Amazon.com: The Legend of the Wolf AKA The New Big Boss : Ben Lam, Carman Lee, Edmond Leung, Chi Wah Wong, Donnie Yen: Movies & TV

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The Legend of the Wolf AKA The New Big Boss

Ben Lam (Actor), Carman Lee (Actor) Rated:

Unrated

Format: DVD

3.7 25 ratings

IMDb5.8/10.0

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June 14, 1997

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November 16, 1999

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Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.38 x 0.6 inches; 4 Ounces
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, NTSC, Full Screen, Subtitled
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 34 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ November 16, 1999
Actors ‏ : ‎ Ben Lam, Carman Lee, Edmond Leung, Chi Wah Wong, Donnie Yen
Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English
Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Chinese
Studio ‏ : ‎ Jumbo Plain Laser & Video Co.
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0000296R0
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #485,038 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #11,965 in Foreign Films (Movies & TV)
- #36,369 in Action & Adventure DVDs

Customer Reviews:
3.7 25 ratings

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Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5

25 global ratings

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great hand fight

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2004

Verified Purchase

The over all fight scenes are not bad in this movie. For the most part in the movie the camera is so closed that it spoils the fights. If you watch the fight scens with some extra attention - the hand fights are very fast and beuatiful. The filming and the way the story is presented is not that good. It has lots of annoying flash backs which get you nowhere in the story. I wish they made a second part for this movie where Donnie Yen is old yet a strong and expeirenced martial artist.

I will never by any martial arts movie filmed in the 80's again.

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2007

Verified Purchase

I will never buy any martial arts movie shot in the 80's again. This is one of them. The fighting scenes are bad, slow and mostly in close-up. So, you can hardly see what's happening. The sound is dull and full of noises. I bought it because I like Donnie Yen but he could not save the film either.

What a waste of time and money!

Classic martial arts.

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2015

Verified Purchase

Once again, it's Donnie Yen added to the collection.

One person found this helpful

Julia Marie holloway

Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2016

Verified Purchase

The movie came on time and,was as expected. Good movie

One person found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2011

Verified Purchase

i enjoyed the movie.One of donnie yen good movies. i would recommended the the movie.fun to watch. worth the money

bad sound effects + subtitles almost destroy this movie

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2005

THE PLOT: Donnie Yen loses his memory and loses his girl twice in the movie. All he can do is howl at the moon...like, well, a wolf. But after he loses her the second time, he plays an assassin and kills only for the good of one's life...like say, if you have superhuman accuracy throwing knives to help your new buddy in danger while trying to uncover your past , which may be very dark and complicated from amnesia. Although, luckily, he cant remember that past. His buddy we learn, who sets up this story, is his right hand man for setting up assassin meetings. We also start getting a sense of Bruce Lee in the dialogue and mostly through action.

Donnie Yen is a self-proclaimed Bruce Lee fan and this movie plays a little like a kid showing off to his friends how much better he is at pretending to be him than they are--the high-pitched squeals, the muscles, the fast kicks, the angry grimaces. Having studied in a well developed martial arts backround even under the same teacher as Jet Li helps too. On the set of Lee's first movie, his nick name was "three-kick" Lee because they thought that was as many kicks as he knew, and its as though his untimely death only left us with three kicks as a memory.
And metaphorically, i would say Hong Kong cinema is "the friends", and Donnie Yen is that "kid" show off. Yen's "The Legend of the Wolf" is probably the best at being Bruce Lee that I've seen besides "Dynamo" (1978)which comes in a nice Yuen Clan two-movie-1-disc DVD set along with "Drunken Tai-chi", a classic starring Yen. His very untimely death helps the movie out kind of.
That movie was very convincing because the costumes were the same as Lee's "Game of Death" and a lot of the famous "Bruce Lee" moves were taken and used in the film. This movie is convincing because its showing Donnie Yen's Wushu martials arts mixed with Lee's "martial arts"--substitue Wing Chun for Wushu and you get what i mean. And this movie uses the old Bruce-Lee-taking-on-a-crowd-of-bandits just as well too. No points for guessing a guy with claws on his hands appears in the movie too.

review number 2

well done cartoon-like violence with murky story; digital camera in need, 5 June 2005
7/10
Author: shistboy from United States

Donnie Yen plays the wolf from the title of the movie and does a competent directing job, if only there was a good script to go with it. The high-pitched squealing, the hero kicking his way through 15 encompassed bandits and the claw of the bad guy all may remind you of someone. Needless to say, Yen beats his enemy down at the end climactic fight scene who is not the claw man by the way.

