Fist of Legend was the very first Jet Li movie I ever saw, courtesy of a VHS copy that I purchased on a whim from Tai Seng Entertainment. In hindsight, I probably should’ve started off with another title, because Fist of Legend set an impossibly high bar for every subsequent Jet Li film that I saw — a bar that very few of his films came close to touching.

As a remake of 1972’s Fist of Fury starring Bruce Lee, Fist of Legend actually improves on the original’s story of a young student (played by Li) who returns to China to avenge his master and confront the occupying Japanese forces. As opposed to Fist of Fury’s more strident storytelling, Fist of Legend opts for a more nuanced and interesting narrative that allows for more complex characters.

Of course, a martial arts film is only as good as its fight sequences, and Fist of Legend boasts jaw-dropping choreography from the legendary Yuen Woo-ping that really lets Li — who was a national wushu champion in the mid-to-late ’70s — show off his skills. Put simply, Fist of Legend represents the pinnacle of martial arts cinema.