Balls of Fury

Plot synopsis:
Eleven year old Randy Daytona becomes anxious when he learns that his father Peter has bet on his performance in the 1988 Summer Olympics table tennis finals. During his first game between his opponent Karl Wolfschtagg from the German Democratic Republic, Daytona has an accident and suffers an injury. Unable to continue, he loses the match. Loan sharks, in the employ of criminal mastermind Feng, murder his father, and Daytona leaves competitive ping-pong.
Nineteen years later, Daytona is dismissed from the Peppermill casino and meets FBI agent Ernie Rodriguez, who requests his assistance in arresting Feng for running guns. Feng's hidden jungle hideout hosts a black-market Ping-Pong tournament, and Daytona's invitation is a way for the FBI to infiltrate Feng's organization. When Daytona agrees, Rodriguez tells him to win enough championships that Feng's scouts notice him. After losing a local tournament, Daytona is apprenticed to a blind man in Chinatown named Wong, who was Feng's former mentor. Daytona also meets Wong's niece, Maggie. When locals vandalize Master Wong's house for violating their edict against teaching white people ping pong, Daytona is forced to play against "The Dragon", a young girl, in exchange for Wong's right to stay. After Daytona beats the Dragon, Feng's men take notice of his win and bring Daytona, Rodriguez, and Wong to Feng's facility.
Daytona handily beats his first opponent, Freddy "Fingers" Wilson, though he is unnerved to learn that the tournament is literally sudden death—the loser is killed by a poisoned dart delivered by Feng's majordomo, Mahogany. After Daytona attempts unsuccessfully to escape, Feng invites him to join his side and reveals that he only finished half of Wong's training. He says it would be the ultimate satisfaction to win Daytona away from Wong. Feng also shows Daytona his specially modified ping-pong table. It is wired to special vests that give increasingly powerful and fatal electrical shocks for failure. Daytona informs Rodriguez of a hidden cache of illegal guns that are sufficient to put Feng in jail. While Rodriguez investigates the hidden facilities, Daytona defeats numerous opponents for his life.
Upon learning that Wolfschtagg is his last opponent, Daytona requests extraction. Rodriguez comes up with a plan to brutally injure Daytona, so that he has to quit. Rodriguez breaks Daytona's arm before Daytona can tell him that he has changed his mind. Feng discovers Rodriguez's attempts to contact the FBI and forces Daytona to face Wolfschtagg, then substitutes Maggie. When Wolfschtagg protests, Feng kills him. Daytona plays one-handed and tries to stall for time. Maggie tries to lose on purpose to sacrifice herself. However, Daytona uses his ping-pong expertise to hit Maggie with the ball. While this goes on, they escape together. Enraged, Feng orders them both executed. Mahogany shoots a poisonous dart at Daytona, but Maggie defends him with the ping-pong paddle. Daytona then throws the poisoned paddle back at Mahogany, killing her. The FBI swarms the place, during which the heroes attempt to escape, but Daytona's attempts to rescue Feng's sex slaves causes their capture. Feng plays Daytona to determine which of Wong's students is the superior ping pong player.
During the game, the facility's self-destruct sequence is activated, and Feng reveals there is no off-switch. He also states that he changed the rules so that the ball can now be bounced off any surface once and still be in play. As the self-destruct sequence countdown progresses, the game moves through several buildings and finally onto a bridge over a nearby river. After Wong informs Daytona that Feng has a weak backhand, Daytona exploits his weakness, and Feng is electrocuted, falling into the river. Daytona and his friends, along with Feng's slaves, escape in Wong's boat. Two months later, the major characters are reunited for the reopening of Master Wong's rebuilt Mushu shop.

Tags: revenge, murder, flashback

Review:
People just don't want silly, stupid comedies anymore, which is why Superbad is doing much better instead.Balls of Fury is a very funny movie with a wonderful cast (especially Christopher Walken and Thomas Lennon), and if some of the jokes fall flat, or gave themselves away in the trailer, the movie moves quickly enough that it doesn't matter.
No. But it was funny and Christopher Walken makes all things glorious, so all in all, it wasn't a bad way to spend a Thursday night after an especially terrible day of work.
It was very much a movie done to simply enjoy the play on the word "balls" and in this particular case, it was forgivable.Overall, don't go in expecting complete comedic genius and you just might find yourself laughing..
I don't think there was a single moment in this film that purposely wanted any smidgen of intelligence whatsoever.And, heck, the reason I went to see this movie was because I thought it looked funny.
Balls of Fury really did a great job of keeping in the same humor vein of Reno 911, etc.Yes, there are crotch shots and other typical middle school humor, but they happened so often and with such randomness that it went from stupid to hilarious.A lot of the humor is based in uncomfortable moments.
Not a lot of people enjoy being made uncomfortable by something they are viewing for entertainment, but if you like that style of humor, Balls of Fury is right up your alley.This isn't for everybody, so it'll either be a 10 or 1 for you.
I thought it was something like Prince of tennis, the live-action movie and the ping-pong ball fights scenes are something like that.
