Bullet Points: Kid Fury
While I don’t know this for certain, I have to believe that when Jino Kang decided to get involved in the world of action entertainment, he always pictured himself as the hero of the story. All three of his movies to date, Blade Warrior, Fist 2 Fist and Weapon of Choice featured Kang in the lead protagonist role.
Having seen two out of three movies I just mentioned, I can say that Jino Kang displayed the martial arts skills necessary to be the hero and he was definitely putting in the effort acting wise, with noticeable improvement from Fist 2 Fist and Weapon of Choice. But Kang did not jump off the screen in either of those roles. It just felt like something was missing.
Did Jino Kang find the missing piece to the puzzle in his latest project, Kid Fury?
- The Role He Was Born To Play: Kid Fury is something completely different for Jino Kang in a number of ways. First off, it is not a feature length film and instead a short film coming in around 14 minutes. Second (and more importantly) instead of casting himself as the hero, Jino Kang cast himself as the lead villain, Master Huang. As Master Huang, Jino Kang was exuding personality, confidence and even displaying a sense of humor that was not seen in any of his previous work. Quite simply, Kid Fury features Jino Kang’s best performance to date.
- The Premise: Kid Fury tells the story of Jimmy (Timothy Mah), a young man who had his most prized possession (a small wooden box) stolen from him by a martial artist who trains under the watchful eye of Master Huang. Jimmy tracks down the thief at Huang’s dojo and he comes prepared to fight. Good thing too, because Jimmy does some serious fighting taking on all of Huang’s students and even Master Huang himself before it is all said and done.
- The Action: If you are a fan of martial arts action, Kid Fury delivers. It is the right blend of realistic action with just a hint of over the top thrown in for seasoning. The real show stealer action wise in Kid Fury is when the swords come out. I knew Jino Kang could handle a sword, but was super impressed by Timothy Mah’s sword fighting abilities.
Kid Fury is set to be a series of short films and after seeing the first entry, it is a series I’m looking forward to seeing unfold. With any luck, Kid Fury will open some eyes in Hollywood and we can see a villainous Jino Kang in a feature length film. The action entertainment world needs more evil Jino Kang!
Kid Fury may be a short film. This review may be a short review. But I’m still going to deliver some Bonus Bullet Points…
- Introducing: Timothy Mah made his acting debut in Kid Fury and even gets the all important “Introducing” credit. Mah is a third degree black belt student and is actually a musician by trade.
- Jack of All Trades: While some things may have changed for Kang in Kid Fury, he was still showing what a work horse he is, by starring, writing and directing the film.
- The Foot Clan: Huang training a group of rogue martial artists who go out and steal stuff reminded me of the evil doers in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
- If You Ever: …wanted to hear Jino Kang say ” I just shit my pants.” in his native tongue, then this is the short for you.
- Black & White: The opening and closing minutes of Kid Fury are in color, but the bulk of the movie is presented in black and white. I assume this was an artistic and stylistic choice by the Director of Photography Dave Fong.
- Cliffhanger: Jimmy’s prized box has a lot of mystery surrounding it. What’s inside the box? Why did it glow when Master Huang opened it? Where did it go after Jimmy and Huang had their sword fight showdown? Will Jimmy ever get the box back?
