The Man With the Iron Fists (2012) The RZA

[sifu iron perm]

http://www.craveonline.com/film/interviews/186753-actionfest-2012-cung-le-on-the-man-with-the-iron-fists-and-dragon-eyes

How big a role do you have in The Man with the Iron Fist?

I kill like 20 people. I’m very ruthless in the movie. At the same time, I think people will like my character for being fearless and being badass.

What did you have to do to work with an experienced actor like Russell Crowe on fight scenes?

It’s the same formula for me. With Russell Crowe he’s a trained actor and he’s dedicated to his art. He knows it and he’s like the champion of his art. I’m a champion of my art but it’s the same philosophy, dedicating myself in the acting and being in character, knowing my scenes and my surroundings and where the camera’s at. Working well with everyone on set, whether it’s the production assistant all the way to the director, you’re able to get along with everyone and take directions and be open minded. Then I can match up my acting with anyone.

Did he take to choreography easily?

Russell and I were supposed to have a fight scene but then we changed it up to me and Lucy Liu. That was more appealing to me because I love Russell Crowe, he’s Maximus, but Lucy Liu, every time I watch her I’m like, “She’s super hot. I’d love to work with her one day.” What do you know, I got a chance to work with her and it was awesome.

Was her experience from Charlie’s Angels and Kill Bill compatible with you?

She was great. She was so daring. She wants to do a lot of her own stunts. She even crashed into this table and she’s like, “I’ll do it again.” I think the director got a little bit worried, but she’s game, she’s gung ho.

When you say “the director,” you’re talking about THE RZA.

Well, in that scene it was Cory Yuen making sure that everyone was safe.

What is the mythology of The Man with the Iron Fist?

The mythology is more the modern Shaw Brothers crossed with The Lord of the Rings.

How does RZA direct?

RZA has been mentored by Quentin Tarantino for six years and he was amazing. He knew his stuff. He knew what shot he wanted to get. With Eli Roth on set, they worked together so well, and even Marc Abraham who’s directed before. There was so much knowledge on that set but RZA knew his craft and it was like he was producing a soundtrack in this movie. He brought the best out of me in a lot of my scenes when I had to deliver for him an emotional part or a powerful part. He definitely knew what to say, what buttons to push to get that out of me, which is not that hard. I’m very open. I’m not insecure about anything so if they want me to get a little crazy, a little out there, bring it.

Do you have an example of one of those times he pushed you?

I don’t want to give it away. When you start the movie there’s action, and the pace of the movie from the beginning to end is hardcore. And it’s not just for the guys. There’s powerful scenes where Lucy Liu did what I call “The Lucy Liu Braveheart Speech” that she did for her clan. It was powerful. She empowered the women in those movies, and of course Jamie Chung was in there too. It’s a dream come true for an action type of guy like me who’s trying to develop into the best actor to match my action skills.

Was The Grandmasters when you worked with Yuen Woo-Ping?

I worked with Woo-Ping on True Legend. By the time I worked with him on the Wong Kar Wai film, he actually suggested me for that part. Wong Kar Wai tried to expand my part but we couldn’t get our scheduling down. I was also filming The Man with the Iron Fist at the same time so I was kind of bummed about that. He already shot another fight scene to be in middle. He wanted me to shoot at the end. If I couldn’t shoot the ending of the movie, then we couldn’t get that middle scene in there. My schedule was kind of tight and I know he shoots all over the place and it had to be shot in that location at that certain time. I just couldn’t get back there because I was filming on The Man with the Iron Fist. We’ll see what he puts in there but I know I open his movie with some, excuse my Vietnamese, but some kick ass action. I guarantee it’s going to be badass. It was the second time working with Woo-Ping so he let me open up a little bit.

..........

I heard they are looking for a late fall release. I can't wait and expecting some entertaining homage.

[Drunken Monk]

Need...trailer...now...

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

Another movie I'm dying to see this year... At least this won't be as unbearable of a wait like it did with The Raid this year.. This is exclusively a U.S based film which means U.S gets first dibs????

[So High]

Thats awesome he has got to work with the best choreographers in the buisness; Donnie Yen, Cory Yuen,and Woo Ping.

[sifu iron perm]

the film is basically completed, just the printing and soundtrack to market the film..

I think it will drop late in this year.

I can't wait..

[sifu iron perm]

"The Man With the Iron Fist" is done in the can complete. We will have our first test audience screening.Hip hop has made another transition

[The Last Dragon]

Sifu, thanks for the update. Much appreciated I haven't heard anything about this movie then what's on this site. Look forward to hearing from the test audience how it went. Movie sounds interesting and I trust The Rza will do well with it, he does know his Kung Fu movies and philosophy in general

[sifu iron perm]

Sifu, thanks for the update. Much appreciated I haven't heard anything about this movie then what's on this site. Look forward to hearing from the test audience how it went. Movie sounds interesting and I trust The Rza will do well with it, he does know his Kung Fu movies and philosophy in general

me & yourself are the only few who have faith in this..

[So High]

I'm right there with ya fellas. Wanting to see this movie more than any other thats coming this year.

[QueMuchita]

Sorry if this has already been posted

[sifu iron perm]

great flicks quemuchita!!

[sifu iron perm]

Long-time S&A reader Tony, attended an early audience test-screening in LA of RZA's directorial debut, The Man With The Iron Fists (one of S&A's most anticipated film's of the year); and Tony sent me the below write-up with his thoughts on the film that he saw.

In a nutshell, despite a few hiccups, he really dug it!

Take it away Tony (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD):

This was a picture I had been waiting to see. There hadn't been many on-set photographs, trailers or posters for the film prior to the screening, but there I sat with the first audience to set eyes upon a work I had nervously anticipated - the directorial debut of The Rza, The Man with the Iron Fists.

Having been a huge fan of Grindhouse, the double feature exploitation fests from Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez, I was excited for what I thought would be like a the follow up to those films. Tarantino was to take a break after Kill Bill to do a smaller feature out the states, completely in Mandarin, but nothing became of it. Later Tarantino would branch off to make Grindhouse which featured Eli Roth in Quentin’s half, entitled Death Proof.

The RZA, who scored Tarantino's first volume of Kill Bill, ran into the director during a screening of a Kung Fu film and exchanged their love for the art, which gave QT the idea to have The RZA score Kill Bill.

Some expectations going into Man With The Iron Fists were that the look and feel would be similar to the Pei Mei sequences of Kill Bill Volume 2, with a gritty 16mm vibe. Although Grindhouse, a box office failure, did appear to have a lasting impression like films such as Black Dynamite and Casa De Mi Padre. But, despite the influence of Roth and Tarantino, the grindy, scratched film look is not present in Man With The Iron Fists.

The film opens with a clan inside of what appears to be a small dojo. Slammed across with yellow lettering is "Quentin Tarantino Presents," and above his name is the same in Chinese lettering. Blaring from the speakers are the thumping sounds of a RZA-produced track, while Ol’ Dirty Bastard is rapping over the track. Two fighters battle it out with freeze frames in between, to halt the action for the credits. The first thing you notice is the wonderful fight choreography. Not since The Matrix have the fighting scenes appear so beautiful orchestrated. The punches and kicks are well-planned out to make it seem fresh and new.

The RZA plays the narrator of the story, who reveals the plot to the audience; there is a transport of gold and nearly everyone wants it; but it’s up to the Lion Clan to protect their Emperor's possessions.

The Golden Lion is the head, but not for long, as he is extinguished by his cohorts, The Silver and Bronze Lions. Just as this double-cross happens, Golden Lion's son, Zen Yi (Rick Yune) is to be married to his soul mate; but once word reaches him, the wedding is on hold until he can exact his father’s revenge.

