This month, I’ll be using the Sequel Catch-Up column to not only watch recent sequels that I’ve missed in the past year, but also older sequels that somehow have eluded me for years and years. One such movie is Kill and Kill Again. It’s the sequel to the highly enjoyable Kung Fu actioner, Kill or Be Killed and it offers up the same brand of lunacy that flick was known for.
A professor comes up with a formula that can turn potatoes into fuel. That’s not the crazy part. It creates a byproduct that acts as a powerful mind control drug. Naturally, the evil Marduk (Michael Mayer) kidnaps him and uses the drug to take over a town and turn the citizens into mind-controlled Kung Fu fighters. The professor’s daughter, Kandy Kane (Anneline Kriel) hires Kung Fu champ Steve Chase (James Ryan) to rescue him. Steve assembles a crack team of oddballs and loose cannons (who are kind of like a prototype version of The A-Team) to infiltrate the town and kick ass.
Marduk makes for a memorable villain. Not only does he have the fakest Castro beard you ever saw, he also has a funny pink-haired girlfriend (Marloe Scott Wilson) who embarrasses him by calling him pet names in front of his guards. How does he expect to control a town if he can’t even stop his girlfriend from embarrassing him in front of the guys? It’s just one of the many nutty touches that makes the film so endearing.
Those wanting a more “traditional” action flick will get that too. There’s plenty of training montages, barroom brawls, and Kung Fu battles here. In addition, the mix of tongue-in-cheek humor and out-and-out broad comedy works most of the type too. (I liked the scene where the team’s poker game is interrupted by parachuting karate killers, and they keep the game going through the fight.) All of this just adds to the affable goofball tone. Ryan’s battle cry, which sounds like Bruce Lee by way of Speedy Gonzalez, is also good for a laugh every time he does it (which is often).
Overall, I can’t say Kill and Kill Again is the classic Kill or Be Killed was, but it’s a silly and memorable slice of Kung Fu craziness.
Oh, and are you craving more Kung Fu reviews? Fear not! My latest book, Kung Fu Companion: The Chopsocky Movie Guide will be out next month… Just in time for Valentine’s Day!
AKA: Thunder Warriors. AKA: Fighter Gang.
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