Sometimes, I admit that it is quite dumb in some of the scenes but it is fun, it got slow-motion ball fights, it got Maggie Q who is hot and it got dumb-a** jokes so what more you want for a dumb comedy.Overall, it makes a harmless movie that you can watch in your free time.
Even if some elements were familiar like the secret agents and Asian villains and although a couple of jokes fell flat, "Balls of Fury" has enough fresh ideas to offer to work well as a comedy.
This is an incredibly funny movie, with goofy but likable characters, especially James Hong who plays Master Wong.
Think of it as a lesser version of Dodgeball.Ping-pong just isn't that funny, or exciting, or anything really - just like the film.
The jokes are okay at times, but there are no big laughs and certainly no surprises.Unless you are a 10-14 year-old boy, who given the film's humor and scantily clad actresses is obviously the target market, you will probably be disappointed by paying money for it.
He delivers a couple of laugh-out-loud moments, but by the time he's lip-synching to Def Leppard you'll be asking yourself, "So who's this guy, and why is he doing a bad karaoke impersonation of 'Jack Black Meets Sam Kinison'?" I will give Balls of Fury three credits - 1) Maggie Q is adorable, 2) The film rightfully never takes itself too seriously, and 3) It's nowhere near as filthy as I expected.
So I was quite shocked when the grand total was only one, and that one was merely Maggie Q's character disgustedly relaying an example of the comments she was forced to deal with from male players.What more can I say about a film whose crowning achievement is, "Well, I didn't expect much, and it wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen, so whatever"?
Some of the situations were pretty amusing and some of the lines were laugh-out-loud funny.Christopher Walken seems to always make the best out of his roles, whatever he's given, he makes it his own.
The humour is more from the mild delight of seeing some old-time character actors like James Hong and Christopher Walken play out some long and slow bits over the course of the movie.
If you like ping pong, laugh at the insane characters Christopher Walken likes to play, enjoy dark comedy, don't mind a bunch of stupid-but-funny scenes and a wildly outlandish story....you should like this movie.
It's the latter that I like, and I can't recall how many times I laughed out loud at some ridiculous sight or sentence that I saw in here.Walken, even though he doesn't play the lead guy is fascinating, as always in his typical off- the-wall role.
So I went to see this yesterday - had a good feeling about it from the previews, with the clever title, all the furious ping-pong playing and of course Chris Walken in that hilarious get-up, figured it'd be worth a shot.
It turns out that the bad guy is an avid ping-pong fanatic.Working as a spoof of both action movies and sports movies, "Balls of Fury" is agreeably silly at times.
Its characters are reasonably endearing and entertaining, and it's hard to knock a story (written by co-star Thomas Lennon, who plays the swaggering Kraut Karl Wolfschtagg, and director Robert Ben Garant) with an affection for the music of Def Leppard.Lots of familiar faces here: Maggie Q as the luscious (and badass) love interest, Terry Crews, Robert Patrick (don't be fooled by his prominent billing; he's barely in the thing), Diedrich Bader, Aisha Tyler, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Jason Scott Lee, David Koechner, Patton Oswalt, David Proval, Masi Oka. But it's the legendary character actor James Hong who steals the show, in a gem of a comedic performance as the blind, Mr. Miyagi-like mentor.
Walken, unsurprisingly, is a hoot as the villain.Of course "Balls of Fury" is no modern classic, but sometimes a "good" no-brainer comedy is just what some people look for to pass the time.
Balls of Fun. I'm not sure what a lot of people are expecting out there cause if you go looking for a good time and want to have a laugh or two, Balls of Fury is a great time.
George Lopez does a nice job with the character and love James Hong from all those 80's action movies here playing a blind ping pong teacher.
The film was about a failed ping-pong champion gets summoned by an FBI agent (George Lopez), and with some training by Master Wong (James Hong who voiced Mandrin in SUPER ROBOT MONKEY TEAM HYPERFORCE GO!), to compete in a ping-pong competition lead by Christopher Walken as the evil Master Feng.
PIng-pong prodigy RAndy Daytona(Dan Fogler,as unlikely a leading man as they come!)has grown up under the failed ambitions of his youth to be a has-been,sideshow act when he is contacted by the Feds(led by a grimacing George Lopez)to infiltrate the racket of the mysterious Master Feng(Christopher Walken,far-and-away the best part of the movie).He'll need the help of the blind MAster Wong(JAmes HOng,having fun in a role written exclusively for him it appears)And his niece(MAggie Q,lean and mean!).
Of course,there's added incentive for the one-time Olympic contestant turned wash-out:his hard-gambling father was one of the many victims of the nefarious Feng.It is Oh-so-tempting to give this film a higher rating for me,because I found this film genuinely funny and also wise enough to understand just HOW clichéd and unoriginal the film's plot devices are(a quick list: aforementioned washout re-finding his game,wise old sage teacher,the tough-as-nails female lead/potential love-interest for male lead,high-stakes tournament),hence my summary line.
THat's good for the film in a microcosmic sort of way(i.e.the laughs)but it doesn't distinguish itself from other,similar-themed movies(Kingpin,Blades of Glory come immediately to mind).
