Trailer Review: The Man with the Iron Fists

    Is there anything more lame than a review for a movie trailer? Probably not. Is that going to stop me from doing it anyway? Absolutely not!

    This week is a little busier than usual, so in lieu of my regular reviews I've decided to start a new column for when my life gets a little too hectic: trailer reviews! They'll be short, sweet and to the point, and hopefully only a partial waste of your time. Today, we'll be looking at The Man with the Iron Fists.

    "Presented" by Quentin Tarantino, co-written by Eli Roth and the RZA, and directed by the RZA (in his directorial debut), The Man with the Iron Fists tells the story of a blacksmith (played by the RZA) who is forced to join up with a band of warriors to protect his village from a great evil. It features such stars as Russell Crowe, Rick Yune, Lucy Liu, Jamie Chung and Pam Grier, along with pro wrestler David Bautista.

    Responsible for the now-inseparable connection between kung fu and hip-hop with his group The Wu-Tang Clan, the film looks to be an itch that the RZA has long been waiting to scratch. He's had nearly a decade's worth of experience in the film industry (whether acting or composing soundtracks), and combine that with his genuine love for classic kung fu movies and we might have something special here. RZA's film comes after a long line of exploitation throwbacks (RZA himself worked on Kill Bill, and the trailer for Man with the Iron Fists could fit quite nicely in the line of trailers cooked up for Grindhouse), and the rather mind-blowing trailer promises at the very least to be quite unlike anything else out there. From the kick-ass opening narration, to the epic shot of RZA punching out a man's eyeball, to Dave Bautista turning into a golden statue, to some samples from the sure-to-be killer soundtrack (featuring everyone from The Black Keys to The Wu-Tang Clan) to Russell Crowe (with awesome gun/knife in tow) looking like he just walked out of the best spaghetti western movie you've never seen, The Man with the Iron Fists certainly won't be boring.

   The only moments of the trailer that give me pause are the swirly, CGI blood, which hopefully won't be as prominent in the finished film. Add the fact that the RZA is writing, directing and starring in his first movie (one that looks to be a mishmash of tone and genre), and the results might not be what we'd hope for, based on the trailer alone. 

    Still, whether it lives up to the promise of the trailer or not, I'll be there opening day.

    Here's the trailer: