Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen

Set in 1920s Shanghai under growing Japanese pressure, Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen centres on Chen Zhen, a martial artist believed dead after avenging his master and fleeing abroad. He comes back in disguise and befriends Liu Yutian, a local underworld boss who owns the Casablanca nightclub, a venue frequented by Chinese businessmen, Japanese officers and foreign agents. Chen infiltrates these circles as the gang moves toward an alliance with the Japanese occupiers, while by night he operates as a masked fighter working against the regime and its plans for its opponents.

Andrew Lau Wai-Keung directed the film, the twentieth of the twenty-five features he has directed in chronological order, following The Flock and preceding From Vegas to Macau III. Gordon Chan wrote the screenplay, and Donnie Yen plays Chen Zhen, a role tied to the long-running martial arts tradition surrounding the character. Shu Qi appears as the nightclub singer Kiki, with Anthony Wong as Liu Yutian, Huang Bo as Huang, Huo Siyan as Weiwei and Angela Jiajia Chen as Huang Lan.

The Hong Kong and Chinese co-production, made by Media Asia Films and Enlight Pictures, runs 105 minutes and was released on 1 September 2010. Audience responses sit at a moderate level: on IMDb it holds 6.2 out of 10 from around 11,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.8 out of 10 from 465 votes. A film critics' rating of 5.2 out of 10 from 36 reviews places it below both audience scores.