New Fist of Fury/C+,D-

Simitar/1976/120m

     This relatively early effort by Jackie Chan does not include any signature stunts and seems like an attempt to promote the young star as the new Bruce Lee. Still, the Chan charm is already in place. Set on Taiwan during the Second World War, Chan and cohorts are pitted against the Japanese occupation forces and a rival Japanese martial arts school. There are fights galore but little of the customary Hong Kong fancy. The view of the Japanese is extremely xenophobic, and would never pass politically correct muster in Hollywood. Still, the film is fun to watch even with its precipitous ending.

newfistoffury.jpg (6939 bytes)

Chan gets his kicks. ©Simitar

      Transferred in a 1.33:1 cropped version, the composition of this originally widescreen film are often abominable. The fights are frequently confusing because of the the cropped image. Soft focus rules the transfer and color bleeding is common. Not what you'd hope for in DVD. Even the Mandarin soundtrack sounds wrong. The DVD interface is very awkward and it's difficult to turn the titles on and off. A filmed Chan interview is included as an extra. 

 

 

 

 

 

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