User blog:Gcheung28/"The Man with the Iron Fists" Review Roundup

The Man with the Iron Fists is RZA's directorial debut, but, while the soundtrack for the movie has gotten a lot of praise, the film itself seems to fall short. The action-packed movie has an interesting plot and a pretty great cast, but the critics all either thought it was okay or hated it!

Check out the reviews below and be sure to leave us with your own opinion on RZA's martial arts movie!

Loved It
We did not find any critics that loved the film.

Todd McCarthy - Hollywood Reporter
Score: Unrated

"Fun does come from the wildly imaginative weapons designs, Liu's crafty manipulations of everyone who sets foot in her house of pleasure, Crowe's sporting holiday in a role that would have been relished by his late Gladiator co-star Oliver Reed, the cramming of so many Asian martial arts hallmarks/cliches into one scenario and the weird conjunction of Chinese setting and mostly hip-hop-style soundtrack. Production values are certainly better than those on most of the films RZA idolized in his youth, while his visual handling is more industrious than stylish."

Betsy Sharkey - LA Times
Score: Unrated

"Any way you slice it — and with all those knives there is a lot of slicing — "The Man With the Iron Fists" really is bad to the bone. When it goes for camp, it falls short. When it edges toward serious, it slips. There is such a twinkle in Crowe's eyes when he turns up you get the feeling he's in on a joke the rest of us aren't privy to.

If you're in a kung fu fighting mood and have some cash to burn, "The Man With the Iron Fists" can be something of a guilty pleasure. But RZA should keep in mind that next time around bad won't cut it."

Jordan Hoffman - Film.com
Score: B-

""The Man With the Iron Fists" is the type of movie that feels like you are always coming in half-way through, even if you watch it from the beginning. As an exercise in genre, this is the highest compliment."

Manohla Dargis - NY Times
Score: Unrated

"As erratically enjoyable as it is consistently ridiculous, the martial arts pastiche "The Man With the Iron Fists" is the latest evidence that the vogue for neo-exploitation cinema shows no sign of flagging."

Andrew Barker - Variety
Score: Unrated

"As endearing as it is exhausting, "The Man With the Iron Fists" bears strong resemblance to a hyperactive puppy: sloppy, scatterbrained, manic and migraine-inducing, but possessing an earnest sense of excitement. Working with actors, a crew and resources of a far higher caliber than his level of filmmaking expertise would seem to countenance, first-time writer-director-star the RZA turns in a postmodern martial-arts experiment that's equal parts Shaw Brothers, Adult Swim and amphetamine-fueled student film. For an utterly bonkers vanity project, it's more fun than it ought to be, and should bring a small yet sufficient ruckus to the B.O."

Kofi Outlaw - ScreenRant
Score: 2 stars out of 5

"Man with the Iron Fists is only for those who love their martial arts flicks no matter how cheesy or silly – or those who love the (sometimes discordant) mix of Asian and hip-hop culture. As it stands, the film is destined to become a cult-classic seen ’round the bootleg or cable TV movie circuits. Theater tickets, however, are a bit too steep a price to pay."

Kyle Smith - New York Post
Score: 1 star out of 4

""The Man With the Iron Fists” is an exact replica of 1970s kung-fu pictures, right down to the jerky stunts, wooden dialogue and overenthusiastic music. Congratulations, I guess, but I think if Per Se really wanted to serve Salisbury steak from a frozen Swanson TV dinner, it could. Why would it?"

Wikian Poll
What did you think of The Man with the Iron Fists? Loved it! It was okay... Hated it.