Customer Reviews

Kung Fu Killer

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As one of David Carradine's last few films to gain wide release prior to his death, it was with some reserve that I - an uninitiated fan to the "Kung Fu" hero's work - put the DVD into my player and gave it a watch, well aware that this was a TV production (although you have to admit that, for a moment, the cover looked like a Dragon Dynasty release). One day later, I'm still not sure how much I like the movie, but I can say with certainty that even at age 72 and on a limited budget, Carradine was capable of giving the likes of Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme a run for their money.

The story: set in the mid `30s, White Crane (Carradine, Kill Bill - Volume Two) is a caucasian master at a Wudang martial arts school that's attacked by the forces of the ruthless underground gangster/warlord Khan (Kay Tong Lim, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story). Left for dead, Crane barely escapes with his life but vows revenge -submerging himself into the Shanghai crime scene in search of Khan. On his quest, he's aided by one of Khan's disillusioned lieutenants (James Taenaka) and an American cabaret songstress (Daryl Hannah, Splash, "Kill Bill") searching for her kidnapped brother.

I don't have nearly enough experience in wuxia cinema to be specific, but without a doubt, there is plenty of inspiration and nods to the golden age of kung fu films, particularly in story structure, motifs, and the insane level of violence. Indeed, if nothing else, "Kung Fu Killer" lives up to its title for the sheer amount of agony Carradine causes: within the first three minutes of the movie, he's snapped plenty of arms, lopped off many a limb, and even punched a man so hard in the chest that his spine is pushed out of his back (!). By all means, this film pushes the boundaries of television and is certainly not for the squeamish for all of the visceral carnage it has to offer, presented via six fights throughout the movie. With that being said, the hand-to-hand battles really are a mixed bag: though commendable for his minimal use of a stunt double, Carradine looks rather slow on more than one occasion, and despite the liberal bloodletting, only about half of his fights are actually good, with the lazy swordfight of the finale being the definite lowpoint. Luckily, "Killer" introduces us to a budding talent in Osric Chau, a 22-year-old student of Crane's whose three fast-paced, technical fights steal the show.

When the action dies down, the movie goes into noir mode, with Carradine walking the sin-ridden streets of Shanghai in a suit and top hat, sniffing out betrayals feigning allegiances to get closer to his target. Director Philip Spink (Voyage of the Unicorn) does a darn fine job of presenting the interracially tense atmosphere of coastal China at the time, and for the most part, the cast holds up decently; I thought that Darryl Hannah's role could've been cast better but her singing kind of pulls its own weight, while Carradine lisps his way through his role but is nonetheless redeemed by his commanding screen presence - quite the equal to that of the title character in "Kill Bill" (contrary to the IMDb entry, however, he does not play the flute in this film). On a low note, I thought the film had some problems with pacing: though running at a standard 93 minutes, I felt that the story should've been given more time to build and the characters more room to expand, so the final battle would feel a bit less anticlimactic.

As a side note, the great Pei-Pei Cheng (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) makes a cameo early on in the film - perhaps putting a bit of an exclamation point on how above-average the film has managed to be. While I'm still not a huge fan of the flick, its quality is more than apparent; while I have a feeling that newcomers to the late Carradine's work should start somewhere else, I don't think too many established fans will want to be without this one.

Alas.....he has returned. Carradine is great. Only he could fill this leading role. The script is clear and intelligent, story line is captivating, camera work is professional, the acting is superb and the martial arts is serious as well as entertaining. And, there are tidbits of historical relevance of the time period. In a modern world of color belts and multi-colored-patched uniforms, televised caged fighting and publicized 10th degree self promotions, this production is refreshing. In Gassho,

I really liked the fighting and killing in this movie. I would recommend to anyone that likes stories of revenge.

This movie is awesome. It's a shame Carradine is no longer with us to make more great movies like this. Take Bill and Qwai Chang put them together, you get this. Now we need part two of the story. Why has it not been released on DVD yet??? RIP David

If you like martial arts and David Carradine, this is a good movie, but it`s not one of Carradine`s best. Unlike the Kung Fu t.v. series (both of them), The Silent Flute or even Son of the Dragon, this movie is a little "dark", definately blood spurtingly violent and lacks the spiritual/philosophical link to the martial arts that we associate with Carradine. Still, it IS Carradine, and that makes it worth seeing.

(1.) Martial arts scenes, techniques and schools were poorly represented & performed. Too much reliance on obvious blood filled capsules for the mouth and bullets. The breaking prosthetic limbs and poorly created decapitated heads had a laughable effect. The wholly inadequate filming angles and editing made Carradine's lack of skills look even slower and older. Not in the same ballpark/planet as anything Lee, Chan, Li, or Crouching Tiger..., Hero, House of Flying Daggers.
(2.) The low budget of this film was most obvious when initially we are shown a small number of bad guys but when the battles begin it seems as if that number has tripled or even become endless as they are mown down in order to prolong the attention-getting action scenes. Yet when the final scene shows the field of battle the body count adds up to less than what we were first shown. May I suggest some remedial math for the director.
(3.) Daryl Hannah - no point to her role in the movie, in fact you could have erased her scenes and the movie would have moved forward with better fluidity. Her acting was so terrible I was actually feeling sorry for her. Carradine's was not much better.
(4.) Overall the story line was old and tired and disjointed, e.g. some wealthy Singaporean wants to conquer all of China with a poisonous gas he creates in his basement and meanwhile the superpowers of Europe with all their labs and resources were having problems producing the same warfare gas.

Kung Fu Killer is a very entertaining and well done action movie staring David Carradine and others too numerous to mention. The plots are familiar for these martial arts thrillers. Nice job !!

This new Carrantine movie is Not as good as the original kung fu series (1972) which run for 3 seasons and spawned a movie sequel kung fu // the movie (1986) and a sequel series called kung fu // the legend continues (1993) BUT it deserves your attention u movie lovers of carrantine's martial arts movies.
Carrantine looks old in this movie but still a great fighter who this time battles an evil general who wants to control the country by force.
An OK movie who deserves your $$$ but be carefull. There is also a sequel called kung fu killer II which is a total waste of time even with Carrantine in it. So avoid that and get this movie which witnessed the return of the kung fu master DAVID CARRANTINE in to the role we all loved him in the past. KUNG FU KILLER...