"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny" Chinese Theatrical Poster
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (aka Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon II: The Green Destiny), the sequel to Ang Lee’s martial arts epic, will be premiering around the world on Netflix on Friday February 26, 2016 and will also be available in selected IMAX theaters.
Yuen Woo-ping (True Legend) directs a script by John Fusco (The Forbidden Kingdom), which will be based off the fifth book in Wang Du Lu’s Crane-Iron Pentalogy – the same source material Ang Lee used for the original film. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destinystars Donnie Yen (Kung Fu Jungle) and Michelle Yeoh (Yes, Madam).
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destinywill continue to revolve around Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh). “This was an opportunity to explore a lifelong passion I’ve had for Wu Xia, and if there wasn’t continuing source material, I would never have gotten involved,” says Fusco.
Director: Dennis Ruel
Writer: Dennis Ruel
Cast: Dennis Ruel, Ken Quitugua, Sari Sabella, Vlad Rimburg, Jose Montesinos, Steven Yu, Giovannie Espiritu, Sam Hargrave, Emmanuel Manzanares, Roy Chen, Shawn Bernal, George Crayton, Ed Kahana, Troy Carbonel
Running Time: 100 min.
By Paul Bramhall
The journey of Unlucky Stars, from when it began filming in 2010, to its eventual release on VOD in 2016, is indicative of just how much effort it takes to get an independent martial arts movie out there. Six years is a long time to wait, especially when you consider that in the golden age of kung fu cinema, countries like Hong Kong were churning them out a dime a dozen, however that was a different era. In 2012 the filmmakers behind the production set up a crowdfunding Indiegogo campaign, to help raise the necessary funds to complete filming, and assist with the post production process. For full disclosure, I was a contributor to the campaign, so my name appears in the end credits, however I’m sure it goes without saying that I don’t make any financial gains from reviewing the movie, or by any other means (I wish I did).
The driving force behind Unlucky Stars is Dennis Ruel, a member and regular collaborator of The Stunt People, a group of independent martial arts enthusiasts who are responsible for some of the best short martial arts films on the internet. Ruel has worked with The Stunt People co-founder, Eric Jacobus, on what can easily be defined as their best work. From appearing as the villain in Jacobus’ 2006 feature length directorial debut, Contour, to the award winning Rope A Dope shorts. With Unlucky Stars Ruel himself debuts as director, writer, and star, alongside Zero Gravity member Ken Quitugua. He also brought in one of the best fight chorographers working in the independent scene, Vlad Rimburg, to handle the action, as well as having him play a supporting role, so all up there’s an impressive calibre of action talent both behind and in front of the camera.
The story is set in San Francisco, and revolves around Ruel’s character of a directionless slacker. Just fired from his waiting job in a café, we discover that his friend has recommended him to Ken Quitugua, who plays a private investigator, and is looking for a partner. Quitugua is trying to track down a Peruvian B-movie action star, played by Jose Montesinos, who owes some gangsters a significant amount of money. There’s a whole separate sub-plot of a wannabe Jordanian action star, who treats Montesinos as his idol, but simply doesn’t have the talent to perform action. When he becomes jealous of his action double, played by Vlad Rimburg, he has Rimburg fired from the set of his latest movie, claiming that he beat him up. Eventually the pair of private investigators, the gangsters, the Jordanian wannabe, and the action double all converge on the set of a reality TV show for a final showdown.
In many ways Unlucky Stars looks and feels like the spiritual follow-up to Contour. From the San Francisco setting, to various members both past and present of The Stunt People who show up – Ed Kahana, the Carbonel brothers, and Steven Yu (along with of course Ruel and Rimburg) amongst them. However it becomes clear very quickly that Unlucky Stars is a different type of movie than Contour. Jacobus’ effort covered its obvious lack of budget, and filmmaking experience from those involved, with a relentlessly frantic comic energy and a frequent flow of fight scenes. Ruel’s style also goes for comedy, however he looks to incorporate more dramatic elements into his tale, making the finale the result of a decidedly serious event.
Although working with a higher budget than Contour, the decision to include more dramatic elements into the plot is a hindrance to Unlucky Stars, and while I’m sure it wasn’t Ruel’s intention, these scenes see lengthy portions of the movie passing by without any significant action. Indeed apart from a brief scuffle in an office between Ruel and Steven Yu, the first 30 minutes are actionless. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing for an experienced director, but in the case of a debut director like Ruel, he simply isn’t able to instil the non-action scenes with any sense of tension or meaning. The result is that when people aren’t hitting each other, the plot moves along at a rather dull and lifeless pace.
Of course the production has been billed as a comedy, and it is, however most of it comes in the form of self-referential winks to the audience, which raise a smile rather than a laugh. The detective agency is called Golden Harvest Private Investigators, there’s a sushi restaurant called Y Kurata Sushi, and we see a newsletter which reads action movies should be about the action, not the acting. You get the idea. The visual homages to the action genre also stretch to the performers themselves in some instances, with a couple of neat cameo appearances from Simon Rhee and J.J. Perry. While these elements add some nice touches, and remind us we’re watching a movie inspired by the 80’s and 90’s Hong Kong action flicks, they don’t always connect the way they were intended, due to the scenes they appear in being so pedestrian.
Despite these flaws though, Unlucky Stars is primarily an action showcase, and when the action does come, it delivers. Despite not being as plentiful as they arguably should be, the two main action set pieces definitely get the blood pumping. The first one takes place in a church around the half hour mark, and pits Ruel, Quitugua, and Yu against a cigar puffing bad guy (a clear nod to Yuen Wah’s villainous turn in Dragons Forever) and his crew. It’s intricate and flows fast, with the editing seamlessly cutting between each of the protagonists battling against the gangsters, and some wince worthy falls thrown in for good measure. Ruel’s mastery of Hapkido, combined with an impressive array of kicks, gives him a very distinctive fighting style, incorporating locks and throws into the mix amongst his boot work. Like in Contour a decade earlier, he still shows that he’s able to perform the take-3-people-out-in-one-flying-kick-move, and just like it did then, it still looks great.
I did feel that the camera was just a touch too close in some places, like if they’d pulled it back just a couple more inches the shot would be perfect, but considering the nature of the production, it would be nit picking to complain about such a minor detail. The final 30 minutes of Unlucky Stars is easily its best, as it’s essentially a series of fights with each one building on top of the other. This section of the movie displays a confidence that seemed to be lacking in the more story focused parts – the script suddenly becomes sharp and witty with a number of laugh out loud lines, and the action is complimented by energetic camerawork which is constantly moving but never impedes what’s going on.
