'The Man With The Iron Fists' - who clubbed $7.25 from my wallet!

At a little over an hour and a half, 'The Man With The Iron Fists' is exactly a little over a hour and 29 minutes too long! Written, directed and starring rapper turned actor Rza...well lets just say that I hope his day job as a rapper is more secure. The writing was childish as best, his direction was canned and his acting, well what can I say - terrible.

I have to admit I thought the movie showed promise and the trailers lead you to believe that we are in for a campy B movie kung fu romp. With pedigree actors like Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu and Rick Yune, a co-writer in Eli Roth and a 'presented by' Quentin Taratino, one would have hoped for scene stealing dialogue and campy fun. Instead we are subjected to a mess of a storyline, poorly shot action scenes and stoic, if not wooden acting from a group of actors who all just seem to be there for the check.

I was amazed at Russell Crowe, not for the job he did, but for the weight he apparently gained thinking it would help him in an action movie! Pulling his best Marlon Brandon and ballooning to at least 300 pounds or better, Crowe looked simply ridiculous. If you want to see a better Lucy Liu, rent 'Kill Bill' or better yet, check her out on TV's outstanding 'Elementary'. Here, she simply sleep walks through the part and each scene, almost as if she was back in a high school play. Granted, while some of this may be the actors fault for 'phoning it in - much of it has to do with the direction (or lack of) of Rza....(some day, can I meet a rapper called Dan or Bob?)

I will give the film some credit, the colors were incredible and deep, the sets lush. Too bad Rza couldn't do anything with it. Taratinos love of camp 70's B movies run apparent through most of his films, it works most of the time and fails miserably other times. I can imagine the pitch from pal Eli Roth and new friend Rza played on that sentimentality, however, making a bad movie because other bad movies were made decades ago simply just produces ANOTHER BAD MOVIE.

I could have forgiven most of the acting, I could have forgiven the complete lack of story and I could have even forgive poor direction; but a kung fu movie that has poor action scenes as well? Leave your money in your wallet and leave this 0 star stinker to rot at the theaters.