Kung Fu Killer

Released by: Well Go USA
Released on: July 21st, 2015.
Director: Teddy Chen
Cast: Donnie Yen, Wang Bao-Qiang, Charlie Yeung, Lau Wai-Keung, Yu Xing, Louis Fang
Year: 2014
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The Movie:

Directed by Teddy Chen, Kung Fu Killer (which was released in its homeland and other territories as Kung Fu Jungle… not sure why it was retitled for North America) stars Donnie Yen as Hahou Mao, a man who was once a well-respected kung fu teacher but who now lives behind bars. When he accidentally killed a man in a martial arts tournament, he was found guilty of murder and locked away, though since his incarceration has begun he's proven to be a model prisoner.

On the outside, however, the Hong Kong Police Department, led by Inspector Luk (Charlie Yeung), are struggling to figure out who is behind a rash of murders in which different martial arts experts have been targeted. Mo offer to help and soon Luk realizes that there's no other choice. He's freed from prison and soon enough, Luk realizes that he knows more than he may be letting on. Mo is able to figure out who the killer (Wang Bao-Qiang) will go after next but as soon as they get close to the killer, he's always able to make his escape and avoid capture.

Things get complicated when Mo goes rogue, ditching the cops and setting out to not only make sure that his wife is safe, but to take down the killer on his own. The cops, of course, figure he's just split and respond in kind, out to now not only stop the killer but bring Mo in as well…

This one puts action set pieces over originality and depth but it does okay in the plot department as well. We get to learn enough about Mo's background to make him interesting and the same can be said about Wang Bao-Qiang's character. As the antagonist, he's not only given a unique physical characteristic that gives his fighting style some interesting quirks, but he's given a decent backstory as well. The character motivation here works and both actors play their characters well. The cops are… cops. There's not much of interest going on there but Charlie Yeung handles herself just fine in her role even if it's not that much different than pretty much every other cop in whatever action movie you'd care to name.

But this one isn't about the cops, it's about Mo and his foil - on that level it's interesting. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the connection early on in the film but that doesn't make it any less appropriate or effective, particularly when you consider that the story is primarily a vehicle for the action set pieces anyway. Thankfully, those scenes deliver, as each one of the killer's murder attempts offers the movie to show off a different fighting style. This gives the martial arts scenes showcased in the film more character than you might expect and while Yen remains the focal point here, the movie is more than just as showcase for his abilities. In fact, Wang Bao-Qiang actually gets more screen time in terms of the fight scenes than Yen does in this picture - and he handles himself remarkably well in that department.

So yeah, the movie delivers some solid performances, a plot and story that is more than serviceable and a whole lot of ass whupping too. At the same time, the movie does a great job of paying tribute to Hong Kong's cinematic legacy with small but enjoyable cameos from the likes of David Chiang, Raymond Chow and a bunch more. This is actually really well done, it never takes you out of the movie or feels like it's crammed in there, and is genuinely quite a nice touch. This is good stuff, the best Donnie Yen movie to come out in some time.

Video/Audio/Extras:

The AVC encoded 2.35.1 widescreen 1080p high definition picture on this disc is excellent. Detail is strong, colors are reproduced beautifully. Black levels are nice and deep throughout the presentation. Some questionable use of CGI looks a little off, but that's an issue with the effects themselves and not the transfer which is otherwise rich in both detail and texture. There are no issues at all with dirt, debris or visual detriments of any kind and the disc is well authored, showing no noise reduction or heavy edge enhancement. Outside of some slight shimmer here and there, the movie looks beautiful on Blu-ray - almost reference quality.

A Cantonese language audio option is provided in DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio with removable subtitles available in English, French and Spanish. The lossless track here is an impressive one from start to finish that does a remarkable job of putting you right in the middle of the action. The score is spread around perfectly with some nice pans thrown in for dramatic effect while bass response is consistent in its power but never to the point where it buries anything that it shouldn't. It's hard to think of anything negative to say here, this is pretty much a reference quality mix. English, French and Spanish dubs are also provided.

Aside from some trailers for other Well Go USA properties that play before the main menu loads, the disc also includes a trailer for the feature and a brief making of/behind the scenes featurette.

The Final Word:

Kung Fu Killer isn't going to win any awards for originality but it offers up some pretty damn impressive action sequences and a few fun plot twists along the way. This isn't just a showcase for Yen, as Wang Bao-Qiang gets just as much, if not more, screen time in the action scenes and the tributes to Hong Kong's cinematic legacy are a nice touch. Well Go USA's Blu-ray isn't stacked with extras but it does look and sound very good. If you dig Donnie Yen or just good martial arts/fight films in general, this is absolutely worth checking out.

Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!