"The Man With the Iron Fists" is a wildly whirling martial arts spectacle with an endless array of exotic knives, a penchant for Zen philosophizing and an unquenchable thirst for blood. It may just be one of the best bad movies ever.

I do not confer such infamy lightly, but the flaws are far more amusing than infuriating and its director/writer/star, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan fame, is mesmerizing. There is nothing subtle about the film, including its abject devotion to classic kung fu fare. It has the backing of another martial arts fanatic in Quentin Tarantino, though "Fists" never gets close to the director's own brilliant kung fu homage, "Kill Bill."

Through the morass, you can see that RZA has good instincts for grand theater, while the filmmaking itself is raw and in serious need of refining. It's why the look of the film -- a blend of French Baroque and ancient China -- is quite beautiful and the martial arts choreography intriguing in its excess. But the first-time filmmaker doesn't yet know how to handle his actors, and the performances are terribly uneven as a result.

The one thing "Fists" does frequently, if not always well, is spill blood and expose guts. I'm not sure I've ever seen someone's throat ripped out so literally. Meanwhile the blood is so thin it seems more like a massive black cherry Kool-Aid slick than the very life leaking out of the fallen.



An assassination, a power grab and some gold digging get things roiling. For reasons that completely elude me, all of the action that follows takes place in Jungle Village, known for its "house of pleasure," the Pink Blossom, run by Madam Blossom (Lucy Liu). The enigmatic Blacksmith (RZA) spends his days fashioning exotic weaponry for the various clans. His nights are wiled away with one of the Blossom's fetching young pretties, Lady Silk (Jamie Chung).


Directed by: RZA

Starring: RZA, Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu

Rated: R, for bloody violence, strong sexuality, language and brief drug use

Should you go? Only if you're in a kung fu fighting mood. **