THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS
RYAN: I’m glad to welcome a longtime pal as a special contributor with a review of a movie I haven’t seen yet. Murphy hosts one of the live radio shows I’ve been doing movie reviews on Friday mornings – Y101 in Jackson, Mississippi for years now. So how was this one? It’s directed by RZA.
MURPHY: Well, anyone with passing familiarity with RZA knows that he’s been influenced a great deal by 70’s martial arts movies. So it’s a no-brainer that when he teamed up with his filmmaking friends Eli Roth, who co-wrote, and Quentin Tarantino, who gets a “Presented By” credit, for his directorial debut it would be an homage to those films.
RYAN: That makes sense. How was the tone?
MURPHY: Everything in this is over the top. The acting, the violence, the gore…. hell, someone has their arms LITERALLY RIPPED OFF during the credits.
RYAN: Stop.
MURPHY: No really. There are, at times, laughable amounts of blood being spilled, like Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead.
RYAN: Sounds like a gorefest. How’s the story?
MURPHY: It’s a little thin on plot. Even so, there are a lot of expositions and RZA’s mumbling voice-over before we get to any real action. You can tell they wanted to create their own universe to immerse the audience in, but the movie is so short it feels really rushed and so the details get convoluted.
RYAN: We never like a movie that’s too long but rushed can be equally bad.
MURPHY: Basically, there are tribes and this tribe hates that tribe. There’s a fight. This other tribe shows up. Some guy dies. Wait, who was that guy? But, once the movie finds it’s groove, it’s enjoyable.
RYAN: Was it at least great fight scenes?
MURPHY: The fight scenes are thrilling. One thing I’ve always loved about films in this genre are the creative weapons and this movie definitely brings that. It’s one of the things that keeps this homage from falling into the trap of being too derivative.
RYAN: That’s cool.
MURPHY: The amazing soundtrack helps the excitement build too.
RYAN: So let’s get to the cast. How were they?
MURPHY: They all get kind of stampeded over by the movie’s extravagance but I feel like Russel Crowe and Lucy Liu are used well, smirks firmly tattooed on their faces. RZA takes his role way too seriously and seems to be the only person not having any fun. You pretty much forget he’s supposed to be the leading man here.
RYAN: Maybe there was no one reeling him back on set.
MURPHY: One guy that captured the tone of the movie perfectly and totally steals the show is the villain Silver Lion played by Byron Mann. He chews the scenery to bits and it’s perfect. I couldn’t get enough of him.
RYAN: I love a good scene stealer. So what’s your bottom line?
MURPHY: I think it’s OK for movies to be made for a niche audience and this is definitely one. Some people might walk away shaking their heads. But this movie is unlike anything that’s been in theaters recently. If you’re a fan of QT, RZA or Eli Roth you’ll find something to like. But, it’s not going to blow your mind like Pulp Fiction or anything. It’s probably safe for most people to give this one a pass.
— RATING —
