Hahou (Donnie Yen) is a convicted murderer – albeit the A Team kind. When he learns of a grisly murder Hahou reaches through the prison walls to offer his assistance to Madam Luk the hotshot police inspector. After some reluctance Madam Luk consents to release Hahou to give him the chance to prove his theory, namely, that one lone man is challenging Kung-fu masters to mortal combat with the intent of proving his undisputed mastery of martial arts.
Hahou is right of course. The bad guy is Fung, and not only does he make little secret of his plan, he carries out his challenges on elaborate sets in lengthy wire assisted sequences. In truth Fung probably has as many fight sequences – if not more – as Yen. This isn’t a bad thing, but while all fights here are technically proficient, they lack spark and Yen’s charisma and flair.
The bodies pile up, Hahou gets closer to Fung, Madam Luk watches on dubiously wondering if she made the right decision, and inevitably Hahou’s missus becomes embroiled.
The final fight is lengthy and suitably grandiose, taking place in a nighttime freeway lane complete with traffic. Despite slightly too busy editing and too many close ups (perhaps to accommodate Yen’s 50+ age) the sequence works and suits the film’s tone well.
…
And when I say the film’s tone, I mean slightly over produced and perhaps a film compromised just a touch because of commercial considerations.
Ultimately Kung-fu Killer joins Jackie Chan’s Chinese Zodiac as films featuring just slightly over the hill superstars, where the final film is flawed but probably better than we have any right to expect.
Final Rating – 6.7 / 10. A polished martial arts film that could stand to be roughed up a little.
