'The Man With the Iron Fists' is ridiculous but entertaining

There's a fine line between a movie that's so bad it's good, and one that's patently ridiculous but undeniably entertaining.

The Man With the Iron Fists, the grindhouse exploitation filmed-in-China chop-socky directorial debut of the RZA, the producer and guiding guru of the martial arts-inspired hip-hop crew the Wu Tang Clan, falls into the latter category.

It's a period-piece kung-fu flick concerning rival clans spilling blood in pursuit of a big pile of gold that's being transported to a charmingly sinful Chinese hamlet known as Jungle Village.

That's where a madam played by Lucy Liu runs a lush brothel known as the Pink Blossom, filled with dangerous lovelies. There, a mercenary Englishman known as Jack Knife (Russell Crowe) indulges in carnal delights and wields a gutting knife that saves him the trouble of engaging in the kind of nimble combat that a man of his appetites is in no condition to partake in.

Foppish bad guy Silver Lion (a hammy Byron Mann) and hulking lug Brass Body (the mixed martial arts WWE vet Dave Bautista), whose skin turns to metal whenever he's attacked, team up to oppose the nobly handsome Zen Yi, the X-Blade (Rick Yune). He wears a leather suit outfitted with a multiplicity of sharp objects that turn him into a human porcupine, which proves most convenient during the movie's gravity-defying Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-style fight sequences.

And where does the RZA fit in? The auteur born Robert Diggs plays the Blacksmith, a peace-loving metal-maker caught in the middle because - even though he'd rather romance the beautiful Lady Silk, a Pink Blossom employee played by Jamie Chung - he has the skills to make the coolest, most killing weapons in town. Without intending to, he becomes the Man With the Iron Fists.

If this all sounds a little Tarantino-esque, it is. Among the bullet points on the RZA's impressive resumé is a film-score credit on Kill Bill, and The Man With the Iron Fists is a "Quentin Tarantino presents" production. Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns (and Ennio Morricone's sweeping scores) are among the jumble of reference points, as are '70s blaxploitation films. In an inept flashback, Pam Grier plays the mother of the Blacksmith, before he became a freed slave and made an unintended journey to China on a shipwreck called Destiny. (I kid you not.)

The RZA is a talented multitasker who co-wrote the movie's screenplay with Eli Roth, director of the Hostel horror series. But The Man sinks somewhat because of the Wu Tanger's acting skills, which, like his eyes, are sleepy. As the reluctant-participant-turned-chief-avenger - as well as the movie's narrator - the Blacksmith is The Man's pivotal role.

Amid so many flamboyant thespians - most of whom have a grand old time without taking themselves too seriously - the RZA underplays the Blacksmith with a self-effacing Zen modesty. That quality works well in the recording studio when he's directing his colorful cohorts in rap (who are featured on the movie's anachronistic soundtrack).

And it makes a certain amount of sense in connection to the Buddhist beliefs of the character he's playing. But it turns The Man With the Iron Fists into a hyperactive martial arts movie that swirls gleefully around a passive center.

Directed by the RZA. With Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu, the RZA, Rick Yune, Dave Bautista, Byron Mann, and Jamie Chung. Distributed by Universal Studios.

Running time: 1 hour, 36 mins.

Parent's guide: R (cartoonish graphic violence, sexuality,

drug use)

Playing at: area theatersEndText