stands as a martial arts flick, let alone something with substance. Often I wonder how someone with such little talent gets the funding for something with such high production values. Oh wait I know, be a famous GANGSTA RAPPA FROM THE HOOD. I give it an extra half star only because I'm a sucker for martial arts and as an artist, I appreciated a lot of the costume design, environments and cinematography. Lucy Liu and Russell Crowe might've also had something to do with it.

• Nate Z

  
  In my lifetime, I've developed a fine taste for schlock cinema. I appreciate a jolly good bad movie that knows what it is. With that said, when you're bad at being bad, then that's a special case of bad, and such is the case of the hip-hop martial arts junk that is The… More
  In my lifetime, I've developed a fine taste for schlock cinema. I appreciate a jolly good bad movie that knows what it is. With that said, when you're bad at being bad, then that's a special case of bad, and such is the case of the hip-hop martial arts junk that is The Man with the Iron Fists. It looks like the kind of campy schlock I'd eat up, and with Russell Crowe as a murderous lascivious scoundrel to boot. The problem with this movie is that it has hip-hop artist RZA as a writer and director. It's not horribly directed but RZA doesn't have a firm grasp on action, relying too heavily on wires and spurts of graphic blood. But where the movie completely misfires is with a script that feels cobbled together with subplots belonging to other movies. There's a basic vengeance storyline, but the first hour of this mess is awash in confusion with a flurry of characters and storylines that fail to coalesce. It feels like everything is just rattling around waiting to be given greater significance. It has a few memorable moments but just as many tacky eye-rollers, like Crowe pulling out anal beads with his teeth. The Man with the Iron Fists just feels so flat overall, lacking a jocular tone or a distinct personality that would have given it a little life. I appreciate the detail that RZA put into his violent world, but I'd appreciate it more if he worked harder at developing a clear story that also was engaging. For all its exploitation elements and fantastic characters, the ultimate sin of The Man with the Iron Fists is that it's just too boring for too long. Nate's Grade: C-

• Greg S

  
  In feudal China an African-American blacksmith, British soldier of fortune and a avenging son with a suit that fires daggers fight against a man who can turn his skin bronze, a brothel full of ninja prostitutes, and a wildly inappropriate funk/rap soundtrack. Rapper turned… More
  In feudal China an African-American blacksmith, British soldier of fortune and a avenging son with a suit that fires daggers fight against a man who can turn his skin bronze, a brothel full of ninja prostitutes, and a wildly inappropriate funk/rap soundtrack. Rapper turned writer/director/star RZA is just enthusiastic and incompetent enough to make something that legitimately resembles a big-budget modern Shaw brothers movie rather than a spoof.

• Aaron N

  
  The Blacksmith: When you forge a weapon, you need three things: the right metal, temperatures over fourteen hundred degrees, and someone who wants to kill. Here in this village, we got all three. The Man with the Iron Fists is the movie that The RZA (pronounced Rih-Zah) has always… More
  The Blacksmith: When you forge a weapon, you need three things: the right metal, temperatures over fourteen hundred degrees, and someone who wants to kill. Here in this village, we got all three. The Man with the Iron Fists is the movie that The RZA (pronounced Rih-Zah) has always wanted to make and a film that people would likely expect from him. It is a martial arts epic infused with hip-hop that pays loving tribute to the Shaw Brothers era of Kung Fu movies, with a mix of modern day sensibilities. I have been guilty in the past of not appreciating similar and recent films like Ninja Assassin and The Warrior's Way, but The Man with the Iron Fists just hit me the write way I guess. The film is incredibly silly from its plot to its casting, but it has the kind of energy that I was able to get into and fits into this grindhouse mold that Quentin Tarantino (presenter of the film) and Eli Roth (co-writer and producer) have been trying to popularize as of late. It also has an expected, awesome soundtrack and score. read the whole review at thecodeiszeek.com

• Dann M

  
  From writer/director RZA comes the martial arts thriller The Man With the Iron Fists. In this tale a number of factions vie for control of a shipment of gold that's being transported through an outlaw city. Unfortunately, the characters aren't that well developed and the… More
  From writer/director RZA comes the martial arts thriller The Man With the Iron Fists. In this tale a number of factions vie for control of a shipment of gold that's being transported through an outlaw city. Unfortunately, the characters aren't that well developed and the storytelling's weak. Still, the fight sequences are rather impressive and energetic. And, the soundtrack is juxtaposed against the aesthetics in some interesting ways. The Man With the Iron Fists is unfocused and underdeveloped, but still delivers some entertaining action.