It may or may not be well known in the states that Donnie Yen is a Bruce Lee fan, but it will be known after seeing his "Legend of the Wolf"--we may mistake the two. Of course, Bruce Lee only made 4 movies and only directed one very modest film--not completely capturing his talents enough, I think, for the west to appreciate fully.

I say this because this film plays like a well made Bruce Lee movie most of the time, then, however, comes the flashes of super fast-paced action that I can only describe as "Dragonball Z" speed fighting. These bursts surpass the speed of the camera. This is the first directorial effort I have seen by Donnie Yen and if his other films have fight choreography at this tempo, then I think he may need to get a digital camera...it's cheaper anyway.

i have neglected the plot, but so have the writers. Who is this wolf, anyway? Why is he called the wolf? He is an assassin who with a sidekick--who steals the show a lot of the time (played well by Dayo Wong)--tries to explain to a shady new client that killing may not be the best answer...uh, huh. The story: in the dark lit opening scene, Yen (face unseen) decapitates the leader of a gang from the shadows who is about to murder some girl but is seriously injured by a gunshot wound before he jumps out the window getting a lifelong case of amnesia making him forget the whole reasons why he was exactly there in the first place--even his girlfriend too. He finds his girlfriend again thanks to his soon lifelong sidekick-to-be who knows her. He gets another chance at rescuing her again from the very same bandits at the end of the movie while distracting wolf hounds howl in the background to his running them down. hmm, interesting. He loses his girlfriend twice in the movie, and for real the second time. All he can do is howl at the moon in sadness. Close enough. But wait a minute, if he can't remember his girlfriend, how do they connect when he sees her again? The answer to this is why she dies at the end of the film...some answer, huh? The new bandit leader tells him after the chase action sequence--at the worst possible time--who he really is and why they suddenly want to get revenge on him...his revenge is brutal.

If thats not murky enough, we find out that his new client may simply be trying to be the number one killer assassin himself which may involve killing Yen. Of course, he is going to learn the hard way, as with everyone else in this movie.

One person found this helpful

A seriously twisted case, but a Martial Arts masterpiece of nineties!

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2006

Other reviewers have allready pointed out that LoW:s plot is not so hot. I think it manages and that the use of music is great and the camerawork make the film a pleasure to watch thorough. There are some neat references to several Tsui Hark films and by all accounts, this film was made almost the same time as Hark's Dao the Blade, so comparisons are inevitable. Legend of the Wolf was made with a smaller budget and it's an original story.

Donnie hits his head and loses his memory. The whole film is generally a flashback, which is not the easiest way to do your McKungfu-film.

But the really great part is the action and I'm a action fan, so I write a review for those people who share my passion. If you don't like the plot (which I do), do NOT skip this if you like HK-style action!

The undercranking may annoy some people, but I think this films action REALLY demands repeated viewings. There is a lot attention to detail, Donnie uses several great effects to make contact look more brutal and realistic; the slow motion is used in GREAT effect everywhere, and so is Yen's editing, which he of course did himself. He spent 3 months to get everything right and it really shows. I do not know a MA film that has as ambitious editing as this one.

The last scene is built very well. First people get slaughtered in the village, then Donnie starts to whack people like no tomorrow. Girl is kidnapped and the evil gang run to the forest and Donnie whacks them with imaginative ways. Cool stuff, filmed brilliantly, music fits in very well and Donnie looks good, as always.

The real GEM is the next scene! Donnie fights a monkey kungfu man in a 5-minute fight, which has exhilarating speed and INSANE choreography. They go everywhere, monkey guy has ninja-like metal claws so Donnie has to change his tactics. After a brief part of Chin-Na (chinese joint locking) Donnie goes into kicking mode and camera work like a damn mozart! The fight goes on to amazing whack fest, where Donnie just beats the living daylights out of his opponent and does awesome kicks to finish him off. Like in other scenes, apart from undercanking (which may annoy some, I understand) is bloody perfect. You can see absolutely everything, every move, tactic, you name it. What's the best thing is that it's not your typical normative YWP (Yuen Woo Ping) chick slap party but a real deal from start to finish. It'll make you sweat, I swear!

