Kung Fu Killer (2007 Telefilm/RHI DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: B-     Extras: D     Telefilm: D

 

 

Some reunions are nothing short of a disaster and hack production company RHI (who have been putting more money in their productions of late) bring David Carradine and Daryl Hannah (sadly still in the worst rut of her career post-Kill Bill with no end in sight) in a would-be action costumer over-simply titled Kung Fu Killer (2007) – a TV Movie that was dumped in some theaters overseas.  Hoped they asked for their money back.

 

Carradine is one again a martial arts master in this 1929 tale, though it is so many light years from the original Kung-Fu that he looks as bored as we feel as we watch.  You get your crime lords who are drug lords who kill his master, so they throw in a touch of Revenge Western and yet, it is still boooooooooorrrrrrrrrrring.

 

The rest is just “frontin’” and some wasted martial arts talent occasionally interrupting the dullness, though even that is sabotaged by bad editing.  Unless you are an obsessed completist, this is a must-skip.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is soft and weak throughout, which does not help the occasional spots where money was on the screen.  Depth is not so good and colors can look phony at times.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has light Pro Logic surrounds at best, but is nothing special.  There are no extras.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo