Netflix’s newest martial arts-centric action film, Fistful of Vengeance, might not interest you as much as you hope. Directed by Roel Reiné, the film acts as a continuation to Wu Assassins (cancelled by Netflix after only one season). To be honest, the trailer looked quite impressive at first; however, the original film has turned out to be sub-par.
A pretty predictable story, nothing out of the ordinary; it tried to delve into the Avengers-like theme (even mentioned during the first few minutes of the film) but doesn’t offer much.
Fistful of Vengeance Review
Fistful of Vengeance: Lu Xin, Adaku, Kai and TommyWu Assassins fans might be a bit emotional about the flick as star Iko Uwais returned, but, as the movie acts as a stand-alone sequel, fans foreign to the original series might not get hooked.
The action scenes were good (could have been a lot better), and a relatively fast-pacing storyline made it bearable for the most part.
The film focuses on the three pivotal characters as they try to bring down a God and prevent the destruction of their current reality.
Kai Jin (Iko Uwais) is joined by Lu Xin Lee (Lewis Tan) and Tommy Wah (Lawrence Kao) in this action film to take down Ku An Qi (Rhatha Phongam) and William Pam (Jason Tobin).
The film kicked off with Tommy telling how his sister was killed mysteriously and that Kai and Lu were at the club for a lead they got.
The scene at the club wasn’t that smooth as after dealing with the trouble, Lu and Kai were contacted by Willam Pam, a biotech billionaire, who called them to their archaeological site.
The following day, they visit William and get to know about the real threat in front of them. William reveals about the Pan Gu, ‘the first man to shape the universe,’ and the circumstance that led the first Wu Assassin to strike down the first man.
Both William and his twin, Ku An Qi, are the vessels of Ying and Yang. Ku was looking for the current Wu Assassin, Kai’s Chi, and it led her to San Francisco, where she stumbled upon Tommy’s sister Jenny. A valiant effort from Jenny, but she couldn’t make it out alive.
Jenny managed to take a part of Ku’s Talisman (currently with Tommy), while the other half belonged to William. William successfully manipulates them into thinking that he would help, but that wasn’t the case in the end.
Fistful of Vengeance Ending Explained: Could Kai and others stop Pan Gu from wreaking havoc?
The following series of events, from their plan to abduct Ku in the hotel to their retreat in Preeya’s safe location, is bloody and gruesome. Interpol agent, Adaku (Pearl Thusi) also came into the scene and ultimately joined Kai and the gang to stop Ku.
Preeya, Tommy’s friend agrees to help them; however, as you would see in any other movie of this genre, she betrays them for self-interest.
The action and martial arts didn’t stay constant harmoniously, as some scenes were fast enough to keep you hooked, while others were too slow to miss the flaws. The action choreography could have been a lot better at times, especially during the fight between Lu and the beast.
Preeya’s uncle clarifies how William deceived them and explains what lies ahead. The same happens with Preeya as she betrays Kai and others for a chance to be reunited with their lost parents.
The showdown takes place at a factory in another dig site. The group split up to fight all the baddies simultaneously.
Lu was busy with the beast; Tommy, Adaku and Preeya took care of Ku while Kai went ahead to settle his score with Zan Hui (JuJu Chan), who humbled him in their previous encounter at the hotel.
While Ku and Zan were taken down, Pan was able to get Kai’s Chi and transformed into Pan Gu by completing the talisman. Using his evil, manipulative powers, he made Lu Xin fight Kai.
In the end, Kai was able to knock sense into Lu, and the duo worked together to put an end to Pan Gu.
CGI wasn’t too good, as, in 2022, you would expect a lot better, especially with the quality of films coming out.
Nonetheless, the world was saved before Pan Gu could take any action, and the characters went on to lead their normal lives.
Overall a one-time flick that could have been a lot more interesting and impactful enough to convince the fans to give the Wu Assassins saga one more chance.
‘Fistful of Vengeance’ is available for streaming on Netflix.