It
is safe to say Kid Fury has father issues, but that is not unusual for
wandering martial arts heroes. Fortunately, he has a quest to keep him occupied
(always healthier than Freudian analysis). Kid Fury is out to recover a mysterious
slightly Hellraiser-looking antique
box. Word has it, the valuable antique is now in the hands of the titular
villain, so that is where he goes in Jino Kang’s short film Kid Fury: The Phantom Witch (trailer here), which screens
during the 2018 Another Hole in the Head Film Festival, in San Francisco.
It
is tough walking the Earth as a lone warrior. Technically, Kid Fury is homeless,
but he has a secret benefactor looking out for him—but maybe the shadowy figure
does not really have the Kid’s best interests at heart. At last he knows where
he stands with the Witch: in great peril. She might just be too much for the rookie
to handle, but he shouldn’t have any problem getting through her henchmen first.
Kid Fury is a seriously
grungy film, but in an appealing, vintage Cannon and Golden Harvest sort of
way. It is also debatable which it is: the second installment of a short film
series or the next episode of a web-series. The narrative is pretty straight-forward
(although there will be some third act revelations, as well as lingering
business from Kid’s first outing), but the real attraction is the fight choreography.
Kang stages some bone-crunching confrontations that action fans will eat up
like red meat, served nice and rare.
In
fact, Kang is his own best ally, displaying massive skills and steely screen
presence as the mysterious Master Huang. As Kid Fury, Timothy Mah has considerable
chops as well, but Kang towers over him. It is always entertaining to see a
master show-up the arrogance of youth, but Kang has the seasoned steeliness to make
it convincing.
Whether
it is really a short or a webisode, Kid
Fury: The Phantom Witch is just good clean fun. The latest installment totally
sells viewers on the concept and the characters, packing all kinds of martial arts
goodness into 19 minutes. It looks pretty binge-worthy to us. Highly recommended
for action fans, Kid Fury: The Phantom
Witch screens Sunday (12/2), as part of AHIITH Short Film Collection III,
at this year’s Another Hole in the Head.
