How do you measure whether a movie is good? Is a film's quality the sum of its parts or does it just come down to whether the watcher enjoyed it? It's a question I have trouble with all the time, because there are movies that I think are bad, but they love. How can they be wrong in that situation, but still think I'm right about The Man with the Iron Fists.
The Man with the Iron Fists is definitely not a good movie, but I enjoyed it. It's not surprising that RZA's movie about people trying to protect a gold shipment from a gang is kind of a mess. The first cut was four hours long and the first time director was forced to cut it down to about an hour and a half. This means all the back story gets told to us in quick, ineffective voice overs. It means we don't really see any nuance in the characters. RZA plays the main character of the Blacksmith and he might be one of the blandest characters ever. Everything's just too rushed too have much of an impact.
A fast-paced kung-fu movie must be tough for a first time director. It's one thing to direct people being people, it's another to direct flying kicks and swords. The action isn't bad, the fights are the strongest part of the movie. However, the editing makes them seem a little muddled and confused. In a kung-fu movie, the kung-fu is kind of the most important part. Even if it's not good, it should be lovingly shot.
So, The Man with the Iron Fists isn't a good movie, but I enjoyed it. It's hard to tell if the ridiculousness was intentional. There's a lot of rap swagger in the movie. Russell Crowe is only ever killing people or having sex. Did RZA think that was cool or was he winking at the audience? Was that guy who seemed to be made entirely of metal serious or was RZA thinking, "This is crazy, I have to put it in." The question of tone isn't that important, but it makes it go down a little easier if RZA was aiming for camp.
And really, it's the craziness that saves it. The over-the-top violence and gore, the extremes of Russell Crowe's character and the ridiculous weapons. It's a very ambitious movie, the kind that can only be made by a first-time director and it also reeks of the hubris of a first-time director. Still, I enjoyed it. I don't know how many others would, but I did.
Also, there were no tits in it. 3/4ths of this movie takes place in a brothel and there's no nudity. I found that kind of odd.
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