When people hear someone talk about “film festivals,” one would think about something like the Sundance or Cannes festivals. Now, a film festival is place or event where film-makers, actors, and/or writers take their films to be showcased. This is usually done to secure some kind of financing or publishing to get the film finished and out to the public. The movies that end up at these film festivals are usually independent and short films that act as concepts to be adapted into something bigger. What separates The Fighting Spirit Film Festival from all others is its focus on the use of martial arts in films. It’s not just to showcase martial arts films, but it is also a celebration of the martial arts themselves. While the FSFF is relatively new on the scene, only showing up in the past couple of years, it’s still managed to draw people from all corners of the globe. I found out about this festival from Jino Kang, who wrote, directed and starred in Kid Fury as well as starring in films like Weapon of Choice and Fist 2 Fist. When I found out about the festival, I decided that I would go, because not only was it about the martial arts in films, but the festival takes also place in England, so it was opportunity for me to travel to another country. My experience in London was extraordinary. It’s a wonderful country with wonderful people and a rich history.
I got to meet a lot of cool people. This is a picture I took with Jino Kang, who I finally met in person at the festival. He’s an absolutely wonderful person to hang around with. I also got to hang out with Richard Hawes and Mike Parkin from The DTV Digest . These guys are fantastic. Their podcasts are about movies that end up going straight to video or VOD. They’re definitely worth checking out. It was very, very cool to be around so many amazing individuals that are either martial artists, film-makers or both. There were a lot of folks that showed up for the event. Actors Scott Adkins and Louis Mandylor were there for the UK premiere of The Debt Collector, directed by Jesse Johnson. There were also some live martial arts demonstrations by wushu, Muay Thai and Capoeira experts. It was absolutely fantastic. Over the course of this post, I’m going to go over the various films and screenings that were showcased at this event.
The Debt Collector
I’m in the process of writing a review for this film, but long story short, The Debt Collector is an absolutely phenomenal indie film starring Scott Adkins and Louis Mandylor. He plays a guy named French, who is in a bad spot financially, so he teams up with another collector to make some extra cash. What follows is a hilarious and surprisingly powerful little film that is really worth watching. The chemistry between Adkins and Mandylor is incredible, and Jesse Johnson actually allows Adkins to do a lot more than just punch, kick and somersault over people. The story is tight and the characters are well-written. If you live in the States, the film is already available on Blu-Ray/DVD and VOD.
Vengeance
It’s surprising to me the number of professional wrestlers who end up trying their hand at making movies. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, and John Cena are just a handful of folks that have tried to make the jump to the big screen. The problem is, is that most of them really aren’t that good. I can count on one hand how many wrestlers have made the transition successfully. Dwayne Johnson is probably the best known, and he’s one of the highest paid actors today. There’s a reason for that. He’s fun to watch. The latest is Stu Bennett, who went by the name Wade Barrett during his tenure in the WWE. Towering at 6’6, Stu Bennett is an imposing figure, perfect for Commando-style films like Vengeance. It’s a pretty solid film, and it’s clear that the director is a huge fan of Commando. It’s a pretty violent movie, and it makes you feel the hits. The film also stars Gary Daniels as the villain. This is Bennett’s show, though, and he’s pretty damned cool.
Earlier in the day, there was a charity screening of The Karate Kid Part II. This was a movie that I hadn’t seen in 20 years, so I was curious to see how it held up after so long. It holds up surprisingly well. I do remember liking the second film more than the original. The real star of the show was Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, who gives the best performance in the film. Honestly, I really liked the film a great deal, and seeing it on the big screen for the first time in 20 years was a real treat. Now, I’m going to go over some of the short films that were displayed at this event. There were 21 short films in total. The length of these films range from 4 minutes to 22 minutes in length, although, length is not a good indicator of quality. I will fully admit that I was less than impressed with some of these short films.
Steam: This one was pretty interesting because as you can tell from the title, there is a huge steam-punk vibe throughout the short and it kind of added to the mood. The fight choreography was pretty solid and the use of steam-powered armor and weaponry was pretty unique. Overall, I thought it was pretty good.
