Jing wu men (1972)
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A grieving martial arts student seeks vengeance against the Japanese forces responsible for his master's death in 1908 Shanghai.
The story
In 1908 Shanghai, Chen Zhen returns to the Jingwu School to marry his fiancée, only to discover that his master, Huo Yuanjia, has died. During the funeral, members of a Japanese dojo arrive to taunt the students, insulting the Chinese as 'weaklings.' After being personally insulted by the Japanese, Chen Zhen eventually confronts them alone at their dojo, single-handedly defeating the students and their sensei. However, his actions draw significant retaliation, leading to a series of escalating conflicts as he navigates a city marked by Japanese imperialism and racial injustice.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1908 Shanghai, Chen Zhen returns to Jingwu School to marry his fiancée Yuan Li'er, but learns that his master Huo Yuanjia has died, apparently from illness. During the funeral, a Japanese dojo from Hongkou District arrives to taunt the students, presenting a sign calling the Chinese 'Sick Man of East Asia.' After being slapped and dared to fight by Wu En, a translator for the Japanese grandmaster Hiroshi Suzuki, Chen Zhen eventually goes to the dojo alone and defeats all the Japanese students and their sensei. He forces the students to 'eat their words' by chewing on the derogatory sign. Later, Chen is refused entry to a park because of a sign forbidding 'dogs and Chinese.' After a fight with a Japanese man there, the Japanese students attack Jingwu School. Chen discovers that his master was actually poisoned by the school's cook, Tian, and caretaker, Feng Guishi; he kills them both. While Suzuki tries to have Chen arrested, Chen kills Wu and hangs his body on a lamp post. Chen eventually barges into the dojo to kill Suzuki, his associate Petrov, and the master Yoshida. He returns to find most of the school and the dojo destroyed. Finally, Chen surrenders to Inspector Lo to protect his master's legacy, only to face a line of armed Japanese soldiers and Western policemen, where he charges them with a flying kick as the scene freezes.
- Original title
- Jingwu Tradition
- First release year
- 1972
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- Hong Kong
- Original languages
- Mandarin; Cantonese
- Directors
- Lo Wei
- Writers
- Lo Wei · writer; Ni Kuang · writer
- Cast and characters
- Bruce Lee · Chen Zhen; Nora Miao · Yuan Li'er; Chikara Hashimoto · Hiroshi Suzuki; Unicorn Chan · Jingwu student; Jackie Chan · Jingwu student; Yuen Biao · Jingwu student; Lam Ching-ying · Hongkou student; Cheung Wing-fat · Hongkou student
- Genres
- martial arts; kung fu
- Themes
- injustice; grief; revenge; consequences; racism; imperialism
- Setting
- Shanghai, 1908
- Premise and plot tags
- martial arts; historical; social commentary; revenge
- Franchise connections
- Fist of Fury
- Reception
- The film was a commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing Hong Kong film until 1972. It received mixed critical reviews, with some calling it naive or having a rudimentary acting style, but it was noted for its vigorous fight choreography and success in Japan.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 83% · review count: 18; Metacritic · score: 68 · scale: 100
- Production trivia
- Bruce Lee insisted on the character's death to show the consequences of vengeance.; Jackie Chan served as a stunt double for the Japanese villain Hiroshi Suzuki.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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