1 out of 5

Director: James Lew

Wow. Its possible that this just didnt come together at all thanks to James Lew – a veteran fight film choreographer – making this his first time as a writer OR director… as the lack of timing in the majority of the jokes could be attributed partially to both roles. Regardless: 18 Fingers of Death! has promise plot-wise, in that it follows action star Buford Lee on his way to raise money for a new film project. The title and concept of spoofing chop-socky films is funny, but from the get-go everything is amiss: an opening fight scene misses all the beats and were unsure where the laughs should go. As the film progresses, we hear the name Bruce Lee repeatedly but then every other action star is referenced with a stupid spoof name. Oddly (and perhaps thanks to Lews connections), recognizable faces show up in this… although I really didnt know how to feel about Lorenzo Lamas acting as a spoof of Antonio Banderas… Whats sad is that there is, actually, smart humor sprinkled here and there, but its never cut in properly. And as far as the dumb, low-brow humor – had that, at least, been done more consistently it would have been… something. As it is you get an unprofessional, unfunny, disjointed spoof movie that exists for no reason.