• Shawn M

  
  It's like a rubber band jumping marathon with so little energy.

• Cameron J

  
  "He has a powerful weapon, he charges a million a shot, an assassin that's second to none, the man with the iron fists!" (Ha, it's funny because "The Man with the Golden Gun" also had martial arts themes) Shoot, if you ask me, this film should probably… More
  "He has a powerful weapon, he charges a million a shot, an assassin that's second to none, the man with the iron fists!" (Ha, it's funny because "The Man with the Golden Gun" also had martial arts themes) Shoot, if you ask me, this film should probably been called "The Man with the Iron Tongue", because RZA's speech impediment is so severe that it left me to both wonder why RZA chose a stage name that no one can properly pronounce, much less him, and expect Mike Tyson to pop up at this film's climax as RZA's [u]Black[/u]smith character (Don't tell me you weren't thinking it, too) final opponent, whom he must face, not in kung-fu or ear biting (Hey, as much as Wu-Tang Clan has chewed at my ears, RZA must be a master of ear biting), but in a speech showdown to see who can make the most relatively fully understandable complete sentence. If only Mike Tyson went Buddhist and not Islam, then you would definately be seeing him somewhere in this crazy interpretation of China, or at least you would were it not for the fact that a legendary black fist fighter with a speech impediment going up against a legendary black fist fighter with a speech impediment would make sense, and therefore not really fit with this film's "story structure" theme. Eh, I'm still surprised that Tyson isn't here, because it's not like he has anything better to do, as opposed to Russell Crowe, who is good and all in this film that I like just fine and all, partially because he's clearly having fun with his role, but could have picked a better film in which to make his comeback after a two-year hiatus. Well, at least Crowe isn't as forced into this film as a name-drop as Quentin Tarantino, who seriously contributed nothing to do this film except his name in a "presented by" credit. Well, I'm glad to see that Tarantino cares enough about his friends to contribute something to the directorial debut of a buddy of his, though maybe the thing he should have contributed to RZA is some directing and writing tips. Don't get me wrong, this film is fun and all, but speech and, well, acting are hardly the only things that RZA trips up on in this film. An audaciously faithful homage to classic kung-fu fluff pieces, this film certainly boasts something of a refreshing idea, but when it comes down to execution, RZA goes a touch too far with his ambitiously keeping faithful to the films on which he was raised, crafting a story that is fun and all, but too conventional for its own good. Of course, if nothing else is problematic about RZA's being too faithful with his tributes to his China-tastic childhood, then it is the faithfulness to messy scripts, as RZA and Eli Roth turn in a script that is rich with set pieces that go a touch too over the top in their hyper-reality, as well as histrionics that are made all the more glaring by dialogue that is sometimes kind of snappy, but generally weak, with faultiness that is itself made all the more glaring by delivery that is even more faulty. Now, in case anyone is worried that all of this cornball acting will rub off on a certain somebody, rest easy knowing that Russell Crowe, while not exactly firmly reminding us of his being among today's great actors, steals the show with crackling charisma that captures the Jack Knife character's slickly mysterious, yet sadistic presence, and makes Crowe one of the film's most engaging aspects, though don't rest too easy, because although there are some other passables among this cast, most everyone in this film, whether it be misguidedly intentionally or whatever, ranges from weak to borderline humiliating in his or her turning in fall-flat performances, such as those by, of all people, the leads who exceed Crowe in significance, the cheesily lifelelss Rick Yune and dully wooden RZA, thus leaving you to feel rather distanced from these characters, which isn't to say that expository issues don't do a number on your full investment in this messily structured, or rather, condensed story. After crafting a first cut of this film that ran a sprawling four hours in length, RZA suggested that the final product be split into two films, yet co-writer and co-producer Eli Roth ultimately trimmed RZA's epic vision into the hour-and-a-half-long final cut that audiences are seeing, and really, while this film isn't quite as sloppy in its condension as it probably could have been, there's no denying that this film is all over the place in its desperate attempts at keeping things as tight as possible, to where pacing is rendered uneven, growing more and more heavy-handed until, by the cop-out end, it has gone from an underdeveloped mess that moves at near-exhaustingly constant momentum, to a slam-banged mess that frenetically tosses together a wrap-up. Roth's final cut of this film is nothing short of a mess, though it's not like Roth can be entirely blamed for this film's shortcomings, as direction, while not quite as shoddy as they say, hardly reflects much potential within RZA as a filmmaker, being lively, yet still distant enough to both keep you from gaining a firm grip on substance, and leave you to gain a firm grip on the film's