- Netflix Release Date: Feb. 17, 2022
- Director: Roel Reiné
- Stars: Iko Uwais, Lewis Tan, Lawrence Kao, JuJu Chan, Pearl Thusi, Francesca
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Let’s just say that my expectations for Fistful of Vengeance were low to begin with, and my assumptions proved to be correct. There’s nothing more to it than an excuse to stage a series of choreographed fights, with a script that makes little to no sense and dialogue that makes you groan aloud. Even more unfortunate is the fact that the fight scenes, which serve as the primary reason for watching the film, are more of a display of rehearsed moves than exciting action sequences. Fistful of Vengeance is a film that is based on the Netflix series Wu Assassins and is a sequel to that series. Having some familiarity with that series is recommended if you want to understand anything about this film.
In the series, we get to know the following characters: Originally from Indonesia, Iko Uwais is an Indonesian actor and martial artist who plays Kai Jin, a seemingly mild-mannered chef in San Francisco who discovers he is the latest in a long line of Wu Assassins who are fighting to prevent evil Wu Xing powers from taking over the world. As a result of his supernatural abilities, Kai, along with his friends Lu Xin Lee (Lewis Tan) and Tommy and Jenny Wah (Lawrence Kao and Li Jun Li), manages to prevent an unnecessarily complicated gang of deadly ancient powers from destroying the world. It’s a little difficult to summarize Wu Assassins because the plot was so convoluted, and the writing was so poor throughout. The action scenes, on the other hand, were slick and well-choreographed, earning the series a good deal of critical acclaim when it was first released.
It is taken to a whole new level in Fistful of Vengeance, which shows a complete disregard for a coherent storyline or any sense of time passing. The film begins with the announcement that Jenny has died and that Tommy, Kai, and Lu Xin are determined to exact vengeance. As a result of an amulet’s mysterious powers, the group ends up in Thailand, where they come across the opposing yin-yang forces of William Pan (Jason Tobin), who comes across as some kind of visionary billionaire developer with mind control abilities, and his twin sister Ku An Qi (Rhatha Phongam), the head of Bangkok’s underworld who has the ability to control bodies. The heroic trio is aided by Preeya (Francesca Corney), who appears to have some sort of romantic connection with Tommy, and Zama (Pearl Thusi), who appears to be an Interpol agent or some other similarly vague law-enforcement agency and wears a uniform that looks more Lara Croft-Esque than Bond-esque. None of this is important.
While the story is a bizarre mixture of clichés and martial arts tropes that borrow from Taoist principles with the same kind of reckless abandon that is missing from the action scenes, the action scenes themselves are a delight to watch. Once in a while, the cast will take a break from the fighting to spout dialogue, crack wise, or remind themselves of the reason they are on this self-appointed mission. In addition to the extended scenes set against the stunning Thai scenery, it is wonderful to see a predominantly Asian cast, which includes Asian-Americans as well. In this mediocre martial arts film, there is, on the other hand, little else to enjoy.
