New Fist of Fury (1976)

New Fist of Fury is a 1976 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Lo Wei and starring Jackie Chan. It is the first of several films that Lo directed Chan in, and the first using Chan’s stage name Sing Lung (Chinese: 成龙, literally meaning “becoming a dragon”, by which Chan is still known today in Asia). The film gave Chan his first starring role in a widely released film (his first starring role was in the Little Tiger of Canton, which only had a limited release in 1973). The film was a sequel to Bruce Lee’s Fist of Fury, one of Lo Wei’s biggest successes. Chan had previously appeared in the original Fist of Fury as a stuntman. New Fist of Fury was part of Lo’s attempt to market Jackie Chan as the new Bruce Lee, and did not contain any of the comedy elements that were to be Chan’s career trademark later on.

Plot. 1976 version.

A brother and sister escape from Japanese-occupied Shanghai to Japanese-occupied Taiwan, to stay with their grandfather who runs a Kung-Fu school there. However, the master of a Japanese Karate school in Taiwan has designs on bringing all other schools on the island under his domination, and part of his plan involves the murder of the siblings’ grandfather. Undaunted, the brother and sister reestablish their grandfather’s school, leading to a final confrontation with the Japanese Karate master. Jackie Chan plays a young thief who at first does not want to learn Kung-fu, but finally realizes that he can no longer stand by and let the Japanese trample the rights of the Chinese people. He proves extremely adept at the martial arts, and carries the fight to its final conclusion.

1980 version.

Jackie Chan plays a young Taiwanese thief who steals a nunchaku after fighting with a pair of Japanese men, he assumes they belong to the local Japanese kung fu school (Da Yang Gate). The school offers him a job in a casino but refuses, and is beaten up as a result. He is rescued by the surviving members of the Jingwu school and is invited to Mao Li Uhr’s grandfather’s 80th birthday celebration where a group of Japanese decide to gatecrash. This causes Mao Li Uhr’s grandfather to die of a heart attack. The remaining Jingwu student’s acquire his home and convert it into a new Jingwu school. The Japanese council closes down the school and Jackie Chan finally realizes that he can no longer stand by and let the Japanese trample the rights of the Chinese people. He proves extremely adept at the martial arts, and carries the fight to its final conclusion.

A Touch of Zen (1971) Biography, Plot, Box office, Trailer

Box office.

In Hong Kong, the film grossed HK$456,787.20 (US$93,222). Upon its 1988 release in South Korea, it sold 11,421 tickets in Seoul, equivalent to an estimated gross revenue of approximately ₩45.684 million (US$62,455). This adds up to an estimated total gross of approximately US$155,677 in Hong Kong and Seoul, equivalent to US$740,000 adjusted for inflation.

Cast:

Jackie Chan / Cheng Long / Sing Lung as Ah Lung / Dragon
Nora Miao as Mao Li Er / Miss Lee
Chan Sing as Okimura
Luk Yat-lung as Lon Si Chun
Yim Chung as Master Su, Mao’s grandfather
Suen Lam as Taiwan police captain Lin
Cheng Siu-siu as Okimura’s daughter
Lau Ming as Ah Lung’s mother
Han Ying-chieh as Hung
Lo Wei as Inspector
Chiang Kam as Sampo
Liu Ping as Lin Chin Kui
Bruce Lee as Chen Jun (extra)