7.2 /10 1 Votes
Genre ActionMartial arts Initial release 1995 Final episode date 29 September 1995 | 7.3/10 IMDb Theme music composer Kunihiko Ryo First episode date 1995 Music director Kunihiko Ryo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Written by Lee Yee-wahChan Sap-samYau Fuk-hingSiu Kwok-wahHo Wing-ninMok Wai-kinTang Kwai-simCheung Kwok-yuen Directed by Benny ChanLeung Yan-chuenWong Kam-tinCheng Wai-manWu Ming-hoiTang Hin-sing Starring Donnie YenJoey MengEddy KoLeung Yat-hoKenny Lin TeruyukiYeung Chak-lamCong ShanLau Chi-wing Directors Benny Chan, Steve Cheng Wai Man, Shiu-Kee Lung, Yiu-Chuen Leung, Ming-Hoi Wu, Mau-Sing Tang, Gum-Miu Wong Cast Similar Fist of Legend, Legend of the Fist: The Retur, Legend of the Wolf, New Fist of Fury, The Big Boss | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fist of Fury is a 1995 Hong Kong martial arts television series adapted from the 1972 film of the same title. Produced by ATV and STAR TV, the series starred Donnie Yen as Chen Zhen (Cantonese: Chan Zan), a character previously portrayed by Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury (1972) and Jet Li in Fist of Legend (1994). The series is also related to the 2010 film Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, in which Yen reprises his role.
Contents
Plot
The series is set in early Republican China. Chan Zan travels to Shanghai with his younger sister in search of a new life after their hometown is destroyed by a group of bandits.
Upon his arrival, he notices that Shanghai is divided into an international settlement under the control of various foreign powers such as Britain and Japan. He also observes that the martial artists' community in Shanghai is marred with disunity and the various schools are pursuing their individual goals. The fractured status of the martial arts community reflects the state of China: the Chinese are individualistic and are often engaging in internal conflict instead of uniting to drive out their common enemies (the overbearing foreigners) and regain sovereignty of their nation.
Fok Yuen-gap, the founder of Ching-mou School, is trying hard to persuade and influence the other schools to unite under a common purpose of defending China from foreign intrusion.
Chan becomes a rickshaw puller and coolie to earn a living in Shanghai. Once, he saves the famous singer Yi-kiu from some ruffians and is invited to join the notorious Green Gang through her introduction. Chan proves himself to be the best fighter in the gang and wins the favour of its boss, Choi Luk-kan.
At the same time, he encounters the bandits who murdered his family, who are coincidentally allies of the Green Gang. Chan is unable to convince his fellow gang members to support him in taking revenge on the bandits. When his sister is killed by the bandits later, Chan learns a painful lesson that he should distance himself from the gang's illegal activities. He leaves the gang after killing his sister's murderers.
He joins Ching-mou School after being enlightened by Fok Yuen-gap in the few earlier encounters they had. Chan becomes Fok's favourite student as he demonstrates an excellent understanding of Fok's martial arts philosophy. Fok grooms Chan to be his successor and Chan gradually matures under Fok's teachings to become a powerful martial artist who truly understands Ching-mou School's founding principles.
Meanwhile, Chan Zan also falls in love with Yumi, the daughter of the Japanese consul Takeda Yukio. However, their relationship is strained because they stand on opposing grounds, as well as coming from strikingly different backgrounds.
To complicate their relationship, Ching-mou School is a strong supporter of the anti-Japanese movement, and Fok Yuen-gap has foiled Takeda's plans to take over Shanghai on numerous occasions.
At the same time, Yumi's fiance, Ishii Hideaki, arrives from Japan to start a dojo with his brother in Hongkou District. Ishii's presence causes Chan and Yumi's relationship to be further strained.
Takeda founds the Black Dragon Society in Shanghai to spy on the Chinese military for the Japanese government in preparation for a future invasion of China. Takeda is aware that he must kill Fok Yuen-gap in order to crush the Chinese people's morale, because they look up to Fok as a national hero.
Takeda sends a spy to infiltrate Ching-mou School and secretly poison Fok. Fok dies from poisoning after engaging Ishii Hideaki in a leitai match. Chan Zan remains calm in the face of taunts and insults from Ching-Mou's enemies after his master's death while channelling his efforts into disrupting the Japanese's plans to take over Shanghai. Many lives were lost in the struggle between Ching-mou School and the Japanese. Chan becomes the sole survivor of his school.
After discovering that Takeda is planning to release a deadly virus in Shanghai and use that as an excuse for Japan to launch its invasion on China, Chan breaks into Takeda's base and takes down every opponent he meets and disrupts Takeda's plans once more.
He defeats Takeda in a fight, but spares Takeda's life when Yumi pleads with him, but Takeda ultimately commits suicide in humiliation. Yumi is also gravely wounded by her father during the fight, and she succumbs to her wounds after Chan brings her back to Ching-mou School.
In the final scene, Ching-Mou is surrounded by armed soldiers because the Japanese consulate has ordered Chan's arrest for the murder of Takeda. Chan is promised by the Chinese police inspector that Ching-mou School will prevail after his death, after which he charges out with a flying kick at the soldiers as they open fire at him, thus ending the series.