Kung Pow! Enter the Fist | |
---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
Directed by | Steve Oedekerk |
Produced by | Steve Oedekerk Tom Koranda Paul Marshal |
Written by | Steve Oedekerk |
Starring | Steve Oedekerk Jennifer Tung |
Music by | Robert Folk |
Cinematography | John J. Connor |
Edited by | Paul Marshal |
Production
company |
|
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date
|
|
Running time
|
81 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $10 million |
Box office | $17 million |
Kung Pow! Enter the Fist is a 2002 American martial arts comedy film that parodies Hong Kong action cinema. Written, directed by and starring Steve Oedekerk, it uses footage from the 1976 Hong Kong martial arts movie Tiger and Crane Fist (also called Savage Killers), along with new footage shot by Oedekerk, to create an original, unrelated plot.
A man, called The Chosen One by the narrator, wanders from town to town to search for the man who killed his family and tried to kill him when he was a baby. In one town, he meets Master Tang, a very ill and slightly deranged sifu, and asks Tang to help him improve his already impressive martial arts ability. Master Tang is skeptical at first, but after seeing The Chosen One's mark (his sentient tongue, which he names Tonguey), he allows him to train at his dojo. The Chosen One is introduced to two other students: Wimp Lo, a young man who was deliberately trained incorrectly as a joke, and Ling, who has feelings for him.
While training, The Chosen One shows cartoon-like feats of strength, and Wimp Lo deems him an enemy out of jealousy. Upon learning that Master Pain, the man who killed his parents, has just arrived in town, The Chosen One prepares to confront him. Master Pain draws a crowd and demonstrates his skills. He lets his henchmen kick him repeatedly in the groin, then subdues them all in one move. Impressed by Master Pain's skills, the town's mayor hires him, and he randomly changes his name to Betty. The Chosen One attempts to train himself by letting people kick him in the groin, but is knocked out after being hit. When he wakes up, a mysterious woman named Whoa warns him not to rush to fight Betty. After flirtily fighting The Chosen One, Whoa flies off into the sky.
Ignoring the advice, The Chosen One sets off to find Betty. He comes across one of Betty's evil companions: Moo Nieu (pronounced "moon you"), a Holstein cow gifted in karate, with a large udder that can squirt milk as a weapon. They fight in a scene parodying The Matrix, and The Chosen One eventually incapacitates Moo Nieu by milking her until her udder is empty. He sees Betty at a waterfall and confronts him. Master Doe, Ling's Father, shows up and tries to stop the unprepared Chosen One, and is wounded by Betty. The Chosen One takes Master Doe to Master Tang; it turns out they are old friends. However, as Tang massages Doe's wound, it doesn't close and Doe dies that night. Out of depression, Ling confesses her feelings for The Chosen One.