If this scene was compared to the much riveted last fight in Blade, I'd pick this one, every time. It's not that Man Cheuk's and Xing Xiong scene is bad, it's just that this is one of the best modern fights I've ever seen. And I've seen a few.

The end scene sums it up, really. Donnie fights Ben Lam (form Jackie Chans stuntman and star of a couple films) on field and it's time for emotion! They just go brutally at each other with great slo-mo, little undercranking, with knees and elbows clashing everywhere. There is a AWESOME shot where both actors do a flying roundhouse kick each other leg, while camera just zooms out of thme. It's poetic!

Overall, it's a good film, I liked it. The plot was rather hard to follow but had a point. The real treat was tha rather unique action, which has been called as "a Donnie style", which IMO shows here to the greatest effect. In Legend of the Wolf, he just uses about every known camera trick of the book and edits things in a way no-one can. An unique MA film that remains for many the TRULY last classic of Hong KOng kung fu cinema, before things went down, hard. The DVD is bare bones, but I bought it anyway. Just awesome action.

2 people found this helpful

Great Film by a Great Martial Artist

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2004

When I heard about this movie and heard that Donnie Yen starred in it, I went to Amazon.com to read some reviews. To my surprise all the reviews were negative towards the film and so I grew hesitant as to buying it. Being a Donnie Yen fan I went ahead and bought it anyways. When the movie finally arrived at my home I hurry up and pop the movie in that night. Behold to my surprise this film was marvelous. The story was alright...it wasn't great but not that bad. Donnie plays as a man named Wolf who is an assassin in the present time, however the movie have flash backs. In the flash backs he is some sort of "soldier" who lost his memories. It's a twist in the movie that's not really surprising. As you can see the story is not the strong point of the movie, it's the action that is. Donnie Yen is the producer and director of this film. As many have said the action scenes are shot close up and plus the fights are a little sped up as well. People find these as flaws, however I don't. The fights are not sped up to the point the fights look comical, but to a point that it looks beautiful and strong. The people that are hunting Donnie down are very impressive in skills. His first challenge is with a man who uses chains that's wrap around one of his arms. One of my favorites will have to be the fighter with the claws; really nice hand to hand combat I must say. Overall the film is really nice if you are a big fan of Donnie Yen. If you are not a fan of his and just want to see a nice martial art flick with almost super human speed watch this movie.

One person found this helpful

Now this is one of the best action movies I have ever seen in my life

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2014

Now this is one of the best action movies I have ever seen in my life, this movie came out an a time when there was a lot of martial arts movies came out like Story of Ricky ( Once upon of time in china By Jet Li ) there's another great martial art movie that came out when this movie came out called The Blade, If you can find it buy it you will not be disappointed at all you would won't to thank me.

3 people found this helpful

A man among the gods!

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2001

Ok, so Donny Yen would've been better off with Yuen Woo Ping, but he has shown that through all his works, he is indeed a man of many talents. He does not only look hot, but the man can fight, speaks eloquently, dresses like a runway model, takes great pictures and is the son of Tai Chi master, Bow Sim Mark, and the "sun of my world". Anyways, regardless of whether there are any intricate fight scenes or an intelligently developed plot, the man's bare chest and thunderstorm love scene should be worth the twentysomething dollars you spend. That is for the ladies...and some guys. Other than that, I thought this movie was well defined in reasons and characters and it shows Donnie's sensitive side. Maybe for some of you who have "the knowledge" of great classic martial arts films and whatever else you know of the martial arts world, don't think I watch these movies for the fighting. It's a bonus when the hero actually looks good. And you dudes watch "Baywatch" for the opulent courage of the lifeguards. Gag me with a fishing pole. Ok, so I strayed from the initial purpose of this review, but if you are a die-hard Donnie Yen fan, this is one of his best films and you can be a mere mortal among a man... among the gods.