With a large sum of gold up for grabs comes an array of characters who want a piece of it, including in a pudgy European gunslinger who goes by “Knife, but you can call him Jack” (played by Russell Crowe). Once Crowe appears, he wholeheartedly steals the film. He has constructed such a character of calm skill that nearly mirrors Val Kilmer’s Doc Holiday in their sly crawl/shuffle just before unleashing all holy hell. Crowe not only shines but appears to be having the time of his life; he delivers a line, “I had one of the best times of my life” and you believe it.

As he strolls in he encounters Madame Blossom (Lucy Liu), the Mistress of the brothel in town. Lucy Liu still appears so young and vibrant, but never seeming as much of a bad ass as she does here. With the click of her wrists, she has control of her girls who are there to ease the pain and tensions of the mean, battered and bruised.

Our narrator, which almost felt like a tie in to Django Unchained (as RZA is listed as a cast member in that film as well), is an escaped slave given his freedom from his master as witnessed by his mother, Pam Grier. Sadly we only catch Pam Grier for a mere few seconds until the end credits (test shots of her chopping at the camera as her name appears). The newly freed slave is cornered while putting on shoes on the hooves of a horse; two whites threatens RZA’s character as they discard his freedom papers. After a light scuffle, which causes one of the men to hit his head on the corner edge of the weld, RZA escapes to the shore and leaves on a ship that crashes on the sands of feudal China. Here he meets Lady Silk (Jamie Chung) and earns his living as a Blacksmith.

The fight erupts over gold as the story unfolds, and an unlikely band of misfits comes together similar to The Good The Bad and The Ugly, with The Blacksmith, Jack Knife & Zen Yi teaming up to oppose the foes of the town. The Blacksmith builds the weapons for the Lions and the Wolf Clan, but as battle wages on, his weapons serve no purpose, as characters develop some unique abilities.

The two baddies that stand out are Dave Bautista who was a wrestler for WWE as Batista and Byron Mann. Bautista plays Brass Body, his already chiseled body can morph into Brass, deflecting blades and breaking his opponents bones on impact. Byron Mann plays the charismatic Silver Lion - he looks a hybrid between David Bowie’s The Goblin King, Prince circa the 80’s and flares of Michael Jackson, with be a fluffed out pompadour, permed out mane. This flamboyant bad ass elicited much laughter from the audience thanks to his hair as well as his mannerisms.

This was a bad ass Kung Fu picture that didn’t take itself too seriously, which threw me off a bit, as I wasn't expecting that.

The action scenes were jaw-dropping and void of the Paul Greengrass school of handheld nausea. This was a beautifully shot motion picture that felt like a Zhang Yimou flick with the lush costumes and set design. There are definitely uproarious moments of laughter, and some slightly campy vibes that are for the film buffs to note (tongue in cheek references). This was an overall great time of pure fun, action and Russell Crowe as a bad ass. Not to mention finally seeing Lucy Liu featured in an action sequence that blows you away. Liu’s Kill Bill felt rushed, but here she is remarkable.

The RZA directs a fun movie, but his acting seemed a bit wooden or so it might appear. His character is a calm, serene Zen type, who spends time mastering his Chi. But his performance was just not as convincing. The climactic battle was wonderful. Jack Knife & Zen Yi battling their respective foes had an insane build up that didn’t quite pull off the desired effect. It felt slightly rushed. Given all the fight staging we'd seen before the finale, these two sequences were a letdown and a waste of some creative gadgets in the ball park of Desperado. Not seeing Zen Yi return to his true love, for their wedding, was slightly cheated.

During the discussion that followed the screening, there were grumbles over the music choices. This put me at odds, as a man literally was offended that The RZA disrespected the culture by not using Asianic music. Think the recent resurgence of martial arts films in the states with Romeo Must Die, Cradle 2 The Grave & War, and the bass infused hip-hop intros to their fight sequences. Aside from that, RZA did use David Bowie’s song “Cat People,” which is not of that time period, but managed to ring in the feeling and emotion of the character.

Fast punches, high kicks, along with mean thug baddies, why not use a pulse heavy hip-hop track. After all the director is a rapper.

I, for one, overly enjoyed the film, and I'm anticipating seeing the film again, and I hope the poster will be similar to the Mondo styles that have be shared across the net lately. A fun thrill ride that is a chop suey mix of fists, laughs, & big hair that crosses martial arts and western beautifully, in a pulp style that Tarantino, Roth & The RZA should be damn proud of.

Given that test screenings are underway, with a fall premiere expected, we should finally get a first look at this flick, via a trailer/teaser, shortly.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/an-early-look-at-rzas-the-man-with-the-iron-fist

[So High]

Heck yeah. Sounds so badass.

[sifu iron perm]

thanks mods!!

[The Last Dragon]

Wow, that's what I'm talking about. Great to hear the screening went well. Look forward to a trailer at least to tide me over. Thanks Sifu for the info

[mantis FIST]

I can't wait for this to come out. Has been in the works for many, many years. RZA knows knug fu movies, and I have faith shit will be nice!

[David Rees]

I hope this turns out to be great, although if its got a lot of Hip hop music that will put me off as im not a fan. Also quoting Romeo Must Die, Cradle 2 The Grave & War in the review...not great examples as all were awful movies.

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

I hope this turns out to be great, although if its got a lot of Hip hop music that will put me off as im not a fan. Also quoting Romeo Must Die, Cradle 2 The Grave & War in the review...not great examples as all were awful movies.

Romeo Must Die was alright but Cradle 2 The Grave is like getting kicked squared in the nuts and then having your brains bashed in with a baseball bat.... For some reason though, I have faith in RZA and company...

[QueMuchita]

This will be nothing like Cradle 2 The Grave.

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

This will be nothing like Cradle 2 The Grave.

Yeah One word to describe that movie and the experience I got from it: Tom Arnold!!!

[blue_skies]

The RZA, who scored Tarantino's first volume of Kill Bill, ran into the director during a screening of a Kung Fu film and exchanged their love for the art, which gave QT the idea to have The RZA score Kill Bill.

I think you'll find he actually scored the second movie and did a tiny amount of original music for volume 1. In fact looking at the original soundtrack CD there's only two songs by RZA.

Blaring from the speakers are the thumping sounds of a RZA-produced track, while Ol’ Dirty Bastard is rapping over the track.

great:squigglemouth:

Not since The Matrix have the fighting scenes appear so beautiful orchestrated. The punches and kicks are well-planned out to make it seem fresh and new.

not since the matrix have the fighting scene appeared so beautifully orchestrated ... Oh Jeez

Not to mention finally seeing Lucy Liu featured in an action sequence that blows you away. Liu’s Kill Bill felt rushed, but here she is remarkable.

I'll believe that when I see it! The day Lucy Liu blows me away in an action sequence will be the day a sex tape of me and Liu surfaces on the Internet.

The two baddies that stand out are Dave Bautista who was a wrestler for WWE as Batista and Byron Mann.

the standout bad guys are a wrestler and who? I seriously hope Byron Mann has some skills!?!

I don't know about anybody else but I think I'll wait until I read what other forum members say about the movie

[peringaten]

The movies quoted in that review, Matrix, Cradle, Yimou stuff, etc., are reflection of the reviewers lack of reference points, not Rza's end result & proper influence. That pick of Chen Kuan Tai sporting some crazy Thunderclap looking hairdo above is enough to give me some good faith in this product so far regardless.

[So High]

I got faith in the project. Rza is just like us a kung fu fanatic. That fanatic finally got the dream to make a kung fu flick. I mean who knows kung fu flicks better than the fans. He's got a decent cast and Cory Yuen as the fight choreographer.

[rdenn]

and Cory Yuen as the fight choreographer.

nowadays thats not a really good thing., but i do have hopes for this movie, wonder if he will ever release this previous kung fu movie he made with the taiwan crew.

[So High]

I like Cory Yuen bro. The Transporters are cool. The fight out in the country in Blood was cool. Kiss of the Dragon bout tha best he's done in the past 10 yrs IMO. Granted he's no Sammo or King Woo Ping. (I say King cuz he's my fav.)