“Kung Fu Rookie” Theatrical Poster
Film Movement is set to release Aman Ergaziyev’s Kung Fu Rookie (aka Timuchin), a Kazakhstan-produced martial arts film heavily influenced (in more ways than one) by Hong Kong action legend, Jackie Chan.
Country bumpkin Timuchin (Timur Baktybayev) comes to the city to enroll in the police academy. There he is pranked by a lovely young woman who eventually cottons to his courtship. When they run afoul of local gangsters his Dudley Do Right persona and studied obsession with martial arts send him on a bare-fisted mission to thwart the baddies and rescue his damsel in distress.
This inspired homage to Jackie Chan by way of urban Kazakhstan is a boisterous roller coaster ride of old school action movie thrills, spills and other hilarious antics.
Kung Fu Rookie hits VOD and Digital on March 14th. Until then, watch the film’s Trailer below:
Rumble in the Bronx is the most obvious influence here. Based on this headline, I was prepared for something terribly unfunny, but it looks like real fans who understand the HK action process put a lot of effort into it. I hope meets my approval.
I wonder if Borat makes a cameo.
I’m interested in watching this and see the influence and homage. After some digging on the internet. This was released in its home country (Kazakhstan) on October 5, 2023. Later released in Germany on October 26, 2024 and now we finally get to witness it worldwide. Thanks for the heads up.