Kung Fu Killer

"Kung Fu Killer"'s main drawing card is that it reunites two big names from "Kill Bill" - David Carradine and Daryl Hannah - but let's face it, this is not the shining moment in either of their careers: Carradine is getting too old and static to participate in continuous action scenes, and Hannah has a rather thankless "object of desire" role. The real reason for which I would recommend seeing this film is the presence of Anya as a henchwoman. Apparently she had a near-fatal car accident in 2003, but she returned to her career, and despite a couple of remaining scars, she still looks stunningly beautiful. She also seems to have worked on both her martial arts skills (impressive) and her acting (arguably the best in the film - though her character suffers at points from poor writing, and it seems as if the writers wanted to suggest that she is lesbian but not go "all the way"). The story is kind of slow and plain, but the production values are passable, and there is some good fighting at certain points; I liked how the choreographers incorporated choking / grappling techniques in the fights - particularly when Lin Tong Hsu (the Head Siren) used them! (**)

Well, the rigidly choreographed Kung Fu will not kill you, but the boredom of an insanely slow paced movie might.

It was with some reluctance that I sat down to watch the 2008 TV movie "Kung Fu Killer". The movie's title was the first hurdle to get past, then there was the fact of it having David Carradine as the main attraction. But still, the movie also had Daryl Hannah on the cast list, and it was a movie that I hadn't already seen, so I took a chance and watched "Kung Fu Killer".

Writers Jacqueline Feather, David Seidler and John Mandel didn't exactly manage to put together a particularly thrilling or interesting storyline here for the movie, and I must admit that as the movie went along at a unfathomably slow pace, I was gradually losing my interest in it, as nothing worthwhile or interesting happened.

The martial arts scenes in the movie were wooden and rigid, and they were choreographed and executed in a manner where it was painfully obvious that the performers were indeed following a strict choreograph here. The fight scenes lacked a natural flow and fluidity to it.

The acting performances in "Kung Fu Killer" were about as wooden and rigid as the martial arts scenes, so at least they matched one another. But in terms of providing proper entertainment, then the acting performances were severely hindered by a lack of interesting or proper storyline.

I assume that if you were a fan of the original "Kung Fu" TV series that starred David Carradine, then you will find some enjoyment here, as it apparently is the same character he portrays.

"Kung Fu Killer" was a movie that came and went without leaving much of a lasting impression on me, and this is certainly not a movie that I will be returning to watch a second time. Nor is it a movie that I would recommend you waste your time, money or effort on.

My rating of director Philip Spink's 2008 movie lands on a generous three out of ten stars.

Excellent. Only someone who is a fan of the genre would understand what the filmmakers wanted to achieve. C'mon, it's supposed to be dark and violent.Shanghai, 1935, get it? It's smart blend of action and film noir with fantastic tips of the hat to classic films like Five Fingers of Death. The opening is perhaps one of the most staggering (and yes, violent) in recent memory, and, like the the ending, trulyepic. This director pulled out all the stops and he shows an effortless mastery of action and emotion.

Carradine's performance is dark, nuanced, his fighting is ruthless. Now that's not to say it isn't flawed in some ways as most films are when they take these kinds of chances, but kudos to some really bold film-making. My advice to the naysayers is to grow a pair, bone up on this genre and appreciate good film-making.

It's good to see Carradine at his very best. The story is great and there is just enough violence (and when is violence not a part of the martial arts?) I love stories of old china and this one is great. It's also nice to see Carradine and Hannah together again after Kill Bill. The action shots are better than a lot of other martial arts films.

It looks like the director new his martial arts. I recognize the moves in the action, which gives it authenticity. There are millions of martial arts fans around the world starving for more of these types of quality films.

Carradine may be getting older but he plays his part well.

This rocks! Can't believe Spike went all the way to China to do one of its movies. Most of their stuff is lame but this looks like a real movie. Not a big Fan of Darryl Hannah but she did okay. Carradine was good, looked pretty strong. The Chinese girls were HOT. The story was solid but the best part was the action. Some of the fighting was insane and bloody so I got my moneys worth. Spike usually plays buckets of these old martial art movies but its good to see they're making them now. I'm just wondering what's the deal with the two movies. Was this supposed to be a series or something? If it is then maybe I'll watch it. My only complaint is they didn't show more of the hot girls.