Within minutes of the start of Kung Fu Jungle, it’s clear that director Teddy Chen has whipped up more than just a regular feature of martial arts bravado. As a parade of film industry cameos appears after the credits, a bang-up tribute to Hong Kong action cinema quickly emerges to remind moviegoers how hometown action aces can stand up to Hollywood’s popular and bigger budgeted competition.
Hong Kong’s current top action hero Donnie Yen stars as Hahou Mo, a former martial arts instructor who’s temporarily freed from jail to help the police catch a serial killer. When news of the first crime – the brutal murder of a boxer – is broadcast, Mo spots what’s going on and begs senior cop Luk Yuen-sum (Charlie Young) to put him on the trail. A prediction of the next victim turns out correct, and soon enough Mo’s out in the wilds of Hong Kong and Foshan to track down one very nasty piece of work.
For viewers, at least, the bad guy’s identity is no secret: he’s Fung Yu-sau (Wang Baoqiang), a young mainland fighter who has trained fanatically to overcome disability. This is the kind of fighter who uses a punching bag full of rubble and grinds coarse salt into his face to thicken his skin, and he’s hell-bent on being number one by picking off the best martial artists. And at the top of his adversary wish list? Hahou Mo, of course.
Uncloaking Fung early means the filmmakers can treat their audience to a run of showdowns, with many of them focusing on distinct styles. One fight involving actor Yu Kang focuses on grappling, a showdown against Xing Yu puts leg work to the fore, and swords and poles are employed for a fierce film-set battle with genre veteran Louis Fan. The approach recalls that of the kung fu tournament flicks of the 1970s, in which combatants would bring all sorts of specialties to the ring. Such varied material would have been especially demanding for Wang Baoqiang, but the actor acquits himself well in every encounter. And then there’s Donnie Yen: in Kung Fu Jungle, the star doesn’t disappoint, starting off with a wild scene of him defeating 17 prisoners just to get someone’s attention. It’s a great tease for what to expect in the inevitable final duel – a furious spectacle set on a road with container trucks whizzing by.
As was the case with many old-school Hong Kong actioners, Kung Fu Jungle isn’t always so spectacular in the script department. Female companions are thrown in with limited emotional resonance, and the police work can be perfunctory. But as an instrument to string together maximum martial arts in a slick, modern package, Kung Fu Jungle ably delivers as both nostalgic cinema and an update on old chestnuts. Action directors Yuen Bun and Yan Hua, working with choreographer Stephen Tung Wai and the Hong Kong Stuntmen Association, stage action in large halls, tight indoor spaces, a fishing village and more, and employ props as bizarre as an immense skeleton sculpture. Modern CGI is present, but the filmmakers don’t draw attention to its use, choosing to impress instead with straight martial arts and wirework and amp it all up with a more current, bombastic feel.
Kung Fu Jungle ends with name-checks for all the film’s cameos and other on-screen appearances by local action cinema notables, from martial arts luminaries like the late Lau Kar-leung through to Golden Harvest studio head Raymond Chow. With Hong Kong film buffs no longer so exposed to the thrills and craftsmanship of martial arts cinema, given the ascendance of flashy imports in the hometown multiplexes, Teddy Chen’s film is not just a welcome dose of nostalgia, but also a local heritage attention grabber for a new generation.