Ruel, Quitugua, and Rimburg team up to take on a staff wielding security guard (Miguel Padilla), a pair of gangster henchmen (Emmanuel Manzanares and Roy Chen), the gangster boss (Sam Hargrave), and a sadistic assassin (the Young Masters Shawn Bernal). Again the editing of the multiple fights happening at the same time is a pleasure to watch, as usually in multiple fight scenarios cutting them up can lead to frustration for the viewer, however here the editing is tight and contributes to the flow of the sequence. Everyone is performing at the top of their game, and it shows, with plenty of fast exchanges and painful looking impacts. It would have been nice to see some weapons work thrown in, especially seeing how effective Hapkido is at disarming attackers in one of Ruel’s Contour fight scenes, however the focus on purely hand to hand combat never gets repetitive thanks to Rimburg’s varied choreography.
Due to the nature of almost everyone involved in the production having previously worked on action shorts, the easy avenue to summarising Unlucky Stars is to say it would have been better off as a half hour short film, however this would short change all of the effort Ruel and his crew put in. The decision to not just make a fight filled few minutes and go the feature length production route is to be admired, and nobody can expect perfection from a first time director with limited experience in the filmmaking process. What stands out the most in Unlucky Stars, is how jarring the tone is between the final 30 minutes and the rest of the movie, in terms of how assured and confident the direction feels. Just like Eric Jacobus came back with a much more assured sophomore feature in the form of Death Grip, here’s hoping Ruel also takes the lessons learnt from Unlucky Stars (apparently a sequel has already been written), and applies them to his next movie.
Sony presents the DVD for Monk Comes Down the Mountain, by acclaimed director Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine).
This Chinese martial arts film (read our review) stars Aaron Kwok (The Monkey King), Wang Baoqiang (Kung Fu Killer), Lin Chi-ling (Red Cliff), Wang Xueqi (Bodyguards & Assassins) and Fan Wei (Back to 1942). It also features martial arts choreography is being handled by Ku Huan-Chiu (14 Blades). | Watch the trailer.
Director: Andrew Lau Co-director: Wong Jing Co-director: Billy Chung Cast: Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau, Nick Cheung, Li Yuchun, Jacky Cheung, Carina Lau, Charles Heung, Shawn Yue, Psy, Angela Wang, Jacky Heung, Michelle Hu, David Chiang, Law Kar-ying, Kimmy Tong, Yuen Qiu, Elena Kong Running Time: 112 min.
By Martin Sandison
The first two movies in the From Vegas to Macau trilogy were a revelation for Hong Kong cinema fans: immensely entertaining, laugh out loud funny and filled to the brim with well-choreographed action. They also managed to capture the feel and tone of the golden age, without seeming over-referential. I was surprised to see the third installment was coming out in UK cinemas in time for Chinese New Year, as I caught its trailer before seeing Ip Man 3 (which, by the way, had the best end-fight out of all three films!).
The trailer for From Vegas to Macau 3 piqued my fancy – after all, the film reunites Chow Yun Fat and Andy Lau for the first time since the original God of Gamblers; it also features Jacky Cheung, Carina Lau and Nick Cheung. Any Hong Kong cinema fan would be salivating over the prospect of so much talent in one film, myself included. If you don’t come out of this movie disappointed, there’s something seriously wrong. I mean seriously.
The first two managed to squeeze in a lot of set pieces, with threadbare plots, but tight narratives. The plot line for From Vegas to Macau 3 manages to be one of the most unoriginal and least interesting films I have ever seen; it’s not even worth summing up in a sentence. So I won’t.
The middle section of the film features Chow, Lau and the two Cheungs sharing the most screen time – even Law Kar Ying makes a reasonably amusing appearance. The funniest running joke appears here as Chow wakes thinking he is Zhang Wu Ji, the main character of the Louis Cha martial art novel Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre. There is even a cut to an old movie, based on the novel, that I didn’t recognise featuring Shek Kin. It’s humurous, but aimed very much at Asian audiences. Despite this, every scene features more and more complete nonsense, and none of it is funny.
From Vegas to Macau and From Vegas to Macau II got serious laughs for their in-jokes and respect for what had gone before; Part III only has perhaps two laugh out loud moments. The calibre of onscreen stars promise so much and deliver so little, with especially Chow and Lau’s interchanges being flat and without merit. Jacky Cheung also seems disinterested and there for the money, which is a shame as his appearances recently have been dwindling in Hong Kong movies.
In an earlier part of the film, Chow is imprisoned and there is a huge song and dance number, which supplies a little entertainment, but is ultimately unsatisfying. Credit must be given to Wong Jing for pulling out all the stops in terms of the cast, as here Maria Cordero, the wonderful Macau-born singer, appears as the prison warden while the cast belts out her famous song “The Light of Friendship” from the classic Ringo Lam-directed and Chow-starring Prison on Fire. I’ll never forget her songs from the latter, City on Fire and Tiger on the Beat. It’s too bad the over-referential and inept nature of the film ruins these legendary appearances.
The filmmaking is poor and derivative, with no excitement to be gleaned from its over reliance on crappy CGI and incoherent action. This brings me to my biggest gripe concerning the film: the action. Despite their quick turnaround, the first two had high quality and well executed gunplay and martial arts. This one substitutes the clear and nicely cut approach of the first two with lazy angles, incredibly short sequences and terrible CGI.
Also, the sets are made to be destroyed, and would look at home in a straight-to-DVD sci-fi movie from the 90’s. In terms of martial arts action, there are two scenes with Jacky Heung Cho taking over the screen fighting. He is the son of Charles Heung, the famous producer and supposed Triad affiliate (I’m sure you guys know all the stories) who also has a cameo in the film. Both fights are over before they begin, and have no fulfillment whatsoever. The ending features Transfomers-esque machines battling, and is really an embarrassment with obsolete effects.
My friend who accompanied me to see From Vegas to Macau 3 told me he read a review of the first two wondering why Chow was ‘lowering himself’ to be in such movies. In my mind, he’s Chow Yun Fat. He can do whatever he wants. Plus, I think it’s cool to see him cutting loose and enjoying himself in the later part of his career. However, all the cast and crew in From Vegas to Macau 3 are probably thinking: what a complete waste of an opportunity, and a testament to the unfortunate trappings of a franchise. Look at Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
There are two scenes that I enjoyed despite this, both featuring gambling. The first is the game of Mah Jong with Yuen Qiu reprising her role as the landlady from Kung Fu Hustle; as well as Lo Hoi Pang, the great character actor from movies as diverse as Sammo’s Iron Fisted Monk and Johnnie To’s PTU. As they play, they sing Sam Hui’s “The Mahjong Heroes,” a masterful 1976 recording from the multi talented actor and singer. The poker game later in the film features the ubiqitous South Korean singer Psy, and it’s a kick to see him and Chow share the screen.
I love Chow Yun Fat. He’s my favourite actor (he has made so many movies that it’s hard to keep up with them all though!). Even he cannot save this mess of a film. One thing about From Vegas to Macau III that did cheer me up was in the end credits, which featured outtakes of the cast having a whale of a time; to be honest, more power to them – they’ve all worked on some of the greatest movies ever made. But if you love these actors, you’re better off not seeing this film.
Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Bangkok Revenge (aka Bangkok Renaissance), starring John Foo (Tekken), the star of the upcoming Rush Hour TV series.
Manit (Foo) was only ten years old when they killed his parents. They should have killed him, too. Rescued from death by a master of Muay Thai boxing, Manit has spent his life training to be a killing machine. It’s 20 years later, and he’s coming for them all. With fists, feet, and bloody vengeance, he’s going to make them wish they were dead already.
Director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour franchise) is planning to remake the 1972 Shaw Brothers classic, King Boxer, a martial arts film that’s better known by its U.S. title, Five Fingers of Death.
According to TB.com: Ratner and partner James Packer (The Revenant) will produce the project, which is set up under their RatPac Entertainment banner. They’ll be working alongside Celestial Pictures, the Hong Kong-based company which owns the rights to the Shaw Brothers film library. No other details are available at the moment.
The original Chinese film was directed by Korean filmmaker Jeong Chang Hwa (The Association) and starred the late Lo Lieh (City War). The movie is noted for being the first kung fu title released in America.
King Boxer is not the first time Ratner toyed with a martial arts classic. Early last year, the director expressed interest in remaking Bruce Lee’s 1973 staple, Enter the Dragon. He stated that it would be a ‘reimagining of Robert Clouse’s iconic showcase for Lee’s talents’.
The overall idea of Hollywood studios wanting to remake Shaw films has been going on for a few years. At one point, The Weinstein Company had a deal with Celestial to remake 1966’s Come Drink With Me and 1978’s Avenging Eagle. More recently, Tencent Pictures paired up with Celestial to develop a remake of 1976’s The Magic Blade.
Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Yee (Shinjuku Incident) is currently in post-production for his Chinese-produced remake Death Duel, a 1977 Shaw film that Yee starred in during the height of his acting career.
With the exception of Yee’s Death Duelremake, the aforementioned films have been stuck in development hell. We honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Ratner’s King Boxer remake meets the same fate. Whatever the case, we’ll keep you in the loop.
“Golden Dragon, Silver Snake” Korean Theatrical Poster
AKA: A Fight at Hong Kong Ranch
Director: Kim Si-hyun,
Co-director: Godfrey Ho
Cast: Johnny Chan (Wang Dae-wi), Dragon Lee (Mun Kyong-sok), Kong Do, Baak Wong Gei, Chui Man Fooi, Lee Ye Min, Bruce Lai (Chang Il-do), Gam Kei Chu, Cheung Lik, Samuel Walls, Lee Ju-hyeon, Hong Sung-young
Running Time: 84 min.
By Paul Bramhall
Sometimes a kung fu movie will sound great on paper, but somehow turn out to be a disaster onscreen. Yuen Biao battling monsters and Gordon Liu? Many would say count me in, although in reality The Peacock King has few fans. Donnie Yen tearing up the surroundings in a fight against super kicker Billy Chow? Sounds like a kung fu fans dream, although many consider Iron Monkey 2 to be one of the worse movies out there. So how about a Bruce Lee clone and a Jackie Chan clone tearing it up through circa 1980 Korea against a cat stroking Blofeld type villain? Ok, so it may not sound great, but it does sound ridiculous, and that’s exactly what Golden Dragon, Silver Snake brings to the table. The best thing about it? Yes it sounds ridiculous on paper, but onscreen, it’s ridiculously entertaining.
Dragon Lee takes a break from starring in endless period pieces, almost always wearing the synonymous white t-shirt and black pants, to don some tight jeans, sneakers, and a variety of early 80’s sports tops. He even gets decked out in a quasi-Game of Death style yellow one-piece tracksuit for the finale. While newcomers to Dragon Lee will most likely (and rightfully so) scratch their heads on why a kung fu movie review is taking the time to describe the main characters wardrobe, for those that are familiar, I’m sure you’ll understand the surprise at seeing him in different attire from the usual. Lee would settle into starring in modern day gangster roles during the 90’s, most notably in The Nationwide Constituency trilogy, Chongro Blues, and Emperor of the Underworld, but in the 80’s it was a rare sight to see him starring in contemporary settings.
Lee is paired up with flash in the pan Jackie Chan clone Johnny Chan. Poor Johnny Chan disappeared from the movie scene almost as quickly as he came into it, with this and Revenge of the Drunken Master being the only movies he starred in. Sites like the Hong Kong Movie Database and the Korean Movie Database don’t even list him, despite being the star of the aforementioned movie. He’s like the Jackie Chan clone that never was. Korea actually managed to produce two clones of Jackie, the other one being Jackie Chang, who also made a Bruce Lee clone/Jackie Chan clone movie alongside Kim Tai-jung in Jackie and Bruce to the Rescue.
In Golden Dragon, Silver Snake there’s a vicious gang extorting protection money from the residents of a small town, and when one of the townsfolk decides to rise up and take a stand against them, he receives a drill in the chest for his troubles, signalling his demise. However the victim turns out to be the brother of Dragon Lee, and Lee’s arrival coincides with the gangs attempts to force a family off their farm so that it can be demolished, making way for a new tourist hotel. Johnny Chan is one of the workers on the farm, who has his eye on the owner’s daughter, and is also friendly with the local rickshaw driver, played by the man who’s been in every Korean kung fu movie ever made, Choi Min-kyu.
Soon Lee has taken a job as a cook, as he does in so many of his movies, it seems the times can change but his occupation doesn’t. It’s not the only thing which hasn’t changed though, Golden Dragon, Silver Snake employs a lot of old-school kung fu movie tropes, and simply applies them to a modern setting. The rickshaw driver turns out to be a kung fu master, and sets about training Chan via making him walk around while balancing rocks at the same time. Drunken Master reference check box – ticked! The difference is of course, that in these training scenes, they’re both dressed in modern day threads, and despite taking place in a forest, get disturbed by motorbike riding gangsters rather than mischievous kung fu rascals (or Dean Shek).
Golden Dragon, Silver Snake appears to be a genuine co-production between Korea and Hong Kong, co-directed by Kim Si-hyun and Godfrey Ho, and was originally titled A Fight at Hong Kong Ranch. The movie also provides us with Kong Do, a familiar face from many Hong Kong movies such as Tiger Over Wall and Kung Fu Zombie, as the bad guy of the piece. It’s really the bad guys here which make proceedings so entertaining. The mystery Blofeld style villain, who we never see the face of for the majority of the runtime, doesn’t just stroke his cat, he energetically throws it into the face of any lackey who’s screwed up, subjecting them to its wild scratching. The villain’s base is also inside a gym, which is constantly full of shirtless guys pumping all kinds of iron. When I say gym, I mean all of their meetings take place around the guys who are exercising, it doesn’t even seem to have its own office.
