Crocolicious
Summary
Fighter is one of the craziest action movies of the year with over-the-top performances and even nuttier action. It’s a quick 95 minutes with non-stop beatdowns and a soon to be iconic fight with a crocodile.
Plot: After the death of his brother, a young fighter trains in fury, seeking glory and payback in a high-stakes fight.
Review: Fighter has recently been added to Hi-Yah! And I was curious about it as the trailer looked like it was going to be one crazy ride… and I exceeded all expectation on that front. This is one of the most insane action pictures of the year despite its formulaic storyline. It’s basically Kickboxer as our hero Shaonan (played by Li Bingyuan) wants revenge on the man known as Crocodile who killed his brother in the Octagon. So far, so generic right? Well, what if I told you Li Bingyuan actually fights a crocodile in one awesome action sequence?
The movie has almost relentless pacing with constant fight scenes and only a few minutes without punches or kicks being thrown. Li Bingyuan is appealing enough as the lead and this has an almost Ong-Bak feel to it.
It is a bit too hyper edited at times where it’s hard to keep up with what is going on, but the energy is contagious and I couldn’t help smiling throughout.
Fighter isn’t without other flaws like some of the acting (especially some of the dubbing at the beginning) is dodgy at best. Crocodile overacts hilariously, but that’s what bad guys are meant to be like in these fight flicks. Just one note monsters that we hate and want to see defeated, and that’s what we get here.
The scene where Shaonan rescues Dan from a group of villains is almost too awesome as he flies out of the car and destroys everyone; it’s so ridiculous that I loved every second of it.
Overall, Fighter isn’t going to win any awards for originality but the sheer unrelenting pacing, near constant fight scenes and overall lunacy make this hugely entertaining.