Fistful of Yen

Once again, a broken disc has marred our viewing plans. Fortunately, I went (in person! first time in the pandemonium!) to the library and picked up Enter the Fat Dragon (2020). It's a comic martial arts film starring fat Donnie Yen.

Donnie Yen is a crack Hong Kong policeman getting married to Teresa Mo, a TV actress in costume dramas. He is supposed to go to the photographer in his monkey suit for the wedding photos, but gets held up stopping crime. Not only does this cause her to break the engagement, but he gets in trouble with his superiors. He is busted to a desk job in the evidence room. He starts to eat a lot of junk food, and well, he gets fat.

To give him a chance to redeem himself, he is sent to escort a Yakuza prisoner back to Japan. Coincidentally, Mo's new boyfriend has taken her on a promotional tour of Tokyo. When they get to Japan,  a series of distractions allows the prisoner to get away. So Donnie Yen with the help of even fatter Jing Won (the scriptwriter) and a translator (Jessica Jann), and with the police and Yakuza as obstacles, has to get back the prisoner. In the end, he also has to rescue his ex-fiancee. And he also needs to lose a few pounds when he gets back.

The fights are as fast and exciting as ever, but with a comic touch. During the final fight on the Tokyo Tower, in particular, Yen does quite a bit of mugging and clowning around - striking a martial arts pose, then throwing a peace sign with a goofy grin. But even when it's played for laughs, Yen's plump physique isn't seen as pitiful or a hindrance. He just says, "I need to lose some weight when I get back" and carries on. 

Another sweet thing about the movie is Yen's devotion to Mo. Nobody but Yen thinks her acting is any good, and the head of the Yakuza laughs his head off watching her shows. But Yen just thinks no one else gets her genius. He always supports her, and never complains when she berates him. Likewise, Jing Won has been staying in Tokyo for ten years, waiting for restaurant owner Niki Chow to return his affection. So, exciting, funny, and romantic - just what I wanted.