Special mention has to go to the randomly inserted scene of Chang Il-do (aka Bruce Lei) facing off against Samuel Walls. This scene comes out of nowhere near the beginning of the movie, and to add to its strangeness, the scene itself is also abruptly edited. Mid-fight it suddenly changes, and Walls has gone from being shirtless and fighting Il-do, to wearing full dobok and fighting Nick Cheung Lik. In a lame attempt at creating some coherency, the scene ends on a close-up of Dragon Lee grinning like a Cheshire Cat. What does it all mean? I have absolutely no idea, apart from there must have been some unused footage from Enter the Three Dragons, so they threw it in here.
The finale of Golden Dragon, Silver Snake is over 20 minutes of basically non-stop fighting, as both Lee and Chan storm the bad guys hideout, which is what looks to be a large unused resort complex. The focus is much more on Lee than Chan in the action scenes, with Lee rampaging through what must be close to twenty or more suited and booted lackeys in everything from empty swimming pools to a fairground. It kind of reminded me of a scene in Tom Yum Goong, when Tony Jaa takes on an endlessly re-generating bunch of black suit wearing bad guys in the finale to that movie. Speaking of being reminded of other movies, Lee’s fight in a playground pre-dates Jackie Chan’s similar scene inPolice Story 2 by 8 years. Bad guys are dispatched using swings, see-saws, and even the slide sees some action!
Chan of course also gets to bust out some moves, although the filmmakers seem to struggle to fit what was the real Jackie Chan’s form of comedic fighting into a modern day setting, which was in line with the stars output at the time. So the result is we see him performing what can only be described as egg kung fu, complete with a soundtrack which is made up of chickens clucking. It’s quite jarring when juxtaposed with Lee’s screaming intensity in the scenes that are being cut alongside it. As if Johnny Chan randomly pulling eggs out of thin air wasn’t enough, at one point Kong Do also takes off a wig he’s been wearing, to reveal a full head of hair underneath! None of this gets any explanation, it’s just thrown in there with no rhyme or reason, which somehow makes it even more hilarious.
Thing culminate quite unexpectedly, with an impressive stunt that sees Lee clinging onto the front of a speed boat as it takes to the water. This is the only time I’ve seen Dragon Lee perform stunt work, as he’s usually a straight-up kung fu guy, so it was refreshing to see him in such a dangerous situation. It’s both clear that it’s him, and that the boat is traveling at quite a speed, no undercranking here, so kudos to him for performing such a potentially dangerous stunt.
Eventually things end up back on dry land, and we finally get to see what he’s been carrying in his tube shaped backpack (think Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon when he first infiltrates the underground base) – it’s a steel baseball bat! What other movie has Dragon Lee, armed with a steel baseball bat, squaring off against opponents wielding everything from a drill (Tiger on the Beat would up the ante on using power tools a few years later) to a pair of knives? The answer of course is none, but thankfully, Golden Dragon, Silver Snake does it right first time.
Mojin - The Lost Legend | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)
RELEASE DATE: May 3, 2016
Well Go USA presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Mojin – The Lost Legend (aka The Ghouls) a new action thriller directed by Wuershan (Painted Skin: The Resurrection).
AKA: Pancake Man
Director: Da Peng
Cast: Da Peng, Mabel Yuan, Liu Yan, Sandra Ng, Eric Tsang, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Yue Yunpeng, Yi Yunhe, Liang Chao, Pan Binlong, Cui Zhijia, Qiao Shan, Deng Chao, Amber Kuo, Song Xiaobao, Liu Xiaoguang
Running Time: 113 min.
By Paul Bramhall
A Chinese comedy that features Jean-Claude Van Damme sounds like an unlikely combination, but that’s exactly what Jian Bing Man gives us. Much of the attention, well ok, all of the attention from action cinema web sites has been on Van Damme’s inclusion in the movie, so his role is as good a place to start a review as any. Let’s just get it out of the way now, Van Damme’s screen time clocks in at less than 5 minutes, so those wanting to get a healthy dose of the Muscles from Brussels may want to adjust their expectations accordingly. He appears for the finale, so it’s a satisfyingly action packed few minutes, but he’s far from the main attraction.
So, with only a few minutes of Van Damme goodness, what exactly does that leave us with? The whole production is essentially one big meta-comedy, starring, directed, written, and produced by Da Peng. Peng is a name that won’t be familiar to many, and understandably so. A comedian by trade, despite featuring in a handful of other movies, his claim to fame is hosting a variation of the US style Late Shows online, and his show has a significant cult following. In 2012 Peng famously got into a spat with US celebrity Conan O’Brien, when the American chat show host pointed out that the animated intro sequence to Peng’s show, was identical to that of his own. Brandishing Peng’s show a rip-off, the two exchanged banter over the course of several episodes, with Peng apologising for the faux pas, and O’Brien going so far as to create a new intro for Peng’s show and offering it to him as a gift (which was actually used!).
For his directorial debut, Peng plays an exaggerated version of himself, a popular actor who’s tired of constantly being cast in loser roles. An opportunity presents itself when a gangster, played by Liang Chao, offers him a significant amount of cash to make a movie himself. The only catch is it needs to star an actress who the gangster has a crush on, played by Yuan Shanshan. In the movie (this meta stuff is going to get complicated) Shanshan isn’t the best actress in the world, and has been stuck with supporting roles and bit parts, so she plans to go to Hollywood where she’ll audition for a production starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. So Chao’s offer is a win-win situation – Peng can finally make the movie he’s wanted to make, and Shanshan gets the leading role she’s been looking for so won’t need to go to Hollywood.
While celebrating at a nightclub though, Peng gets ridiculously drunk, and ends up on the street throwing up in the gutter. When a female fan recognizes him and attempts to kiss the worse of wear star, Peng throws her off, and everyone ends up on the floor in an ungraceful heap of drunkenness. Unfortunately, the whole incident has been caught on various revellers phone cameras, and thanks to the power of social media the video soon goes viral, described as Peng assaulting one of his female fans. Peng’s grand plans to call his many popular actor friends to feature in his movie suddenly turn sour, as thanks to the video nobody wants anything to do with him, so instead, he assembles a ragtag cast and crew and attempts to make a movie using the new technique of ‘secret filming’.
If the above description sounds familiar, it’s because it’s kind of been done before. I never expected to write this sentence in my lifetime, but Jiang Bing Man is basically the Korean movie Rough Cut, meets the Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy comedy Bowfinger. Surprisingly, the premise works, and earns a number of genuine laugh out loud moments. As can be guessed from the title, the movie that Peng decides to make is Jian Bing Man, which roughly translates to Pancake Man, a Chinese snack food that many street vendors sell. Peng announces the movie as “A Chinese super realistic action, romance, science fiction comedy”, and he’s not far off. Like many of the kung fu movies of old, he ends up making the script up as he goes along, often amusingly changing the story based on circumstances and wherever they happen to be.