Punch Me: This one was absolutely hilarious and it worked for a 4-minute short. It’s about a husband and wife where the wife wants to get punched in the face and is willing to do anything to get punched. In most cases, a man punching a woman is no laughing matter. Here, though, it’s just bonkers. The husband refuses to punch her, so she tries to get other people to punch her in the face. It really shouldn’t be so funny, but it is.
Kid Fury: The Phantom Witch: This is one that I had seen and reviewed before, so if you’re wondering what I thought of the film, you can check out my review of the picture by clicking the Reviews tab at the top of the page.
Dead End: Now this one was a huge surprise. For a short film that runs 19 minutes, it’s a surprisingly powerful short film about an assassin trying to redeem himself after a tragic event in his past. There’s a real emotional weight that’s on display here, and actor Bryan Larkin really knocks it out of the park.
Breath: This one is a documentary about 90-year old Richard Watson, who studied karate, judo and later Taiji Quan. I really like this one because it shows that regardless of age, anybody can get into the martial arts and it shows how beneficial being a martial artist can be in terms of physical and mental health. This one I absolutely recommend you check out.
Chopsticks: The last one on this list that I felt worth mentioning is about a woman who is drunk but uses chopsticks as weapons and goes after her brother after he sends incompetent goons to try and kill her. What ensues is one of the funniest short films that I’ve seen all year. It has top-notch fight choreography, solid writing and it looks like it could be the beginning of a TV series. It’s surprisingly high quality.
There was also a free seminar on how to make an action film. I was honestly interested in this one, until I actually saw it. There’s a lot of interesting information here about funding, finding the right crew and writing, but ultimately, I found it boring. It’s not their fault, it was aimed more at people who are wanting to break into the business of film-making, and in that regard, it was pretty solid. However, unless you are wanting to make films, there’s really nothing here that’s going to interest you or blow you away. It was a nice addition to the event, though. Now, before I close out this post, there is one final detail about the event that I want to mention:
That’s right: Bruce Lee’s final completed film Enter The Dragon. This was the final film to be shown at the event. I’m glad they showed it, as it was the first time in my life that I saw Enter The Dragon on the big screen. I grew up watching this film time and time again. It never got old and it still doesn’t get old. It holds up very well 45 years later. The fight choreography by Bruce Lee was beyond anything that was seen at that time and the action was phenomenal. Enter The Dragon is one of the most influential films ever made and one of the best martial arts films of all time. Enter The Dragon and more importantly, Bruce Lee, influenced generations of martial artists and film-makers around the world. It was Bruce Lee that made martial arts cool. While I can’t say that I agree with everything that he said or did, I feel that the good things that he brought to the film industry and the West outweighed some of the more questionable decisions that he made. Ultimately, Bruce Lee had an enormous impact on my life as he did many others. He inspired me to get into the martial arts myself, despite his death in 1973. That’s the thing, too: Even 45 years after his untimely passing, Bruce Lee still has a huge influence on people today. Every modern martial arts movie that you see today has an element of Bruce Lee’s philosophy and film-making style. That’s how influential he was. His performance in Enter The Dragon is one for the record books. Yeah, the film’s story is simple, but the characters, action, and Bruce Lee’s approach to the martial arts helped drive the film. It is not an exaggeration to say that the film would have been completely different if Bruce wasn’t involved. Bruce Lee accomplished more in his 32 years on Earth than most people will ever achieve in their 60+ year life-span. Again, that’s not an exaggeration. If it wasn’t for Bruce Lee, events like The Fighting Spirit Film Festival most likely wouldn’t exist. Overall, my experience at the Fighting Spirit Film Festival in London was incredible, and I also have to thank the people and city of London for allowing it to be held there. A special shout-out goes to Soo Cole and Weng Yu, the folks in charge of the event for making it all possible. I’m also dedicating this post to Bruce Lee and his family for trying to keep his spirit and legacy alive.
BRUCE LEE “THE DRAGON”
NOVEMBER 27, 1940-JULY 20, 1973