3 people found this helpful

See this movie as a precursor to Yen's Ballistic Kiss

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2001

I would like to say that I liked this film, because I like Donnie Yen and I love martial arts films. Yen's first directorial effort, however, fails to capture his true abilities as an actor and martial artist. The plot is simple. An older Yen reflects, through flashbacks, on a past where he returns to a village where his forgotten sweetheart lives. She recognizes him, though he has amnesia, and rekindles their relationship. Meanwhile, Yen is pursued by a group of bandits that eventually kidnap his girlfriend. This leads to fight scenes that are so blurry and speeded up that it is hard to tell who is hitting whom. That is where this film really fails, the build up to the action scenes leaves the viewer disappointed with the way they are filmed. To Yen's credit, he was attempting to add a freshness to a genre that has existed for many years, and even though it failed, his later effort Ballistic Kiss, is a beautiful film that does what I think this film meant to. It is very similar to Wong Kar Wai's Fallen Angels, in the way it depicts the violence and loneliness of a hitman lost in a world that doesn't understand him. I recommend seeing Legend of the Wolf and then seeing Ballistic Kiss to see how Yen has grown as an actor and martial artist.

3 people found this helpful

Sad Review for a Martial Arts Hero

Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2002

Also known as The New Big Boss (after Bruce's film), this is one review I am sad to write because Donnie is one of my favorite martial artists...this movie is just plain bad, and I understand this was one of Donnie's early start in directing, but that doesn't save it from being bad...story?...Man with amnesia goes back to a temple that is familiar in his dreams and searches for a woman that he sees in his dreams as well hoping to get some answers to his identity...the village nearby is constantly being terrorized by bandits and Donnie, miraculously remembering one thing-his fighting abilities, helps fight them off...the movie is mostly about rememberance, bloody fights, and a reblossoming love...now the bad part, the fighting caught on camera is horrendously awful and a big waste on Donnie's part...the camera is way to close to the fighters and all you see are hand movements with less body movements...it seems everything is sped up as well for that ultra fast fighting appeal...it just makes it worse...you can't see the fighting in its true form because the camera is too damn close, and there were a lot of good moves by Donnie that were put to waste cuz you couldn't really see them...other than this, the fighting is extremely unrealistic...I mean there were several occasions were Donnie took out literally 100 men by himself and this just made me think "O please"...what kept me watching was the love story tho and I would've given this film at least a rating of 2, but the whole end scene, just a little before the last battle sequence of this film just destroyed that possibility...if you ever watch this, just keep that in mind...This is by far one of Donnie's worst movies, and I've seen most of his flicks...I think he even knows that this movie was bad, but great actors every now and then understandibly make bad movies...go ahead and rent it to find out, but for heaven's sake don't buy it unless you gotta have everything Donnie made...The Legend of the Wolf version of the film is presented with original chinese language with english subs, and the sound is 2 channel surround...The New Big Boss version is only an English Dub with a 5.1 dbd track...I don't recommend either haha, this movie is just bad, but usually chinese is the way to go for me...check out better Donnie fims like Tiger Cage 2, Iron Monkey, OUATIC 2 alongside Jet Li, Wing Chun alongside Michelle Yeoh, and Drunken Tai Chi...Hope this review was helpful, check out my other HK reviews as well... Laters

5 people found this helpful

Widescreen.....NOT!

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 1999

This movie is not too bad for one of Donnie Yen's first directorial efforts. The biggest problem is that it's not really a widescreen transfer. It's not even letterboxed. Unless you consider the eighteenth of an inch at the top and bottom of the picture a widescreen/letterboxed edition. The poor transfer really makes some of the decent fight scenes difficult to watch. It's ashame that Amazon doesn't review the titles before releasing the information.
If you enjoy martial arts/action movies, this one is worth giving a try. It's not Donnie's best, but it's not his worse either.

6 people found this helpful

Fast, Fast, and even Faster!

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2000

no movie can be faster than what legend of the wolf packs...the speed is incredible, and the ironic thing is, donnie yen actually wanted a camera to slow the action down but becuz he shot this film under $1 million US dollars, he did what he could, and it worked out just fine. but be careful, the fight scenes are so fast that if u blink u will miss the moves, and boy they are some of the tightest moves...be on the lookout for the fight scene w/the guy w/claws (fifth fight scene) in the woods...that scene will leave u stunned!

3 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2000

Donnie Yen is truly the martial arts actor of the next millenium. This Movie has amazing new-style choreography of fight scenes, these are really impressive. Some of the best fight i've ever seen( better than any jackie chan's and most of jet li's).

One person found this helpful

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