Fist Of Legend (1994) **** [1994 Action Double Feature Pt. 1]

A favorite of mine since I was a teenager (thanks to my friend Mike and his brother Brian), Fist Of Legend (Jing wu ying xiong) (1994) is an undeniable martial arts classic. Gordan Chan's reimagining of the 1972 Bruce Lee film Fist Of Fury (aka The Chinese Connection) retains the theme of Japanese colonialism and racism/nationalism between the Chinese and Japanese (along with a Romeo And Juliet-like romance) but manages not to completely demonize the Japanese people like FOF did. 

Jet Li plays the Chen Zhen character—his badass charisma, along with his beautiful and powerful physical ability, plus a strong cast, helps to make FOL more than the sum of its (undoubtedly incredible) fight scenes. Impressive cinematography by Derek Wan and, of course, amazing choreography by Yuen Woo-ping (who went on to work in Hollywood) seal the deal for this movie that holds up very well 30 years on.