Kung Fu Mortal

if you're a big fan of old-school kung fu flicks (i.e, stuff with Shaolin monks, Iron monkey, people doing fancy kung fu moves) you'll probably enjoy this movie. If not, your mileage may vary, and this movie may be a 6 or 7 out of 10 for you. Don't expect the more "realistic" fight scenes we've seen lately out of stuff like "the Raid", Bourne flicks, or Jason Statham. Even though this movie takes place in present day, it's in many ways a homage to classic kung fu movies of the past.

Donnie Yen plays an imprisoned martial artist who's released on the condition that he helps the police apprehend a serial killer hunting kung-fu masters. The plot develops like something you'd expect from a kung-fu film taking place centuries ago. The villain chooses his victims based on their mastery of the arts. He wants to defeat the best kicker, the best grappler, the best weapon user, etc.. in order to prove he is the greatest fighter in the land. The action scenes are pretty good - fast and frenetic, minimal apparent cgi/wirework, and well choreographed. I should also note the producers do a nice job finding and designing creative set pieces for the action, with various scenes taking place on a busy freeway, inside a dinosaur museum, etc...

Another plus is the characterization and portrayal of the villain (played by Wang Baoqiang). He's given enough depth and backstory to separate him from the typical one-dimensional baddies we've all seen, and Wang's earnest (although somewhat melodramatic) performance is one of the highlights of this movie.

I think it's apparent from watching this that the filmmakers put a lot of effort into making this a quality kung-fu movie. Sure, maybe it falls prey to some of the usual action movie tropes (this ain't high art we're talking about after all), maybe there's cheesiness here and there, and Donnie Yen isn't a great actor, but it's easy to appreciate the little details and work invested into this film that elevate it above random xyz action movies that have good fight scenes, but are otherwise unmemorable.

Old school style narrative for contemporary times.

A physically challenged man who could be an inspiration to anyone (if he was not the bad guy) over comes his uneven legs to become a super strong Kung fu master with the goal of killing seven of the greatest masters of their styles.

The legendary action movie star, Donne Yen plays a prisoner released from jail to find him and stop his killing spree.

The movie is a who's who in Hong Kong action cinema with cameos from some of the biggest and best in the business like Raymond Chow, who was the only one I really recognized by face to go oh wow! (Some of these cameos are from action stars who date back to the 1960s, so they don't look the same)

It's a real modern take on a classic style of Kung fu storytelling, with the Kung fu killer going from land to land village to village to find the masters and kill them, but now the village is the urban jungle of china.

One of my favorite scenes is when the kung fu killer goes up against the master swords man, who is an action hero faking his blade skills on camera. Possible the best example in the movie of how contemporary the village has become.

Everybody's Kung fu fighting, but it's also a cool police drama about hunting one the most interesting serial killers in cinema history. The Don does it again!!

"Kung Fu Killer" (aka "Yi ge ren de wu lin") is one of the absolute better Donnie Yen movies in years. I had very little expectations to the movie when I sat to watch it, expecting it to be little more than just another tough-guy-beating-up-all-the-bad-guys movies that Donnie Yen usually tends to make. However, I was more than genuinely and pleasantly surprised at the outcome of "Kung Fu Killer".

What makes "Kung Fu Killer" a good movie is a combination of several things, which include the action, the martial arts, the story, the acting, the setting and the atmosphere of the entire movie. I was really enjoying this movie from start to end. As with all Donnie Yen movies, then the martial arts and action sequences are tight, precise and well-choreographed and equally so executed. And I am a sucker for Hong Kong movies, so of course it was a treat to be back on the gritty streets midst worn-down old and sparkly new buildings at the heart of South-East Asia.

Donnie Yen does deliver his usual perfect set of fighting and action skills here in this movie, and he is joined alongside by Baoqiang Wang, whom I don't think I have noticed before. But wow, this guy was also quite amazing, and definitely a name to keep an eye on. There was a good feeling of brutality and honest, hard-hitting fighting throughout the entire movie, without excessive use of Wire Fu. Charlie Yeung also did add a good element to the movie with her acting talent.

The story is about an imprisoned martial arts instructor whom is given a deal to work with the Hong Kong police in order to find and stop a particularly brutal serial killer who is targeting the best of the best of martial artists.

The characters in the movie were a bit square, yes. And by square I mean that they were generic and as you would expect from a movie of this type. Nothing grandiose here or nothing innovative in terms of character building. But that is still alright, because they are enjoyable and well portrayed by the cast hired for the various roles and characters.

It should be said that director Teddy Chan does follow a strict how-to-make-an-action-thriller by the book. And that is one of the downsides to the movie, because it does give it a bit too much of a predictability to it.

If you enjoy Hong Kong cinema, then "Kung Fu Killer" is a definite must watch movie, especially in the latter years. I was quite surprised with how good the movie was, and am pleased to say that Donnie Yen is definitely back in top form. I am rating "Kung Fu Killer" a solid eight out of ten stars.

Leave it to Donnie Yen, to pay respect and make a movie that is sort of a tribute to a lot of Martial Arts heroes of the past. Acting martial arts heroes that is of course. And this movie does have a lot of them. But it does pay respect to almost everyone in the credits too (stay seated or watch them through if you are a fan).

The movie also is a combination of different fighting styles. It's sort of a best of. The story is pretty decent for a movie like this too. The stunts action scenes are fantastic we knew that (if you've been aware of Donnie Yens body of work, if you'll excuse the pun). But it's also the story that you want to enjoy too. It might have a couple of bumps along the way, but overall a very good movie, especially for the martial arts fan

If your a Donnie Yen fan, this film is an absolute must watch. He always delivers in the action scenes, but this movie also has solid characters and an interesting story.

Kung Fu Killer (or Kung Fu Jungle) is essentially about the quest of two men to be the best fighter alive. The villain is very overt in their quest of dominance, but the heroes journey is clouded by questions of conscience, family, honor, and pride. This gives each a destiny discovered through a series of fight scenes. The two inevitably end up pitted against one another in a test of skill, strength, and willpower. I really respect the use of the fight scenes to add depth to both characters and story.

If your watching this movie, it will be for the action. The martial arts is really well done, and while there certainly is some wire play and superhuman moments - the scenes follow their own stylistic rules which do not stray absurdly far from realism. Each dual features a different style, and the variation of techniques will be appreciated by the seasoned martial arts fan. I am especially fond of the fight highlighting weapons - especially it's introduction, style, and nod to the film industry.

The story isn't perfect, and this is what holds this movie back from being a true kung-fu classic. Everything is in the right place - Haunted villain, damaged hero in need of redemption, love interests, and surrounding characters trying to uphold the law. But it takes the viewers imagination to make all the pieces fit perfectly, and while I don't mind this myself, I certainly understand how someone who needs the all the roughed up puzzle pieces perfectly smooth would be left somewhat disappointed trying to fit it all together. I'd like to say the lessons learned make the ending perfectly epic, but really the films moral falls flat in comparison to the action, and the depth of the main two characters.

The villains character is especially deep. He overcomes both physical and mental anguish to become a master, but as a result of his life trials, is too damaged to be anything but a killing machine. The hero finds he has a choice in his destiny, which is one of the biggest points the film has to make.

Production values are very good. The camera work is especially well done, and the fight scenes gain a lot from this excellence. Always nice to see fight scenes from far enough back to really witness the action unfolding, and minimal edits to watch the actors preform their craft and stunts.

If your looking for an excellent martial arts movie with great characters, memorable fight scenes, and a solid story - then by all means, watch Kung Fu Killer.

Way above average: 7 out of 10