FISTFUL OF VENGEANCE GIVES NETFLIX’S WU ASSASSINS A MESSY. GRITTY WRAP UP
0Fistful of Vengeance gives Netflix’s Wu Assassins a messy. gritty wrap up
In 2019. the Netflix series Wu Assassins wrapped after only one season. with an ending that was more like sequel bait than like a real cliffhanger. Although some threads remained open. the show’s main story. pitting San Francisco chef Kai (Iko Uwais) and his friends against the elemental Wu Lords. reached an end. Wu Assassins is a flawed series. suffering from inconsistent writing and occasional odd character behavior. and it struggles to make its derivative fantasy world interesting. But it does benefit from the charm of a strong cast led by Uwais. Lewis Tan. and Byron Mann. Netflix has finally followed up with the series’ feature length conclusion. Fistful of Vengeance. which fully delivers on the series’ promise — at least in terms of quantity. if not quality. In Wu Assassins. Kai is chosen by an ancient force called the Dao to become the Wu Assassin. a fighter endowed with supernatural powers and tasked with stopping the Wu Lords of Fire. Wood. Earth. Metal. and Water. The action is bountiful and generally solid. with one caveat: Whenever the show leans too strongly on its supernatural elements. it loses the kinetic energy of Uwais’ fighting style. diluting it with intangible and unengaging CGI superpowers. The show is at its best when it lets the performers show off their skills. and its various directors — including The Dead Lands’ Toa Fraser. Tai Chi Hero’s Stephen Fung. and DTV actioners regular Roel Reiné — generally seemed to understand that. Reiné returns to helm Fistful of Vengeance. and he seems to have noticed the problem — the fantasy elements and special effects are less prominent this time around. As director. cinematographer. and camera/drone operator. Reiné fully commits to the role of making a film that works both as a series conclusion. and as a stand alone film suitable for people who don’t know the series. Say goodbye to San Francisco’s Chinatown: The film opens in Bangkok. Thailand. where Kai. former stolen car dealer Lu Xin (Tan). and former triad member Tommy (Lawrence Kao) are on a new quest for revenge. Almost immediately. they have to fight “Chi vampires” called Jiangshi — seemingly a modern take on the famous hopping vampires of Hong Kong and Chinese cinema. Soon. they learn that their quest is intricately linked to the plans of Ku An Qi (Yayaying Rhatha Phongam. of Only God Forgives). a supernatural being trying to resurrect Pan Gu. the first man. and reshape the world in her own image. This basic premise — supernatural evil wants to activate supernatural power — is predictable and short on originality. but its simplicity gives the film a particularly swift pace that makes it an easy watch. The group. soon joined by new characters Preeya and Zama. goes from one location to the next as the heroes try to stop Ku. The film also marks the return of Zan (JuJu Chan). who fans of the show will remember as a fierce. impressive fighter. Once the story is set up. three major action setpieces make up most of the remaining runtime. a sign of the film’s lean. mean efficiency. The first of those three fights unfolds in a hotel and its adjoining parking garage. where the protagonists are separated into smaller groups. It’s a perfect way to create contained. intense action. though the jumpy cuts back and forth between locations makes it hard to settle into the moment. It’s hard not to think of The Raid or The Night Comes For Us when Uwais fends off two attackers in a narrow staircase. with bloody. messy results. But the brutality of the action never feels as palpable or relatable as it did in earlier Uwais films. The loud. distracting songs that never fit the movie’s tone are a recurring problem. when discreet ambient music or even no music at all would support the action much better. Of the original series’ characters. Tommy stands out the most in his evolution. going from a helpless loser to a driven. angry man on a mission. Kao acquits himself extremely...
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