aforementioned other problems. If nothing else, RZA is overambitious in his filmmaking efforts, aiming to make this film something that it can't be, due to both natural shortcomings and a filmmaking team that stands to be more competent, thus making for a messy final product that was never to be all that commendable, but underwhelms even by its own right. Still, with that said, as sloppy as this film is, it at least succeeds in its attemps at keeping faithful to its inspirations' all but compensating for filmmaking messiness with plenty of fun, meeting every misstep with something to liven things up. Nevermind its being a component to anachronism, - largely because its incorporation is surprisingly one of your less offputting intentional hiccups - this film's primarily hip-hop soundtrack is just not enjoyable on a musical level, and throws off, not just historians (Get over it, history nerds, it's a joke), but the musically tasteful whenever it hits the scene, but when it comes to the other forms of "music" that power this film's livliness, RZA and Howard Drossin craft a score that is hardly all that strong or original, but is decent and entertaining in its marrying the pronounced rhythm of hip-hop with the just as distinct, yet more smooth and dynamic musicality of the scores of many of the classic kung-fu flicks to which this film pays homage, thus making for a stylish score that fits with and livens up the film's tone and theme. Perhaps even more lively and decidedly more impressive are, of course, Drew Boughton's production designs and Thomas Chong's costume designs, which really aren't quite as dazzling as I was expecting them to be, but are still quite sharp in their effectively capturing both the niftiness of classic kung-fu productions' distinctly lavished designs, and the lovely-looking era in which this film is set. Production value and direction do a fine job of attractively selling you on this film's world, while RZA's and Drossin's decent score work helps in selling you on this film's style, but really, one of this film's most impressive stylistic touches is, of course, action that, like the production designs, isn't quite as consistent in its thorough impressiveness as you might expect, but still mighty thrilling in its delivering one cool combat set piece after another, powered by strong staging and Corey Yuen's grandly dynamic and slick, if sometimes a bit too over-the-top, martial arts choreography, and complimented by violence whose effectiveness goes diluted a touch by gore's also going a bit too over-the-top at times, as well as by quite a few ostensibly intentionally improvable effects, but is still potent in its supplementing consequence and color within this film's many exciting action set pieces. An at least technically faithful homage to classic martial arts fluff pieces, this film retains much of what was technically in its inspirations', but also retains its inspirations' sharpness in lively production value and thrilling action, boasting enough punch to its martial arts artistry to consistently sustain your interest by livening up an already pretty colorful story, which may get to be a touch too colorful for its own good. RZA's plot concept is silly, as sure as the plot concepts of the film that inspire this story are, being over-the-top in cheesiness and thin in genuineness, and with a perhaps even more problematic execution that drives this story too deeply into conventionalism, as well as plenty of other problems, and yet, with that said, this film's plot is still quite lively in its being so overly layered, overly cheesy and altogether over-the-top that it is genuinely fun, or at least in concept. In execution, this film's plot is messily handled to no end, though it's not like that's a huge tragedy, because what truly makes or breaks the engagement value of a story this crazy isn't so much the substance in its execution, but the entertainment value in its execution, and if RZA delivers on nothing else as director, he delivers on that, putting ambition to as much, if not more good use to bad use by using it to craft thorough charm, broken up by occasions of genuine thrills. This film is such a mess, though it could be messier, and that is a fact that goes pronounced considerably by this film's being, if nothing else, entertaining, not to where it can obscure the many natural shortcomings, and certainly not to where it can obscure the many unfortunate missteps, but decidedly to where those willing to go with this film will find a fun time, even if there is no getting completely past the consistent faults. At the end of the battle, this ambitious final product is left weakened by its conventionalism, damaged by its cheesiness, - made all the worse by more than a few poor performers, not including the show-stealingly charismatic Russell Crowe - and all-out brutalized by its messily uneven plotting and flawed, overambitious direction, until it comes out as underwhelming, though hardly unlikable, because as messy as this film is, it boasts much livliness, complimented by decent score work, excellent production designs and thrilling action sequences, and truly brought to life by an undeniably strong degree of charm and livliness to RZA's direction, which cannot overshadow its missteps, but nonetheless goes into making "The Man with the Iron Fists" an entertaining tribute to classic kung-fu fluff pieces, even if it, like its inspirations, gets to be quite messy. 2.5/5 - Fair

