Kung Fu Fighting

Kung Fu Killer (2015) really shows what Donnie Yen is about. He stars as a kung fu master in a dangerous competition he never wanted. It really shows off his acting and personal gravitas.

It starts with a bloody and bruised Yen turning himself in to the police. He has killed someone in hand-to-hand combat. He teaches kung fu, including instructing the police, but he knows he has to take responsibility for this. We see him next in prison, facing his punishment with discipline and equanimity. He sees news of a killing on the TV, and demands to see a police detective. He has to start a riot to get it, but she finally shows up. He tells her that the killer is almost certainly a kung fu master, who will kill again. The first victim, another kung fu master, was beaten to death. "First punching, then kicking, grappling and finally, weapons. Master each before proceeding to the next step." The detective doesn't believe him, but he gives a list of masters and predicts one will be killed next, by kicking.

It comes to pass - the victim is a sculptor, working on a giant dinosaur skeleton. The killer is a kung fu master with a defective leg. He wears a special built up boot and has made this handicap into an advantage. He fights the sculptor on the skeleton, in a scene oddly reminiscent of Bringing Up Baby.

This gets Donnie Yen out of prison to help the investigation, but under close supervision. However, he spots the killer and takes off after him, shaking the police. He loses the killer when he takes a daring rooftop parkour jump, so now he's on the run from the police as well as hunting the killer.

The fights in this movie are particularly good, moving through boxing, kicking, wrestling and weapons. It seems that the killer thinks kung fu is meant to be fought to the death (and he has a reason to want to die), so he is trying to defeat and kill all the living greats. The final fight between him and Yen takes place on a late night highway, with cars and trucks adding extra peril. This fight even goes through the punch/kick/grapple/weapons progression.

Yen shows off his fighting skills, but also his acting and personal power. He seems so strong, centered, and honorable, as well as devoted to the spirit of kung fu. I now want to admit that he is in the top tier of martial arts movie stars.