Kuen sun (2001)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Directors:

Wai-keung Lau
Corey Yuen

Writer:

Sap Sam Chan (writer)

Release Date:

7 December 2001 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A futuristic research compound develops a new police tool called the Power Glove. Supposedly, it gives...

Plot Keywords:

Manga | Video Game

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Lee-Hom Wang	...	Nova / Kong
Stephen Fung	...	Iron Surfer
Gigi Leung	...	Erika
Kristy Yang	...	Belle
Sammo Hung Kam-Bo	...	Inspector Dark
Biao Yuen	...	Thunder
Kar Lok Chin	...	Jazz
Roy Cheung	...	Combat 21
Cecilia Yip	...	Aunt Wing
Ekin Cheng	...	Young Inspector Dark
Ka Ho Yu	...	Sing
Ron Smoorenburg	...	Iron Surfer's 1st Opponent

Also Known As:

Fight Zone (UK) (DVD title)
God of Fist Style (Hong Kong: English title) (literal title)
Legend of Tekken
Legend of the Fist Master
Quan shen (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
The Avenging Fist (Hong Kong: English title)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | DTS-ES (DVD version)

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Netherlands:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | UK:15

Company:

B.O.B. and Partners

Trivia:

The first Hong Kong movie to be recorded in Dolby Digital Surround EX.

Goofs:

Continuity: The position of Yuen Biao's metal mask varies from scene to scene -- sometimes in the correct position, sometimes too low on his face so his nose appears much longer than it really is.

Movie Connections:

Version of Tekken (1990)

Soundtrack:

The one and only

Action Packed Computer Graphical Mayhem

Take Demolition Man, Final Fantasy, The Matrix, Star Wars, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and put into a food blender. Mix well for an hour an a half, pour into container, put in the fridge for a little while, serve with icing sugar...

In watching this film, you easily can make comparisons with the five films listed above and more, as The Avenging Fist has taken many of the ideas off them and crammed them into this fast-and-furious, high adrenalin, backside-kicking thriller. Oh, and add in 'Tekken' for good measure as well, although the end credits explicitly state that this film was not based on Tekken and not endorsed by Namco.

Tekken, sorry, The Avenging Fist tells of Nova, a son of a police officer who was the master of the Avenging Fist, a series of martial arts moves that were highly lethal. Whilst at the police force, Nova's father was brainwashed by Combat 21, who steals the Power Glove that, to cut a long story short, gives him powers literally untapped by anyone else. Twenty years on, Nova learns of his father's fate, and he seeks to prevent Combat 21's world domination plans.

Ultimately, a film of this description is always going to be targeted at a younger audience, and inevitably a certain amount of cheesiness and unimaginative fantasy are both always going to appear. But, the film does go beyond that. Computer graphics reminiscent of The Matrix and Final Fantasy and choreographed martial arts of CTHD quality add immensely to the film. Also a little bit of subplot (yes it has some!) does go a long way too in the movie.

But one of interesting decisions in the film were the choice of leads, who are a young bunch, and yet were teamed up with veterans of the the martial arts genre. With the success of The Stormriders and the like, you might have expected Ekin Cheng to lead the cast. But all credit to Wang Leehom and Stephen Fung as they did an excellent performance. I would have loved to have seen more of Kristy Yang, though.

Ultimately, the young cast do equal the performances of the veterans, and despite all the criticism I seem to have written more about than I probably should have, it is a thoroughly enjoyable film. One for a good-spirited evening.