Claim: Russell Crowe stars in The Man with the Iron Fists.

The Man with the Iron Fists is a 2012 American martial arts film directed by RZA and written by RZA and Eli Roth . The film stars RZA , Russell Crowe , Cung Le , Lucy Liu , Byron Mann , Rick Yune , Dave Bautista , and Jamie Chung . Set in 19th century China , the story follows a series of lone warriors who are forced to unite to defeat a common foe and save their home of Jungle Village .   Development began in 2005 when RZA shared his idea for the film with Roth . After nearly two years of development , Roth and RZA secured financial backing in May 2010 . Filming began in December 2010 on a $ 15 million budget and concluded by March 2011 . The film was shot in Shanghai and at other locations in China . RZA and Howard Drossin composed the film 's musical score , and RZA produced its soundtrack , which featured several new songs by various artists . A series of concerts featuring music from the soundtrack were held to promote the film .   The film was released in North America on November 2 , 2012 . Critics were divided over the film 's homage to martial arts films , considering it well-choreographed and representative of the genre , but offering nothing original , and the direction was criticized for a lack of refinement . The performances of Crowe and Mann were well received . The film earned $ 19 million at the box office .