New Fist of Fury: Limited Edition – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1976 (Original Cut), Hong Kong, 1980 (Re-edited Cut)
Director: Lo Wei
Writer: Lo Wei
Cast: Jackie Chan, Nora Miao, Han Ying-chieh, Chan Sing, Luk Yat-lung, Yim Chung, Suen Lam, Cheng Siu-siu

Release Date: November 30th, 2020
Approximate running times: 2 Hours 5 Seconds (Original 1976 Cut), 82 Minutes 40 Seconds (Re-edited 1980 Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Mandarin (Original 1976 Cut), DTS-HD Mono Cantonese (Re-edited 1980 Cut), DTS-HD Mono English (Both Versions)
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

"After Bruce Lee's tragic passing, there was a rush to find a new kung fu king, and one of the contenders was a young lad called Jackie Chan. New Fists of Fury was the first film to show what the future megastar could do, as the street kid who learns martial arts to stand up to the bullying Japanese occupiers." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5 (Both Versions)

Here’s the information given about the transfer, "New 2K Remasters from The Original 35mm Negatives."

New Fist of Fury comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.1 GB

Feature: 24.9 GB (Original 1976 Cut), 18.5 GB (Re-edited 1980 Cut)

The sources for both versions have been cleaned up and are in good shape. Despite the colors looking very good, the black levels are not convincing; at times they look grayish. The image generally looks crisp, and compression is very good.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Mandarin, DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, ), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English - Original 1976 Cut, DTS-HD Mono English - Re-edited 1980 Cut)

The original 1976 cut comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Mandarin and a DTS-HD mono mix in English.

The re-edited 1980 cut comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese and a DTS-HD mono mix in English.

The Cantonese and Mandarin language tracks sound more robust than the English language tracks. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. It should be noted that all tracks have some dialog in Japanese. Both tracks sound clear, balanced, and robust when they should. That said, the English language tracks have some sibilance issues.

There is a removable English subtitle track for the Cantonese language track and a removable English subtitle track for the Mandarin language track, and both versions have a removable English subtitle track for Cantonese and Mandarin text and dialog spoken in Japanese.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, Hong Kong theatrical trailer (3 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), English language trailer (3 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Hong Kong cinema expert Andrew Staton for the original 1976 cut, an audio commentary with Asian cinema expert Brandon Bentley and artist/Hong Kong cinema expert R.P. “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien, a slipcover (limited to first pressing), and a 44-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with a lengthy essay that covers Jackie Chan Early Success Fades Out, Lo Wei Launches Production Company, New Fist of Fury Breakdown, New Fist of Fury Facts & Figures Top Trumps, Jackie Chan Emerging Talent, Background Historical Context, Fist of Fury Echoes in New Fist of Fury, Lo Wei Director, Fist of Fury vs New Fist of Fury, bios for Lo Wei, actress Nora Miao Ke-Hsiu, actor Chan Sing, actor/action director Han Ying-chieh written by Andrew Staton, and rare archive stills and posters.

Summary:

New Fists of Fury was directed by Lo Wei, a director who greatly benefited from his lead actors, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Though "New Fists of Fury" is billed as a successor to "Fist of Fury," a film also directed by Lo Wei, the result is two films that could not be further apart. And nowhere is this more clear than when it comes to the tone of New Fists of Fury.

Though there is no denying Jackie Chan’s abilities as a martial artist, at this point in his career he had yet to establish his persona. He would be brought in as an attempt to be the next Bruce Lee, which has failed every time it has been attempted. That said, considering what he was given to work with Jackie Chan, this is actually one of New Fists of Fury’s bright spots.

Aside from Lo Wei, New Fists of Fury shares actors Han Ying-chieh (The Big Boss) and Nora Miao (The Way of the Dragon) with Fists of Fury. That said, they are both very good in their roles. Another performance of note is Chan Sing (The Iron-Fisted Monk) in the role of the lead villain, a Japanese martial artist named Okimura.

On the surface, though, New Fists of Fury has all of the elements necessary to be a successful film. Somehow the sum of the parts doesn't come together. And nowhere is this more clear than when it comes to a slow-moving narrative. That said, at least when it comes to the fight scenes, for the most part, they are very good. Ultimately, New Fists of Fury is a pedestrian martial arts film that would have fallen into obscurity if it were not for Jackie Chan.

New Fists of Fury gets a good release from 88 Films that comes with two versions of the film, a pair of informative audio commentaries, and an exceptional booklet, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer