I’ve come to the conclusion that there is little that actor Donnie Yen cannot do. While many consider him nothing more than a martial arts performer (and yes that’s mainly the types of films he does) there is truly an actor behind all of those flying fists and kicks. There always has been. So it was a pleasant surprise to see him add comedic actor to his resume with the movie ENTER THE FAT DRAGON.
Yen stars as Fallon Zhu or Zhu Fu Long, a dedicated police detective who always gets his man but also gets the bad end of the stick in doing so. While he apprehends bank robbers in the film’s opening segment, their apprehension also results in a lot of damage. The end result is a reprimand for Fallon and a demotion sending him to the police lock up.
In addition to this Fallon also falls in the bad graces of his fiancé, Chloe Song (Niki Chow). And aspiring actress with little talent he was supposed to be on his way to rehearsal for their wedding when he stopped the bank robbers. She breaks off their engagement and he is left alone.
The epitome of a physical specimen before Fallon soon finds his boring non-physical days and penchant for sweet snack foods catching up with him. He soon puts on weight and while I wouldn’t call him fat he is fairly chunky. He gets the opportunity to redeem himself by transporting a witness/informant to Japan. If he doesn’t mess this up he could get his job and Chloe back.
Of course a corrupt Japanese police Inspector lets the witness escape blaming Fallon. Determined to find the witness he recruits the help of Thor (Wong Jing), a former Honk Kong Police Department inspector now living in Japan. Thor lives near restaurant owner Charisma (Teresa Mo), the love of his life he has had his own falling out with and her grandson Little Tiger (Chaney Lin).
It turns out the witness who escaped was wanted by the Yakuza for information he had. The head of this group Shimakura (Joey Iwanaga) has taken him prisoner. Shimakura is also in town to promote the groups legal activities, using an actress to help promote them. Of course the actress is Chloe. Running into Fallon after all this time you can tell there is still something between them but once more she finds her career more important than anything and refuses to believe him when he tells her who she’s working for.
A series of events then takes place that allows Fallon to display his fighting skills in the neighborhood he’s living in, impressing Tiger. He stops a gang from threatening Charisma, a gang tied into the Yakuza. Shimakura allows his violent behavior to surface. And eventually a showdown between the two must take place.
The movie offers plenty of action and fighting sequences, skillfully putting Yen and his abilities on display. Even when covered in a fat suit and plenty of make-up he still makes it look smooth and easy. The rest of the cast is equal to the job presented her, providing both laughs and sweet moments that come to conclusions by the end of the film.
The big joke here is obviously the fat martial arts fighter. I’ve seen some claim that it was ridiculous but honestly I found it subtle and not nearly as overpowering a part of the story as you would think from the cover of the disc or the ads. Instead it provides a nice change of pace for Yen to play off of and gives that slight comedic touch I was talking about.
This one was a treat for me and one I’m more likely than not to revisit. If you like martial arts films you’ll want to watch this one. If you’re a fan of Donnie Yen you’ll want to add it to your collection. One can only hope we see more of him soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment