Wu Assasins

[Drunk Monk]

Started rewatching the 2-part finale but bailed halfway through the final ep. Getting sleepy. Once again, I’m struck by how little I remember of this. I remember the fight scenes and have a vague memory of the characters. As for what’s going on, it’s mostly rehashed cliches like most martial arts series so who really cares? I’ll finish the rewatch tomorrow. I need to know where they left it since obvs I can’t remember.

Now that I’ve leveled up as a movie/tv reviewer, it’s like cramming for the exam in college. Only it’s an essay. I do all the research and study, but after it’s over my retention is minimal. That’s my excuse at least but I do find my memory has odd assumptions and major gaps.

Now I’m wondering about who’s choreographing. The IMDb listing is incomplete but it doesn’t look like Winnick is back, and that’s a major loss.

[Drunk Monk]

Finished the finale. I forgot how odd it was. It ends, then meanders, then teases a sequel series in a lame way. 

The movie seems like a different direction.

[Drunk Monk]

I just got access to the screener but I'm on my laptop tonight because I'm at my mom's so I'll wait until I'm back at the bungalow where I can watch it on the big screen. 

Still no interview confirmations...but they gave me the screener so the door is still open...

[Drunk Monk]

Fistful of Vengeance screener unlocked. 

You know how I say 'fast forward to the fight scenes?' That might save you 10 or 15 mins off this hour and a half flick. It's solid fight scenes. 

Only a few characters carry over from the show. And that teaser for season 2 in the series? Totally irrelevant. It's mostly Kai, Lu and Tommy, who form a sort of Asian three musketeers, and the villainess Zen. No time is wasted explaining the whole Wu Assassin thing. Kai just has superpowers and that's pretty much just qi blasts. 

There's a short fight at the beginning in a club against a jiangshi (qi vampire) that makes no sense. Then there's a few minutes break. Then there's a big fight that moves to a car chase and then to another big street fight. Guns, hatchets, butcher knives, machetes, shuriken, frying pans, magic spears, and more. Then there's a break for some gratuitous sex (Go Lewis!) 

There's a plot line that's super mythic, tapping the Chinese god of creation Pangu. That's kind of in the way. Should just be fights. For a moment, I was thinking that they were just trying to redo the level of ultravi like The Raid, but there's more breaks and the fights aren't as good. 

But don't get me wrong here - the fights are pretty good. Iko is still on point when he drops those elbow strikes. Lewis can move and despite not yet establishing a fighting style beyond good kickboxing, he delivers some solid work here. It's an excellent showcase for Juju as she takes on Iko convincingly - bold to do a decent male hero v female villain fight and carry it off well. 

And there's a spectacular one-er in what I consider to be the finale fight. There's lots of digital stitches and it's only around 2 mins, but kudos for the swirling camerawork. 

The cinematography is gratuitous drone shots of Bangkok, but Bangkok is a spectacular city so those work. There's a particularly nice drone shot that moves from a fight in a high rise bridge to a car chase in the parking lot. 

There's a weird magic ending that didn't really make sense to me and felt really superfluous. The finale is in some strange spark spilling industrial building that has an ancient archeological site in the middle that's a gateway to another dimension or some silliness. This really isn't the sort of film to think about at all. That'll just ruin it. 

D00M recommended. Predictions: Yeti will be amused. Greg will be annoyed at its vacuousness. cf will enjoy watching Iko move. KB will find it too ultravi. tg's reaction is unclear.

[Drunk Monk]

Well, the interviews with Iko and Lewis fell through sadly. I would've loved to have caught up with Lewis and refresh his memory about who I am just in case he wants to take me partying or something someday. I was on the fence with Iko. He was a challenging interview, one of the toughest I've done, because he's ESL. 

Instead Den had me do a review, which ended up being harder than expected because I had a lot more to say than my word count allowed, and that led me down a lot of writing dead ends. I trashed a lot of tangents. Maybe my thinking wasn't clear on it. 

I've been meaning to mention that Fistful of Vengeance also stars Pearl Thusi from Queen Sono http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...p?tid=5484 . I'm sure that'll get Yeti's attention. She's hawt.

And if Greg lowers himself to watch this, he will be somewhat rewarded by the cinematography. They do some great drone work here. But for heaven's sake Greg, don't pay any attention to continuity or plot or character development or any of that nonsense. It'll only annoy you. 

As always, I'll be very amused to read your reactions should you indulge. This movie is almost solid fight porn, and that's always worthy of D00M viewing, amirite?

I think this comes out on Thursday.

[cranefly]

I think this comes out on Thursday.

LCF and I sat down to watch this last week, based on your review.  Alas, I'd forgotten you'd seen it as a screener.

Soon.

[lady_cranefly]

D00M recommended. Predictions: Yeti will be amused. Greg will be annoyed at its vacuousness. cf will enjoy watching Iko move. KB will find it too ultravi. tg's reaction is unclear.

LCF: It's a good thing they didn't waste any money on a script.

[Drunk Monk]

It barely connects to the original series, which is weird. I’ll be curious to see if they make another.

[cranefly]

We did like that music-synchronized fight scene near the end.  But overall, everyone is nearly equal in proficiency at fighting -- even characters who ought not know how to fight.  There's a sameness to so much of it, no matter who is engaging who.  And very little suspense, or build-ups utilizing quiet time (which Bruce Lee was so good at).  I think Iko needs to get a new handler, whether that be agent or director or just his circle of cohorts.

But his english has gotten a lot better, it seems.  That could open Western doors.  Or did I just imagine it?

[Drunk Monk]

Rewatch the finale ep of Wu Assassins and Fistful of Vengeance will feel even more disjointed. It’s like they had all this martial talent but no idea where they were going with it and just slapped together some goofy story, but they didn’t have the balls to keep it simple like the Raid. Or maybe one writer kept tossing out these undeveloped ideas and everyone said ‘sure’ and then went back to the fights. 

The fights were good but needed to escalate in tension more - it came out flat for the most part with only a few stand out moments, not quite enough to keep it engaging for the distance. It’s too bad because there is some good stuff. It just lacks pacing and turns into a dull marathon. 

Although I’ll add that I’ve been to Thailand and everyone there can fight. The first thing you’re greeting with when you leave customs in the Bangkok airport is a giant relief mural of Muay Thai. It sends a clear message to all incoming tourists.