Marvel's Iron Fist Review: 3 Ups And 7 Downs

Ups...

3. The One Great Fight Scene

While strong action scenes are one of the things the Netflix Marvel Universe has built its considerable reputation on, they're a letdown in Iron Fist - save for one moment of real genius.

Lewis Tan appears in the eighth episode, The Blessing of Many Fractures, playing Zhou Cheng. At first he just appears to be a drunken homeless person blocking the way, but it soon transpires he's actually the sworn enemy of the Iron Fist, tasked with killing every iteration for decades.

Despite the fact he's completely drunk, he's still more than capable of holding his own against Danny Rand in a fight, which might not be saying much based on what we see in the series. It's the one time the choreography really works, with Cheng's inebriated nature meaning he's stumbling and swaggering around, adding a unique twist to the action. Even with that, he's more than competent at landing and dodging blows in equal measure, blending the action with comedy to great effect.

Tan's talents as a stuntman unsurprisingly shine through (he previously worked on Pirates of the Caribbean, and there's definitely an element of Jack Sparrow here), but so too does his charm and charisma. He originally auditioned for the role of Danny Rand and, based on this performance (and Finn Jones'), it's really hard to see how he didn't get the part - except for the fact that, well, he isn't white. If the series does return for a second season, hopefully we'll see a lot more of Cheng, because even in just a few minutes of screentime he's one of the best parts of the show.