10 Movies That Don't Deserve Their 100% Rotten Tomatoes Rating
10. Fist Of Legend
Few fans of martial arts cinema would deny that Fist of Legend is one of Jet Li's finest movies - it certainly exceeds anything the action hero ever produced in America and stands as a fine homage/remake to Bruce Lee's classic 1972 film Fist of Fury. Directed by Gordon Chan, it's Yuen Woo-Ping's grounded, bone-crunching choreography which is the real star, showcasing Li's exceptional kung fu talents and justly influencing the style adopted by the Wachowskis in The Matrix.
Li plays Chinese student Chen Zhen who finds himself caught up in the Japanese occupation of his homeland during the 1930s. Following on from the death of his master he sets out to seek vengeance, taking on a Japanese General in the epic final showdown.
While Fist of Legend certainly deserves praise for Li's acrobatic pugilism it is nevertheless flawed. It might seem churlish to criticize a kung fu film for narrative and thematic shortcomings (after all, who watches action movies for the plot?) and while Fist of Legend is to be commended for attempting to discuss complex issues of race relations between Japan and China - still relevant today - the politics tends to get in the way of the action.
There are far better martial arts movies out there which are more deserving of the coveted 100% rating which deliver more impressive choreography (Li's Legend of Fong Sai-yuk movies are contenders) and richer, more detailed stories and characters (A Touch of Zen and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Fist of Legend is certainly great, but it's a far cry from the best of the genre and its high ranking is unwarranted.
What It Deserves: 90%