The Gang is back together in Fistful of Vengeance

by Arshon Howard

Fistful of Vengeance starring Iko Uwais and Lewis Tan is a standalone sequel to 2019's Wu Assassins, a show Netflix canceled after one season. The martial arts fantasy falls flat on all cylinders and showcases the film's unfulfilled potential.

In the series, Kai (Iko Uwais) is chosen by an ancient force called the Dao to become the Wu Assassin, a fighter endowed with supernatural powers and tasked with stopping the Wu Lords of Fire, Wood, Earth, Metal, and Water. Along with his friend Lu Xin Lee (Lewis Tan) and siblings Tommy and Jenny Wah (Lawrence Kao and Li Jun Li), they try to keep a gang of deadly ancient powers from destroying the world.

Fistful of Vengeance reunites its main heroes on a new quest in Bangkok and picks up where the series left off. Having tracked the murderer of Tommy's sister to Bangkok. The trio is contacted by an enigmatic billionaire, Dr. William Pan (Jason Tobin), who learns of an even bigger scheme to destroy the world. They team up with federal agent Adaku (Pearl Thusi) and local arms dealer Preeya (Francesca Corney) to combine their forces and save mankind.

Fistful of Vengeance is currently streaming on Netflix and truly missed the mark. The film's writers and director Roel Reine' should have spent more time creating a more coherent story with original characters and a little less time on the fighting choreography. The plot is thin, and the dialogue is cringeworthy. The film's representation of a predominantly Asian cast, including Asian-Americans, is beautiful to see while also being set in Bangkok. On the other hand, the cliché' out-of-place pop culture references negate its intention.

The action scenes and cinematography are the highlights of the film. Some significant special effects and clever tricks make the movie visually pleasing. But at times, the choreographed fights looked rehearsed. Also, there were instances where the CGI effects were blatant, making the movie look like a cheesy fantasy instead of a thrilling live-action film. 

Also, the musical choices during some of the action scenes were questionable. It cheapened the essence of the film as it felt like an extended music video or a fighting game one would play in an arcade. The athletics and tones of the film were nonexistent.

Fistful of Vengeance is a promise of positive representation and premise, but it never delivers. It's a lazy and uninspired attempt at a story to fill the small gaps between the detailed, extensive, and graphic fight scenes. But despite the obvious connections, it's no accident that there's no mention of Wu Assassin. The standalone film tries its best to keep audiences entertained with its action scenes, but even those aren't enough for them to even remember or watch the movie in the first place.