• Jeff B

  
  A giddily gory tale of fists a-flying that ends up with the audience's fists a-pumping, the filmmaking debut of the Wu Tang Clan's Rza ends up to be bloody well tight. If it's possible to bestow 'cult' status on a film before its even left first-run… More
  A giddily gory tale of fists a-flying that ends up with the audience's fists a-pumping, the filmmaking debut of the Wu Tang Clan's Rza ends up to be bloody well tight. If it's possible to bestow 'cult' status on a film before its even left first-run distribution in theaters, then this Hong Kong grindhouse throwback already has an iron-clad promise on cinematic immortality. An intoxicating drug cocktail of Spaghetti westerns and '70s chop socky flicks in a Blaxploitation candy shell, this gleefully historical inaccurate actioner ultimately isn't as smart as its American cousin, Kill Bill, but it's almost as fun. In the R-rated The Man with the Iron Fists, a humble ex-slave and blacksmith (RZA) and a rogue British soldier (Crowe) look to defend some Chinese villagers against a band of assassins on the hunt for gold. Between directing the high-kicking action, giving an understated but effective turn, choosing the beatastic soundtrack, and penning some witty lines, writer/director/star Rza rules his love letter to martial arts filmmaking with an iron fist. Oh, it's not that he's hard on the genre. In fact, between the slick camera tricks and fantastical fight scenes, the movie projects a generally madcap atmosphere. Even when he doesn't directly handle something, he surrounds himself with talented friends who will help him aim for an A-List B-Movie (Quentin Tarantino as executive producer, Eli Roth as producer, visual effects legend Greg Nicotero doing make-up). And no, it doesn't reach this high plateau (at times, the story's way disjointed and scattershot), but it damn well flies trying. Bottom line: Black Belt jonesing.

• Fascade F

  
  It is a SLOW BREWED seductive martial arts story of revenge, vengeance, betrayal and redemption...for GOLD...It's relatively good! Please see it if you are a true connoisseur of this genre.

• Joe S

  
  A fun romp back to the 70s martial movies, with a lot more blood as Tarantino, who "presents" this film, requires. Actually there are a lot of Tarantino touches/copies, including Lucy Liu's reprisal from Kill Bill. Russell Crowe kinda lumbers through the movie, but… More
  A fun romp back to the 70s martial movies, with a lot more blood as Tarantino, who "presents" this film, requires. Actually there are a lot of Tarantino touches/copies, including Lucy Liu's reprisal from Kill Bill. Russell Crowe kinda lumbers through the movie, but everyone else seems to be having fun. And I did as well.

• Lane Z

  
  It's exactly what you'd expect from a rapper (RZA) directing a martial arts movie. Choppy editing, terrible camera work and sub par plot. I am extremely surprised Russell Crowe of all actors was in this movie. Sometimes movies that are over the top like this are enjoyable… More
  It's exactly what you'd expect from a rapper (RZA) directing a martial arts movie. Choppy editing, terrible camera work and sub par plot. I am extremely surprised Russell Crowe of all actors was in this movie. Sometimes movies that are over the top like this are enjoyable as grindhouse flicks, but this doesn't come close.

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