Has its moments

Rating: 5/10 (28 April 2008)

A comic take on both the "Karate Kid" and the "Enter the Dragon" formulas (replacing kung fu with ping pong), "Balls of Fury" is not a great comedy but it has its moments. If I had to single out the one actor who gets the most laughs, it would be James Hong, who spoofs many of the "wise old master" clichés ("I need your advice, Master" - "I'm afraid I can't help you. The game is not in the paddle, the game is in YOU; that's usually my big finish"). Maggie Q wears some tight & skimpy outfits and has 2 crisp, well-edited fight scenes - this film turned me more into a believer than "Die Hard 4" did. Christopher Walken is actually kind of disappointing here - not for his performance, but for the fact that the script gives him little juicy dialogue to work with (Max Zorin is still my favorite Bond villain!). The main lead, Dan Fogler, is on-and-off, just like the film: some jokes hit the target, some fall flat (the spoofy Matrix-type bullet-time effects have gotten pretty tired by the year 2007). Helped by quite a few familiar faces in the supporting cast, "Balls of Fury" is colorful, undemanding fun. (**)