Further blurring the lines between reality and fiction is a whole host of Chinese and Hong Kong stars who turn up at various points with hilarious results. The cameraman Peng hires is actually a paparazzi photographer, and reveals that he and his network always keep track of where stars are going to be and at what time. After revealing that Sandra Ng is in Beijing to film a new movie, soon Peng and his crew are huddled behind some bushes in a park where Ng goes for a nightly jog, with the plan to capture a scene that will have a group of thugs threaten her, only for Jian Bing Man to come to the rescue. It’s scenes like this which are reminiscent of the similar scenarios that play out in Bowfinger, and Jian Bing Man also pulls off the same concept with aplomb, managing not to feel derivative at any point.
The character of Jian Bing Man himself is a source of particular amusement, as his weapons consist of the ingredients to make the pancakes. His habit of bursting into each scene by throwing a pair of eggs is a refreshing addition to the overcrowded superhero genre, and he’s not too shabby with a sauce bottle either. Of course things don’t go smoothly for the whole duration, and when Peng accidentally foils a convenience store robbery thanks to thinking that it was part of his movie, he quickly finds his popularity back on track, and the movie deals start pouring in again. This leads to him pulling the plug on the Jian Bing Man production, but with his ragtag cast and crew putting so much of their hearts into it, the question boils down to will he turn his back on them when they’ve done so much already, or will he finish the job?
Of course the answer is pretty obvious, but still the story hits the right notes. It’s the age old tale of someone who values nothing more than money and fame, having to lose everything to realise the value of friendship and having people in your life that you can count on. While some of the comedy does get a little broad, the vast majority of it is on point, transferring surprisingly well to a western audience. There’s no doubt that being familiar with many of the Chinese actors and actresses that have brief roles in the movie will definitely add to the audiences enjoyment, but even not knowing who everyone is shouldn’t cause too much of a detriment to the viewing.
The filming of the finale for Jian Bing Man also doubles as the finale for the movie itself, as Van Damme appears playing himself playing the villain of the piece. He gets a decent fight scene in against Peng, throwing a few kicks, but is clearly doubled for a dramatic fall. However he makes the most of his few short minutes, making an impact and even delivering the final line of the movie, which rivals his final line as Xander from Enemies Closer (which was the only good thing about that movie). For Hong Kong cinema fans though it won’t be Van Damme that brings the biggest smile to their face, but rather a cameo appearance from four members of the original Young and Dangerous crew – Ekin Cheng, Jordan Chan, Michael Tse, and Jerry Lamb. The final minutes make for a nostalgic nod to Hong Kong’s golden years, which also feature Eric Tsang directing the scene, and it’s satisfyingly choreographed from an action perspective, with a nice motorbike stunt and some entertaining double handed gunplay.
Jian Bing Man succeeds in showing that commercial Mainland Chinese productions do have the potential to have a wider appeal beyond just local audiences. As a tale of a director trying to make a movie and hoping that no one notices him doing it, it’s a welcome breath of fresh air. Now, who do we need to speak to at Marvel to get Jian Bing Man incorporated into the Marvel Universe?
Expect the unexpected in Elephant in the Room, an upcoming South Korean film that focuses on three separate stories, from three distinct genres, by three different directors – each tale is unsettling in its own unique way.
The 1st story is a black comedy by Park Soo Young (Irreversible), about three people hanging off a seashore cliff in a car. They begin a game of chicken to survive; The 2nd is a drama by Kwon Chil In (Venus Talk), which revolves around a mysterious one night stand; The 3rd is a sci-fi action/thriller by Kwon Ho Young (Parallel Life), which follows a secret agent who enters the dreams of his clients to solve cases.
Elephant in the Room releases domestically on April 3, 2016. Don’t miss the film’s trailer.
Dock worker Sugitaya steps off a boat to meet a man at the harbor. A crane swings low, crushes Sugitaya. Yujiro Ishihara’s gangster Jiro watches on, unimpressed. “Nasty way to go,” Jiro says. “Why can’t they be cool?” And with that, we can assume two things: 1) Sugitaya’s death probably wasn’t an accident and 2) Jiro’s a cynical bastard that’s obsessed with being cool.
From here on, Red Pier does its best to make it clear just how cool Jiro really is. Girls love him, guys fear him, and friends and enemies alike have great respect for him. He dresses suave, he has marksman skills with a gun and throws a blade like a pro dart throwing champion (there is such a thing! I did research). Jiro sings, he romances, he drives flashy cars… there’s almost nothing about Jiro that’s NOT cool. So, why don’t I give a damn?
The film built around the character of Jiro has some good ideas but it rarely commits to following through on them. Not long after Sugitaya’s untimely death, Jiro strikes up a relationship with the dead man’s sister (Mie Kitahara). She falls in love with Jiro but she also begins to suspect him. It’s probably the most dramatically compelling subplot of the film but it’s largely forgotten by the time we reach the final act. Much of the action takes place in the coastal city of Kobe, where Jiro is hiding out while things calm down in Tokyo. However, it soon becomes clear that the sins of Tokyo have followed him to Kobe, as hitmen come gunning for Jiro.
Red Pier’s three acts all have their own major points of emphasis. There’s very little organic flow to the story as it progresses. The beginning is about the death of Sugitaya and romancing the dead man’s sister. The middle is about the Jiro vs. the hitmen. The end is about watching out for the law. The lack of cohesion makes for an episodic storyline, and because I didn’t take to the main character, I found the movie rather dull as a result.
Character development for the ultimate bad boy antihero always requires great writing and perfect casting to avoid being boring or goofy. The mistake that’s made in Red Pier is that too much time is spent explaining that Jiro’s cool while not giving him enough of a chance to prove it with his actions. Considering the dialogue that introduces the character, one expects Jiro to be coldblooded and mean. Prepare to be disappointed: he often acts like a petulant child instead of a hard-nosed gangster. One scene even features Jiro hiding beneath a blanket so that he may avoid making a difficult decision.
Too much of the film relies on the star power of leading man Yujiro Ishihara (Crazed Fruit). Yujiro Ishihara was a very cool actor. Though not handsome in any traditional way, Ishihara still became a major heartthrob back in the day, playing action heroes and also making an impact as a recording artist. If you went to movies in Japan in the 50s and 60s, you understood that Yujiro Ishihara was a big deal. Red Pier knew that and I think they coasted on his star power, giving Ishihara a chance to do his thing but never providing enough material to make the film ever truly come together. An audience member of today with no understanding of who Ishihara was may be very confused as to why Jiro, a well-dressed brat with a gun, is so loved and respected by all. Ishihara was cool. Jiro? Not so much.
While I didn’t like Ishihara’s Jiro, I appreciated the work put in by supporting players Mie Kitahara and Shiro Osaka. Kitahara (Crazed Fruit) plays Sugitaya’s sister and Jiro’s primary love interest in the film. The film denies her a chance to become much more than one side of a conflicted romance, but Kitahara brings unexpected humanity to the part. Shiro Osaka (Pigs and Battleships) plays the detective whose job it is to prove Jiro’s guilt, but he’d rather see Jiro change his ways so that he won’t have to. Detective Noro is Red Pier’s most likable and complete character. It’s kind of a shame there wasn’t more of him in the film.
