Film Name: 精武门 / Fist Of Fury
Jack Smith: “Maria Montez only cares about her own fantasies; she performs nothing but her own fantasies (she draws fantasy films to her—they need her—any other actor would be ridiculous in her place—anyone else).” This statement perfectly captures Bruce Lee’s performance. Foreigners didn’t just love him for “kung fu”; it was more about his unique performance style. He wasn’t even performing kung fu—he was performing his own “fantasy.”
In “Fist of Fury,” after killing the traitor, Chen Zhen says: “Don’t push me!”
In “Fist of Fury,” Chen Zhen endures the traitor’s provocation at his master’s funeral.
In “Fist of Fury,” every shot captures Bruce Lee’s exaggerated facial expressions. By today’s standards, his acting seems “terrible,” yet this is precisely the “non-acting” Jack Smith admired. Compare it to contemporary films where actors like Ti Lung and Edward Yang deliver conventional performances. Only Bruce Lee pulls you out of the story—because he plays himself. He doesn’t care how “strange” others find him, and that’s precisely why foreigners adore him.
Bruce Lee’s exaggerated facial expressions amplified every “emotion,” slowing it down and focusing on close-ups until his face could no longer contain his rich feelings. This then transformed into physical movements and ‘howls’—the exaggerated, theatrical “martial arts” that were actually an extension of his personal emotions. It was his unique “body language,” impossible for anyone to imitate or surpass. He was a human “hallucinogen.”
Bruce Lee’s exaggerated facial expressions amplified every “emotion”
Jack Smith: I’d rather like bad acting. Bruce Lee was the epitome of “bad acting.” In a scene where he confronts a Japanese traitor, he employed human slow-motion to elongate the “striking” motion. Though the man was already dead, his hand continued to tremble uncontrollably, as if time itself had frozen. This extreme exaggeration conveyed raw fury—it transcended mere martial arts demonstration. As Jack observed, his stubborn insistence on his own approach ultimately elevated him beyond mere technique.
Bruce Lee’s Human Slow Motion
Jack Smith’s theory was remarkably ahead of its time. He believed that “unique individuals performing themselves” ignited the audience’s imagination—this was the true, unparalleled magic and hallucinogen of cinema. Many equate special effects with “fantasy,” yet the illusions they create pale in comparison to this “magic.” Humans transcend machines; special effects are merely auxiliary tools with inherent limitations. They cannot reach the infinite.
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