5 Reasons To Get Excited About The Man With The Iron Fists
5. Its A Genre Film and Proud Film studios and distributors are not interested in the film, theyre interested in profit, so all too often in modern times are films cut in order to be shoe-horned into the wider-seen, more young person-friendly 12A/PG-13 rating. Now if a straight up martial arts genre film receives that treatment then one could justifiably worry that the content may not be authentic to its origins, thankfully this isnt the case here, The Man with the Iron Fists is Rated R (UK rating unconfirmed). Its a martial arts film; well-choreographed, stylized violence is a requirement. Judging by the trailer and the limited interviews RZA has given, it would seem he didnt set out to make a tongue-in-cheek film or a tribute to the martial arts genre (as Kill Bill perhaps is), but an original martial arts film, a film hed want to see, an authentic film, and he has been allowed to do this. The trailer is instantly reminiscent of Tarantinos Kill Bill, though whereas Kill Bill was a glossy, two-part extravaganza, Iron Fists has a more exploitative B-movie-esque feel. The story is effectively told in the trailer when Lucy Lius character proclaims (in a speech that felt a little Cyrus from The Warriors) power belongs to no one until it is seized through sex and violence, followed by the title cards showing seven clans, a fortune in gold. Thats all the audience needs to know, the rest is just fighting, glorious, highly stylized, gravity-defying, fighting. Filmed in China, and neglecting to use the Tarantino-favoured grainy, faux-grindhouse effect, Iron Fists looks like a lovingly made, authentic martial arts film. When Ninja Assassin was released in 2009, many were left disappointed, hopefully The Man with the Iron Fist will be the modern Martial arts movie fans have been waiting for.