4 out of 5

Directed by: Teddy Chan

Kung Fu Killer (or ‘Kung Fu Jungle’) is pretty much just out to show you a fun time.  As soon as the credits roll, we’re given a full thank you for every notable Hong Kong action movie and director – many of whom cameo in the film – as well as a cheer to keep local film-making alive;  so, yes, the movie is a celebration of a scene, and of doing right by that scene, and the setup of a Kung Fu master going about and challenging other masters in order to become #1 – ending with champ Donnie Yen – gives us plenty of fodder for Chan’s expressive camerawork and Yen’s insane and blisteringly fast choreography.  The movie sort of abandons its loose, loose plot a little past the midpoint to, essentially, wrap the film up with one long battle, but if you’re looking for story in the films of this nature, your reasons for your film selections are a little confused.

Yen (Hahou Mo) is in jail for killing an opponent during a duel.  His attentions are caught by a news report about a particularly brutal killing; he manages to wrangle a meeting with the cop assigned to the case, Luk Yuen-Sum (Charlie Young), and convinces her that more killings will follow, ’cause this dude – Fung Yu-Sau (Wang Baoqiang) is clearly out to prove himself as top of the fleet-footed pops.  The movie pretends to dabble in mystery of Who and Why and gives us some explanation of Fung’s motives, but really, it’s just padding between the fights, which are fast and furious and insane.  The flick has its kicks (ugh no pun intended) by having Fung work his way through masters of different tactics (kicks, grappling, weapons), and it would’ve been awesome to draw this out a bit, but, y’know, there needs to be plenty of time for he and Yen to fight.  What’s cool is how these fights play against American Bigger and Bolder techniques; some grand sets are involved, for sure, but where we’d toss in tons of explosions and gunfire, Yen and Chan and Kung Fu Killer keep things very man-to-man.

The direction style might seem a little cheesy to the uninitiated, but it’s definitely in service of keeping the momentum going while still keeping the fights in frame.  Lau Ho-leung and Mak Tin-sau’s script is, uh, a bit antiquated and naive – Hahou Mo, you get your freedom if you help us with this case, despite that murder rap! – and, as mentioned, it plays humorously loose with its morals and justifications for things.  But: the movie is never boring, and by the time you do get to that pat-us-on-the-back credits roll, you sort of want to get up and cheer in thanks of the efforts that produced and inspired such an entertaining and fun action flick.