This is the latest movie with our undying hero. This time, Donnie Yen (who already played him in a TV Show in 1994) is playing the punch-dispenser, but this one is not just a loose remake. Instead, it is a kind of alternate take/ reboot / sequel to the original that is actually more inspired by Batman or Iron Monkey.
(The chinese Bruce Wayne)
Our Hero has fought in Europe before returning home and picking up a double persona as a playboy (the Bruce Wayne part) and Kato (Batman as a Chauffeur).
(This isn't the early 90s? What am i doing here then?)
While the story is overambitious, the cinematography, sets and costumes are excellent. Overall, one gets the impression that someone mashed two scripts together, one a sequel to fists of fury and the other a Hong Kong version of a comic book movie.
The really interesting thing is the fighting, of course. Donnie Yen is using his individual style instead of trying to do a Bruce Lee impression (aside from a few Nunchuk scenes), which means things like chain punches (á la Ip Man) which is kinda fitting considering that Wing Chun got famous as the basis of Bruce Lees fighting style.
(Chain Fisting ... that came out wrong)
There are even the occasional high speed grapplings, a specialty of Yen that very few other action movies have managed to integrate convincingly into their fights.
One weird thing that has to be mentioned are the scenes in which our hero moves super fast and runs in curves while leaning extremly to the side with the help of wires, almost like a motorbike. This is probably supposed to add to the superhero flair, but instead it makes the hero feel even more invincible, which takes the stakes out of the fights.
Not a terrible movie, but attaching the Chen Zhen name to it actually holds the movie back a bit and forces it to pay homage to the old movie that doesn't match the rest.
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