Red Pier is an early film for director Toshio Masuda, who’d spent the first few years in the film business as a screenwriter and an assistant director. In Red Pier, Masuda shows a few visual flourishes (I quite liked the slanted camerawork) but the storytelling is messy. Released that same year, Masuda’s Rusty Knife (also starring Ishihara and Kitahara) is a more polished effort by the director. He would continue to hone his skills from there. In time, Masuda would rise to become one of Japan’s most popular directors, with such films as Like a Shooting Star, the popular anime Space Battleship Yamato, and the rarely seen/often spoke of Prophecies of Nostradamus.
I found Red Pier to be rather disappointing but I enjoyed getting another look back at classic Japanese cinema. Red Pier is the second film included in Arrow Video’s Diamond Guys Vol. 1 DVD/Blu-ray release (read my review for Voice Without A Shadow). It’s not so bad that I consider its inclusion on the set a dealbreaker—not at all—I just wouldn’t recommend watching it first, personally.
AKA: Deadly Challenger
Director: Eric Tsang
Producer: Lo Wei
Cast: David Chiang, Norman Chu, Lily Li Li Li, Philip Ko Fei, Eric Tsang, Huang Ha, Peter Chan Lung, Mars, Tai Bo, Alan Chan, Benny Lai, Chan Dik Hak, Chan Siu Gai
Running Time: 87 min.
By Matthew Le-feuvre
When Hong Kong stalwart and one-time international star, David Chiang (Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires) re-negotiated his contract with the venerated Shaw Brothers on a one-picture basis, the lustre and uncongested environs of Taiwan was, decidedly, his next port of call. And like Jimmy Wang Yu, Taiwan’s flourishing marginally commercial film industry offered Chiang creative freedom and working conditions that were less hectic, less routined, yet the demands of schedules and post-production marketing nevertheless sufficed.
With a distinguished career which has enjoyed the triumvirate benefits of acting, producing, and directing, David (aka John) Chiang Wei Nien essentially began his ascent into film stardom as far back as 1960 (although actually made his debut aged four). Indeed, nondescript walk-ons, standins or disposable stuntman parts showcased his relative inexperience – noticably in The Golden Swallow and The One-Armed Swordsman– but this was a necessary foundation before lead, or even supporting roles were contractually furnished.
Propitiously, it was the much lauded filmmaker, Chang Cheh, who discovered and nurtured Chiang into replacing local icon, Jimmy Wang Yu – who by common knowledge decamped to “fruitful pastures.” Controversial, though inspired, after a sequence of prevalent wu-xia dramas (The Invincible Fist,Have Sword Will Traveland The Heroic Ones), the physical labours Chiang subjected himself to in dealing with/or conforming to Cheh’s epic scopes effectively and deservedly garnered him several nominations, particularly cult favourite Vengeance – an alternative, finely crafted reworking of John Boorman’s arthouse thriller Point Blank.
Regardless of its explicit violence, baroque set interiors and image laden with obsessive symbolism of man’s inner animal, Chiang’s almost surreal depiction of a truly tortured soul won him ‘The Best Actor’ accolade. Furthermore, while the implementations of foot-long daggers, punctured torsos, or sliced throats may have initially divided audiences, there is however an undeniable poetic grace seldom understood (by critics), but equally hard to neglect because of the protagonist’s one dimensional focus.
Although Chiang continued down other avenues of dramatic expression in pictures such as: The Four Riders, The Generation Gap and The Drug Addict, he often felt these productions negated any true intimations of the human condition: well in part, anyway! Suffice too say, reality and fantasy are (in philosophical terms) mere complimentary facets of each other, and no doubt Chiang-the Actor; or Chiang-the Artist was/is conciously aware of these celluloid shortcomings. Sadly, it appears, he hasn’t really found his dream project: a script denoting “social honesty”.
In some creative circles this may be unduly typified as an “unreachable mountain summit” (Jorodowski’s unmade Dune adaptation for example!) or a “Holy Grail” even, where – metaphors aside – compromise or artistic license are (each) for a better description thoroughly overshadowed by the priority of commerce, as well as the unblinking eyes of studio executives fueled solely by visions of healthy box office returns, packed houses (cineplexes) and screaming admirers. Pragmatically, and safely from the ever looming manevolence of (potential) self-ruination, Chiang consorted to ‘kung fu comedy’ with a proverbial twist.
Reuniting with the personable, though invariably unsmiling, Tsiu-Siu Keung (Shaolin Mantis); Chiang joint-credits the electric jade screen as ‘Yao’ – an archetypal fortune hunting con man eager too make that ‘big score.’ At the opposite end of the spectrum, the motivations of capitalism or fame are inconsequential to the eponymous ‘challenger,’ Kam Ching Hung (Keung). Instead his enigmatic resolve – which seems obsessional, arrogant and misguided – intrigues Yao into instigating a contest of wits and fists too which Hung majestically walks away to continue his gaunlet run against a myriad of provincial schools: the question is why?
Singular and unremitting, Hung’s forceful (and in some instances comical) duels, moreover attracts the curiosity of shady miscreant restaurant/casino owner, Pau (Philip Kao Fei – sporting an obligatory wig) and his duplicious lover, Wei (Lily Lei). Together they orchestrate a scheme to discover ‘the challenger’s’ real identity/intentions by tempting and manipulating Yao with a financial offer. Meanwhile, Pau becomes increasingly more uneasy with Hung’s eccentric behaviour.
The stakes are raised even higher as Yao, now consumed by avarice, conspires with Wei in an attempt to kill both Hung and Pao, only to learn in time the genuine, tragic circumstances of ‘the challenger’ and his deeply personal link to Pao. In a kinetic, suspense-loaded conclusion, Hung and Yao combine their fighting dexterity against Pao’s equally capable minions, and naturally, Pao himself, in a course of action that will determine a shocking inevitability.
Verdict: A confined premise, this is not! On the contrary, at the heart of The Challenger is a story about two contradictory extremes: personal vengeance and personal greed. While some viewers may find the proceedings convoluted with too many twists and chicanery, it is nonetheless a unique excursion into the human psyche and how it is expressed through the abstract beauty of kung fu.
Extraordinarily, the interplay between Tsui Siu Keung and David Chiang perfectly counter-balances each others’ artistic strengths and overt talent: Chiang’s extrovertness is the ‘Yin’ to Keung’s laconic ‘Yang’ exterior, and even if there are no sumptious production values, one can cast aside the obvious budgetary limitations in favour of an intelligent script and Eric Tsang’s proficiently flowing direction.
