The 7 Best And 7 Worst Donnie Yen Movies Ranked

Despite boasting an incredibly exciting opening action set piece that uses World War I as a backdrop for some fun kung-fu and parkour hijinks, “Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen” unfortunately falls flat once the story is set in motion. To get the proper experience of the film, it is important to have an understanding of the complex lore of Chen Zhen, the titular character played by Donnie Yen. As the title implies with “The Return,” this is not the first film to feature Chen Zhen, but tracking the complex lore of the character can be difficult for western audiences.

Chen Zhen’s first appearance can be found in the film “Fist of Fury” from 1972, in which he is portrayed by the legendary Bruce Lee. The character was incorporated into several other properties over the decades and has been played by many actors, including Jet Li in the 1994 martial arts classic “Fist of Legend,” which is a remake of “Fist of Fury.” “Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen” isn’t even the first time the character was played by Yen. The ’90s television series “Fist of Fury” saw Yen playing the role.

Understanding the legendary status of the Chen Zhen character doesn’t help the “Legend of the Fist” movie fare much better. The film, which got middling reviews from critics, looks slick, but its fatal flaw is a lack of action sequences. Aside from the opening set piece, the film fails to deliver on the quality and quantity of action that fans of the genre demand, and it winds up as a dull and unengaging affair as a result.