Legend of the Wolf

Recently, they released this movie in Occidental under the name of The Big Boss, so check it out. One of Donnie Yen's best. I really feel sorry that he is not as famous as Jet Li. The man has got a much better look than Jet Li and he is just as spectacular. He deserves to be known. If only a good director will give him a chance to be the lead star. He appeared in Blade II as Snowman. About that film, I really think the director underused Donnie Yen. He would be cool playing the bad guy, the vampire. And a fight between him and Weslet Snipes would be super-mega-cool. Other great martial artists : Mark Dacascos(Crying free man, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Drive), Man Cheuk Chiu(another descendant from Shaolin, like Jet Li, movies: Once upon a time in China IV & V). These guys only need a chance to prove to the occidental viewers how great they can be. My greatest dream ever is to have a movie starring :Mark Dacascos,Man Cheuk Chiu, Donnie Yen, Jet Li and Wesley Snipes. YEAH!!! I would pay 100$ a ticket just to see that movie.

Donnie Yen's debut as a director has taken a lot of criticism and was a fairly big flop upon its initial release. Is it a flawed film? Sure. But, is it worth spending an hour and a half watching? Yes.

Legend of the Wolf tells the tale, all in flashback (one of its unfair criticisms) of a how a mythic killer came to be who he is. The film belongs in the classification of 90's arty-swordplay dramas, like Ashes of Time or The Blade, heavy on atmosphere, style, lightweight philosophical musings, and blurry combat. One of the reasons, no doubt, that it was a flop was due to this particular Hong Kong genre already being tired by the time Legend came out. It looks great and has some fantastic cinematography. Although I am not a fan of the close-up, hyper paced fight scenes, Donnie directs them well and with more clarity than most directors of this style. There are two great fights, one inside a hut with a guy who has a huge length of chain wrapped around his arm, and another with a monkey or tiger claw fighter in the woods, the latter being one of the better duels I've seen. Based on those two fights and the cinematography alone, I can recommend Hong Kong action fans seeing this.

Where Legend of the Wolf fails is in its story. Unfortunately, like other films in the modern swordplay genre, it tries so hard to be dramatic, with overemphasized music, crazy camera work (though some very stunning), and ponderous plotline, it falls deeply into muddled characters and weepy melodrama. Donnie Yen should be commended for being as bold and as skilled as he is. Instead of making his debut with a straightforward no-brain action flick, he tries to tackle something of more weight. It is less than perfect, but it is admirable, just the same.

The story is not that interesting so forget about it! The performances from the actors are quite well! There is no shortage of humor and there is even some drama. But this movie isn't about the drama it is about the fighting scenes! It may take a while to get used to the very fast display of action! But when you do you will be hooked. The martial arts performed especially by Donnie Yen is more than top notch! It is a showcase for him what he is capable of! He produced,directed and wrote the movie and choreographed the action! And in this he really excels!. The action is explosive! He tries to be different in filming the action scenes and we have to give credit to that! You will question if he used tricks or fast editing but somehow it all looks like they are really fighting that fast! The result is that he created action scenes you won't easily forget! "Legend of wolf" is a movie you will have to see for the wonderful action!

I'm sorry martial arts fans, this is not good quality martial arts. Its good in some bits but thats about it. Its not Donnie Yen style which is good I reckon because its showing us that he is challenging viewers.

The storyline is pretty good, has a bit more of a plot. However the fighting just wasn't that good, too violent for someone like him.

Plus the ending was just shocking especially the fight scene with the Bandit leader.

Not bad if you wanna see something different from Donnie. And to the person that mentioned that this is the best film ever. No bloody way! Drunken Master 2 is way better, so is Armour Of God. Once upon a time in China is better, so is Enter The Dragon.

This movie has gotten a lot of mixed reviews. Some people have praised it and others have called it pure dreck. I really didn't know what to expect from this movie. Well, I found the plot to be slightly confusing. Well, I couldn't figure out what the whole modern day story was about. The flashback told about an amnesiac who returns to a village after WW2 and finds his lost love and some old enemies. A lot of brutal fighting follows.

The fight scenes are the calling card of this film. They're all fast and furious. If you take your eyes of the screen for a second you'll miss some stuff. It's all hyper-stylized, from the camerawork to the exaggerated gunplay and use of projectiles. There's a lot of speeding up, but it actually helps the fighting out; it makes it more intense. The martial arts itself is pretty good. Donnie uses his trademark kicks and also does a fair amount of Bruce Lee impersonating. His fight with the eagle claw guy is just astounding.

There is some fairly disturbing brutality in this film. The slaughter of the village and the scene preceding the final fight are examples. I guess it's supposed to make the movie more powerful.

In the end, I think the great fight scenes overshadow the sometimes confusing narrative and the brutality of the film.