Well Go USA presents the DVD for Leste Chen’s The Great Hypnotist, a Chinese thriller starring Karen Mok (Fallen Angels), Xu Zheng (No Man’s Land), Hu Jing (What Women Want), Lu Zhong (The Taking of Tiger Mountain) and Wang Yaoqing (Love is Not Blind).
Xu (Zheng) is a therapist skilled in hypnotherapy. One day a patient named Ren (Mok) is brought to him with one of the most complex cases he has ever encountered. In spite of all his skills and experience, he seems unable to break thru with her to discover what is the root of her problems. Soon he finds himself falling into her trap. | Trailer.
“The Boxer from the Temple” Chinese Theatrical Poster
Director: John Lo Mar
Cast: Ng Yuen Jun, Kwan Feng, Wong Mei Mei, Lau Fong Sai, Wang Sha, Lam Fai Wong, Lau Hok Nin, Keung Hon, Cheng Miu, Chiang Cheng, Baan Yun Sang, Chan Fai Kei, Cheung Hei, Chin Siu Ho, Chow Gam Kong, Chui Fat
Running Time: 92 min.
By Martin Sandison
Being the two main choreographers of the classic Shaw Brothers output, Lau Kar Leung and Tang Chia’s contribution to martial arts cinema with the great studio cannot be denied. The Venoms came in to their own towards the end, but one man to me is the third best and creator of some of the finest Shaws action: Hsu Hsia.
Beginning as an extra and actor in the 60’s, he appeared in ridiculous amount of classics including The Duel and The Deadly Duo. As the late 70’s Independent kung fu boom occurred, he worked on the action in the immortal Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master under Yuen Woo Ping. He also acted in the latter as the ‘King of Sticks’, his most memorable part.
In 1979, Hsu moved back to Shaws as head choreographer and made two films: Five Superfighters and Boxer from the Temple. The former needs no introduction, and stands as one of the undisputed classics of the time, Shaw or not. As a viewer, I knew of and loved Five Superfighters, but was less aware of Boxer from the Temple. My anticipation mounted, and I hoped not to be disappointed.
The film is very interesting because it takes existing kung fu movie tropes of the time and twists them to create something with a little originality. The almost universal trope of the baby left by its sick/dying mother at a place of refuge opens the film, as the young one is left at the steps of the Shaolin Temple by the ‘mad lady’ who is never present onscreen. As in most genre films of the time, the lad is an outcast but is then trained by a Monk who takes a liking to him. The Temple scenes are short and to the point and the lad, nicknamed ‘Crazy Kid’ is cast out in the world not through his wrongdoings, just because he doesn’t fit in. He arrives at a village and makes friends easily, and becomes a chef in a Vegetarian restaurant! There, he gets involved with the local gangsters and ends up befriending a prostitute who has ran away from a brothel and has a young son.
It is no surprise that the screenplay is written by Ni Kuang, perhaps the all time greatest kung fu movie creator. By 1979, Kuang was dividing his time between Shaws and independent studios, and had written my childhood favourite Death Duel of Kung Fu the same year. His ability to weave simple storylines into classic kung fu is undeniable, and Boxer From the Temple sees him really challenge himself. The dialogue and actions of the ‘Crazy Kid’ are at turns naive, naturalistic and surprising for a kung fu film; one scene sees him discussing the prostitute, with such an innocent mindset that he didn’t consider her former profession a hindrance to their getting together. This reinforces the depth of the depiction of his character tenfold, and sets up the bite of the reality sandwich that occurs later in the narrative.
Starring as ‘Crazy Kid’, Ng Yuen Jun appeared in Five Superfighters in one of the main roles, and carries Boxer from the Temple like a veteran. He is in A Deadly Secret, also choreographed by Hsu Hsia. That’s definitely on my list. It’s a shame Ng’s career never really took off, as his action and acting chops are exemplary. In Boxer from the Temple, he really gets to shine, and it is his signature role.
Starring as the prostitute San Niang, Wong Mei Mei made her debut in the film. She also has small roles in some other Shaw films, such as Holy Flame of the Martial World and Roving Sworsdman. She was a favourite of Hsu Hsia, and worked on a lot of the films he was involved in. The penultimate villain is played by Lau Hok Nin as Lian Shang Yao, who was an independent player, only working on a few Shaw movies, mostly involving Hsu Hsia.
The ultimate villain Wang Chang Huai is played by Kwan Fung, who was in plenty of Shaw movies subsequent to Boxer From the Temple, including one of my personal favourites (with one of the best titles ever) Bastard Sworsdman, and one of the deepest Shaw movies Opium and the Kung Fu Master.
Playing Xiao Hei, ‘Crazy Kid’s’ best friend, Lau Fong Sai gets some good fight scenes and proves his kicking ability in a dramatic scene towards the end. A Shaw stalwart, his most unusual credit is main action director on Tsui Hark’s A Better Tomorrow 3. Presumably he took over the role of pyrotechnics after the Vietnamese film maker they hired blew himself up!
As the film’s first half progressed, I was impressed by the trope-breaking approach, but not by the action. Slow and overly comedic in approach with some terrible music cues, I was disappointed. However, this movie is another one wherein the fights get better as the movie goes on. By the third main fight I was in raptures, as Ng takes on room after room of baddies with excellent rhythm and a Chan-worthy comedic delivery. The end fight as he takes on both villains contains some stuff that’s up there with the best of Five Superfighters, and intensity-wise is a suitable payoff for the interesting narrative.
The film is in my humble opinion much more engaging story-wise than Five Superfighters, as that film was very formulaic. However the first rate level of the choreography and the frequency of the fights give it ultimate classic status. Unfortunately Boxer from the Temple suffers a little in this aspect, but the second half action more than makes up for this, and it is up there with the better lesser known Shaw Brothers films.
AKA: One Million Klicks
Director: Alex “The Z” Padrutt
Cast: Mike Moeller, Martin Baden, Bartholomaeus Kowalski, Volkram Zschiesche, Sabine Steinbach, Li Yan-Long, Michael Bornhütter, Phong Giang
Running Time: 98 min.
By Paul Bramhall
I have a confession, and it’s likely one that won’t be very popular. I’m not a fan of the many indie martial arts movies and shorts that crop up with an increasing frequency. Yes, I get it, it’s amazing to watch two highly skilled martial arts performers go at each other in a room / forest / insert other generic location here, however that’s my problem – too often that’s all I can see, two highly skilled martial arts performers. Kung fu talent has become so thin on the ground in recent years, that it seems the acceptance level for what we consider entertainment has been lowered to a point that being able to throw a punch or kick is all that matters.
For me though, that’s never been the only reason why I enjoy watching kung fu movies. Kung fu movies should feature kung fu stars – Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, the list goes on. All of these guys are highly skilled martial arts performers, but just as importantly – they have charisma and screen presence. Even if they’re not the best actors in the world, they have that special something that endears them to viewers, that makes you want to root for or against them, and that’s what being in a movie is all about. In an age were any Tom, Dick, or Harry can pick up a camera, movies like the Thunderkick trilogy are what give indie martial arts cinema a bad name.
