Now, after reading the title of this article, you may be thinking to yourself, “wasn’t Donnie Yen doing another film titled Kung Fu Something?” Well, you’re partially right. The film has gone through several title changes for the English release (though none are translations of the original Mandarin or Cantonese), shifting between Kung Fu Jungle, Last of the Best, and Kung Fu Killer. However, the settled upon name does seem most appropriate given the premise:
A vicious serial killer is targeting top martial arts masters, and convicted criminal and kung-fu master Hahou (Donnie Yen) is the only one with the skills to stop him. Released from jail and into police custody, they soon have their doubts about Hahou’s true allegiance after a series of mysterious events. Hunted by an unstoppable killer (Wang Baoqiang) and the entire police force, Hahou finds himself on his own, leading to a final battle you have to see to believe in this action-packed, kung fu crime thriller from director Teddy Chen (Bodyguards & Assassins, The Accidental Spy).
Teddy Chen previously worked with Yen on Bodyguards & Assassins (though the actor’s part was relatively small). Wang Baoqiang played another villain opposite Yen in last year’s Iceman.
The big question you should be asking about Kung Fu Killer is, “does it have what I’ve come to expect from a Donnie Yen film?” Let’s look at the trailer: it has Yen hitting people, a murder investigation, Yen hitting people stylishly, a prison riot, Yen hitting people gracefully, a rooftop chase, Yen hitting people brutally, a giant skeleton, and Yen hitting people some more. So yeah, mostly.
Leave a Comment