Writer: Peter Chai

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Watch this if you liked: “Ip Man”, “Ip Man 2”

It takes a lot of courage to be a pioneer in the Malaysian movie industry, as new ideas may either be widely accepted or heavily criticized. Back in 2008, director C.L. Hor was the first local filmmaker to dare direct a martial arts movie, which is Malaysia's first ever at that date, titled "Kinta 1881". It became a local success. C.L. Hor has opened the door for future action filmmakers in Malaysia, and Michael Chuah is one of these local writer-directors, choosing to make his directorial and acting debut with "Fist Of Dragon".

Alongside Chuah himself, "Fist Of Dragon" also stars Singaporean comedian Henry Thia and local talent Monday Kang. The story centres on the journey of Li (Chuah), who tries to give a hand to his uncle (Thia) and his neighbourhood in South East Asia in facing the local triads who are terrorising the area. However, Li's actions anger them, causing him to question his place in the community where his kindness has caused more trouble to the people instead.

Whether you are a kung-fu fan or not, you will definitely put two thumbs up for the stunts and effects used and shown in the movie. They are good enough to remind you of the good old days of Hong Kong martial arts films by Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Moreover, it is always fascinating to watch scenes where a hero is fighting against a large group of people yet manages to remain cool. We have seen it before in Bruce Lee's classics, and again in the more recent "Ip Man" franchise starring Donnie Yen. There are numerous scenes of this sort in "Fist Of Dragon", but you will never tire of them at all.

Credit should be given to Chuah's casting choice of Henry Thia, for his appearance in the story is one of the factors that make the movie a treat to watch. His funny local accent never fails to make the audiences laugh as they followed the story of justice versus evil to its climax.

The cinematography of the movie, while it does not show anything fancy, it does attempt to enhance the story and action. The whole movie is shot in low-light environment to show a fearful community lorded over by triads.

Nevertheless, the biggest weakness in this action piece is its old-fashioned plot, which we have seen it very often on television series and other old Chinese movies. It is hard to find any mystery behind the scenes as the story is so predictable.

You might consider not bringing your young children to watch this movie due to its violent elements, but overall, Chuah and his team have made a good attempt in making "Fist Of Dragon" even though there is still more room for improvement in a movie of this kind.

Cinema Online, 21 February 2012