Well Go needs to be saluted for bringing some of the best
action films being made to the world. While many are unexposed to the films
being made in China, Well Go has attempted to make them as easily accessible as
any other foreign film. The result is being able to watch some of the most
creative film being made, some of the funniest comedies and some of the best
action films around. KUNG FU LEAGUE is a perfect combination of humor and
action and needs to be seen.
Directed by Jeffrey Lau who was responsible for the amazing
film KUNG FU HUSTLE, he once again combines those two genres perfectly here.
The story revolves around Fei Ying Xiong (Ashin), who watches the woman of his
dreams Bao'er (Madina Memet) every day at the office without proclaiming his
love for her. Drawing comics including the 4 masters of kung fu coming to his
aid he’s about to give her the comic as well as a love letter to her when they
bump into one another and the pages go flying everywhere. Before he can give
her the letter the president of the company they both work for Zhang Peng
(Steven Zhang). It seems that Zhang has had his eye on Bao’er as well.
While on his way home, soaked in a downpour that pops up,
Xiong screams at the sky. It’s his birthday and everything is going wrong. His
wish for his birthday is that the 4 heroes he adores come to his aid and help
him find a solution.
The film cuts to the past, in particular the home of Master
Wong Fei-Hung (Wenzhou Zhao) where his betrothed is praying for guidance since
she has been with him for years waiting for marriage but has met another man
she’d rather be with. Before we can learn who this man is or how the situation
will be dealt with, Wong is whisked away to the present where he meets two more
displaced men, Huo Yuan Jia (Andy On) and his student Chen Zhen aka Bruce Lee
(Kwok-Kwan Chan).
Landing in the middle of a movie set the trio are pursued by
the director of the film shooting in hopes of getting them to sign on to his
next film. While they escape they come across another displaced person in the
form of famed martial artist Ip Man (Yu-Hang To). As they discuss their
situation we learn that Jia is the man Wong’s betrothed was speaking of and
some of the humor comes in the form of Jia and Zhen making sure that Wong
doesn’t find out.
The four men realize that something has brought them here
but they still don’t know what. When they finally meet up with Xiong he’s
thrilled to see them there to aid him and his birthday wish coming true. But
how can they help him? It becomes apparent when they all see a special martial
arts battle is being held in a nearby stadium and sponsored by Peng. Xiong is
supposed to meet Bao’er there but Pend has something he uses as leverage to
keep him from telling her how he feels.
Now the 4 heroes of the past must not only help Xiong
discover the true hero in himself, they must help him rise to the occasion to
fight for what he believes in. Another twists finds the 4 heroes fighting for
their own lives against an enemy none of them saw coming. Can Xiong be helped?
Can the 4 heroes return to their own times? And will love conquer all?
The path to finding out the answers to all of these
questions is filled with plenty of non-stop action and laughs. Like his previous
KUNG FU HUSTLE Lau shows an adeptness for combining skilled camera work and
storytelling to move things forward and have you laughing at the same time. The
interaction between characters lends itself to most of the humor and the
high-wire work and martial arts skills of all on board make it a movie that
entertains from start to finish.
Is the end result as good as KUNG FU HUSTLE? Perhaps not
quite as good but that film would be hard to match. Taken on its own terms this
movie was a ton of fun to watch and enjoy. Where some performances are lost in
translation that’s not the case here as all the actors play their roles
perfectly. That they can do so and make themselves believable while subtitles
let you know what they’re saying is a testament to their abilities.
I had a lot of fun watching this movie, finding myself
laughing out loud on occasion. That doesn’t happen nearly enough these days. I
enjoyed it from start to finish and know I’ll be popping this disc in again in
the future and will enjoy it all over again. Perhaps as a good double feature
night with KUNG FU HUSTLE. Make a point of adding it to your collection as
well.
No comments:
Post a Comment