By Malice Intended

Our influences can unlock our imaginations and feed our creativity.  When one follows such inspiration to its logical conclusion, their artistic journey comes full circle.  They are assimilated into that from which they once merely drew inspiration. There have graduated from the rank of spectator to that of practitioner.  The learner becomes the master, innovating in a particular field as opposed to merely extracting its essence to enhance his own endeavors.

As if divinely inspired by the pop culture gods, The RZA channeled his love of Kung-Fu movies through his passion for crafting beats and rhymes.  This convergence of enthusiasms helped birth The Wu-Tang Clan.  It was also indicative of a much larger phenomenon: Black Americas ongoing infatuation with martial arts films (better known as “karate movies” in some circles). 

Wu-Tang VS The Golden Phoenix is a modern day “Chop Socky” directed by The RZA, who is also featured in a starring role.  He has enlisted Shaw Brothers veterans like Robert Tai (Choreographer of Five Deadly Venoms) and Chi Kwan Chun to help realize his vision.  Also counted among his considerable arsenal of professionals is Dr King Ogun Ali Muhammad (founder of the Universal African Fighting System) and 34^th generation Shaolin Monk Sifu Shi Yan Ming.  Last, but not least, is The RZA’s encyclopedic knowledge of the genre.

Wu-Tang VS The Golden Phoenix looks strikingly like a bootlegged VHS copy of a forgotten Kung Fu classic.  The kind you might find populating the shelves of a seedy mom and pop video store in pre-Disney Times Square.  Scratches and grain have been added to give the impression of poor image quality.  While some may find the retro chic aesthetic passé, they should take into consideration that RZA is simply being true to the way he and many others first experienced films of this type.  The atrocious dubbing and outlandish sound effects are completely necessary.

The “classics of the jade screen” existed in a reality of their own design, where the laws of physics did not apply and poor production values added to the ambiance.  Hopefully, The RZA has achieved the same balance of homage and parody on display in the hilarious Black Dynamite.  If so, another chamber will have been completed.  Some day we may see Wu-Tang VS The Golden Phoenix playing at film festivals alongside The Bobby Digital movie.

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