Of course there are always exceptions to the rule, Eric Jacobus and The Stunt People immediately spring to mind, an independent group of martial artists who always put just as much time into creating an engaging premise as they do the action. Mike Möller is another martial artist who’s been looking to make a name for himself in the indie martial arts movie scene. A German native, Möller got his career off to a good start by working as a stuntman on an episode of the Donnie Yen choreographed German TV series, Der Puma. Since then he’s worked as a stuntman on many German and Hollywood productions, however he’s perhaps most recognizable as one of the hip-hop fighters that squares off against Jiang Luxia in Coweb (aka Ninja Masters).
Four years after Coweb, Möller arguably bit off more than he could chew by directing, writing, and starring in 2013’s Urban Fighter (aka Arena of the Street Fighter). A kind of ultra low budget German post-apocalyptic fight movie, much like the complaint I started off this review with, it featured plentiful fight action, and little else, unless mediocrity and bad acting are counted as worthwhile traits. Thankfully, the fight action was so good that when a veteran of the Hong Kong film industry, Mike Leeder, and German producer Ruediger Kuemmerle, got together to create the production company Silent Partners, they signed Möller up to star in their first movie, One Million K(l)icks.
Read any plot description of One Million K(l)icks, and indeed it sounds like one million other low budget martial arts flicks. Fighter with a heart of gold is dragged into an underground fight tournament that’s streamed on the internet. It’s practically a sub-genre by itself. However this description doesn’t really do the plot justice, yes it involves fights being streamed on the internet, but there’s no underground fight tournament, at least not in the typical way you find in these types of movies. Möller is a guy who has the moves, and is one day caught being recorded on someone’s mobile phone when he gets involved in a fight with some thugs at a bar. The pair of friends behind the recording decide that potentially there’s money to be made by putting the clip on the internet, and convince Möller to try and get involved in more fights which they can film, paying him a cut.
The bar scene kicks off the movie, and the opening credits are incorporated into it, which take the form of an animated fight scene. This quirky opening provides a refreshing start to One Million K(l)icks, and immediately brings to mind the similarly styled opening of Contour, the first full-length feature of the previously mentioned The Stunt People group. We’re introduced to Möller as he cockily strolls into the bar, however this impression is quickly laid to rest, as he proceeds to be shot down by every girl he tries to talk to. At only a couple of minutes in, One Million K(l)icks does its first thing right, by giving us a likeable main character. More importantly, Möller has that vital ingredient – screen presence. Thankfully, this aspect of the production is the first of many things that it gets right.
The production values themselves, while obviously still low budget, are a world away from Urban Fighter, with the cinematography and camera angles all showing a clear understanding of how a fight scene should be filmed, and there are plenty of them. The pair of friends decide to find opponents for Möller to face off against, with the condition that they have to be able to fight, then go to wherever the candidate is most likely to be found and attempt to instigate a face off.
This is the second surprise in One Million K(l)icks, in that it has a genuine sense of humour, resulting in some real laugh out loud moments. For his first opponent, a martial arts loving motorcyclist, they track him down while he’s riding his motorbike, and pull up in their car next to him. Möller attempts to get him riled up by yelling abuse from the passenger seat, but when the biker doesn’t reciprocate with violence, no matter how offensive it gets, his switch from acting like a tough guy, to desperately questioning what he should do to start the fight is particularly funny. Möller’s short stature is also treated as a source of humor, much like Sammo Hung’s girth, only instead of being called fatty, he has to put up with being hilariously referred to as ‘a little man’ and an ‘arrogant fighting dwarf’.
Of course the fight action is really what it’s all about, and One Million K(l)icks delivers plenty of them. Some of the highlights include the first main fight against the motorcyclist, played by André Thaldorf, which is a flurry of fists and feet with a nice dose of acrobatics thrown in as well. Möller also gets to go toe to toe with a Taekwondo master in the form of Cha-Lee Yoon, a fantastic kicker who’s done stunt work on the likes of Skyfall, as well as acting as assistant fight choreographer on the recent Point Break remake. Kung fu fans will certainly appreciate a kung-fu match up, that takes place in a Chinese restaurant no less, against Li Yan-Long. Although the name may not be immediately familiar, Yan-Long has a prominent role in the 1984 classicSouth Shaolin Master, and his performance here 30 years on show that he hasn’t lost a beat.
Yan-Long is the first character to make Möller question why he’s doing what he does, and as the movie progresses the two form a bond that sees the pair take on a teacher and student type relationship. The peaceful Chinese chef taking on the cocky young fighter is an effective nod to the old-school kung fu movie tropes, and is played out convincingly, as Yan-Long demonstrates some mesmerising Tai Chi techniques, and puts Möller to work in the restaurant kitchen. Of course things don’t go smoothly forever, and the interference from a cop with a love of fighting sees Möller’s new found peace of mind being put to the test. The cop is played by Volkram Zschiesche, who also acted as Möller’s main adversary in Urban Fighter, and here he’s just as much of a ruthless beast who becomes determined to prove that he’s the better of the two.
An early interaction between Möller and Zschiesche in an interrogation room highlights the refreshingly sharp script from Marco Theiss, as the pair exchange thinly veiled threats at each other. I also enjoyed the underlying theme of my earlier reference to being in an age when any Tom, Dick or Harry can pick up a camera and film a fight, which is exactly what the two friends are doing with Möller in the movie itself. It’s these elements which elevate One Million K(l)icks from being just another indie martial arts movie featuring talented martial artists. The plot could easily have served as simply a show reel for Möller, with the rest consisting of filler to move from fight to fight, but directors Alex Padrutt and Oliver Juhrs, here debuting with their first full length feature, ensure things never descend into being on the level of a YouTube fight compilation.
If one criticism can be levelled at One Million K(l)icks, it would be its soundtrack. While it occasionally hits the right notes in more dramatic scenes, the majority of it consists of what can be safely referred to as generic Euro-techno. The tracks do nothing to elevate scenes or distil any tension into them, and their repetitive nature when playing over training sequences or as the backing track in a nightclub are a distraction more than an accompaniment.
However this is a small gripe, One Million K(l)icks is first and foremost a fight flick, and Möller proves that he’s got what it takes to be leading man material in one. Be it aping Bruce Lee, throwing in a Won Jin style double footed flying kick, or harking back to Tony Jaa’s Ong Bak days, his speed and agility is a joy to watch, and the variety and versatility of the fight action on display ensures proceedings never get dull. Germany may not be the first country you think of when seeking out a healthy dose of kung fu action, but One Million K(l)icks should be the one to put it on the map. The mix of hard-hitting fight action, combined with a simple but effectively told plot, doesn’t just make it stand out from the indie martial arts movie scene, it makes it one of the best action movies to come out in recent years.
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