The script, the bread and butter of every comedy, is only passable, with more smiles and chuckles than laughs.Randy Daytona loses the 1988 Olympic Gold medal for ping-pong, and his father on the same day, and becomes a has-been haunted by his line, "I'm going to Disneyland".
Daytona gets another chance when he is approached by FBI agent, Ernie Rodriguez (played by George Lopez), to go undercover at an underground ping-pong tournament run by the evil criminal emperor, Feng (Walken).
After a gruelling training regiment under Master Wong, played well by veteran actor, James Hong, and his daughter, Maggie (Maggie Q) who looks great and has some very cool moves.This review has come out pretty positive, but, although there are some good characters and ideas here, there is a lack of really funny jokes and, really, in a martial arts spoof about ping-pong that is packed with more talent than Tiger Woods, it shouldn't have been that hard to get a few really good laughs.This work was first posted on realmoviereview.com.
In Balls of Fury, ex-ping-pong Olympian Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler) is kicked in the titular region at least three times, making this a pratfall-prone, intellectually-challenged comedy with enough low-level laughs to satisfy base cultural instincts.
He is hired by the FBI to smoke out a world-class villain Feng (Christopher Walken) with an affinity for table tennis.The echoes of Karate Kid and Enter the Dragon are fleeting, looking like great dramas next to this uneven revenge/kung fu comedy.The laughs, especially those that have Randy bouncing his ball off an opponent's face (you have to see it in its context to enjoy), are enough for even my guest laugher, Patricia, to continue her mirth marathon with her son.
Having said that, the film isn't any better than it looks.Dan Fogler does an all right job as the comedic lead, but at most points seems to be leaning on the much better supporting cast, including George Lopez and semi-crazed FBI agent and Thomas Lennon in another hilarious role playing a crazed German ping pong player with a personal grudge against Rob.The film has some very funny moments, again, usually from a supporting cast(look for Lopez's hilarious Tony 'Scarface' Montana impersonations), but they are often balanced out by some very weak and often cheesy/clichéd moments.All in all, this film is perfect for some laughs if you are bored one afternoon and have already seen all of the great films out right such as Bourne Supremacy and Superbad.
There is a classic line as ping pong Master Wong (James Hong) advises his charge Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler), "It is better to die like a tiger, than to live like a pussy" "Balls of Fury" has its moments of clever genius.
I'm pretty sure all they did to get Christopher Walken to play this part was show him the wig he'd be wearing and an outfit or two and said "the movie is about ping-pong" and he went "Okay, I'm in!" That exactly how I image it, because Christopher Walken is awesome enough to do something like that and still do a great job at a stupid role.My favorite part of this movie, however, is the panda bear.
I could go on with the poor development (a predictable love story that develops in less than three scenes?), the beating of the dead horse (jokes that weren't funny in the first place being stretched over two minutes) or just the plain idiocy of this film, but I just don't think I can write about this movie anymore.
Balls of Fury is a fun movie filled with the kind of stereotypes that are sure to offend the thin-skinned while amusing others who can appreciate unsophisticated comedy without sifting it through a PC filter or expecting Oscar winning performances.
Inevitably, I had the gut-feeling this movie was yet ANOTHER teen flick amongst the pile of 2007 'flops', but to my amazement, this one special and glorious movie, actually pulled it off!Dan Fogler, AKA; Andy Daytona, plays a forth-coming part in his role as the 'Ex' Ping-Pong champion of the nineteen eighties league, sure, he had his moments where the script lines became flared in my eyes (bit boring, in another sense), but overall, the overweight, sweaty and hairy actor actually pulled through the budget comedy without much hassle.
Ironically, on the other hand, the infamous Christopher Walken, AKA; Feng, played perhaps one of the worst parts in his entire career -- sure, the man's trying to be a diverse actor, but the sensation of him taking this role in the movie, is more embarrassing than his short lived five minute scene in 'Pulp Fiction' harbouring a watch where the sun-don't-shine for a child (Bruce Willis, if you've seen the movie).In all honesty, the movie made me laugh like crazy at points - Why!?
Highlights include Christopher Walken's waaaaay over the top performance as Feng, a mysterious, rich, eccentric ping pong fan; Thomas Lennon as an ubermean German Olympian; the luxuriant Maggie Q as a table tennis champion who dresses in skimpy short-shorts; and comically terrified male sex slaves.Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler) was once a promising young ping ponger.
Balls of Fury seemed like a clever idea; take all the clichés from martial arts b-movies and apply them to ping-pong.
It's 19 years later and Randy (Dan Fogler) is sough-out and recruited by F.B.I. agent Rodriquez (George Lopez) to enter an international underground Ping-Pong tournament organized by Feng (Christopher Walken).
To get back on his own two feet after years of absence, Daytona aids the teachings of ping-pong sage Master Wong (James Hong) and his hot niece Maggie (Maggie Q).It's all antics of course, with Christopher Walken in drag and redoing every role he does on every comedy he starred in.
Balls of Fury adapts the plot from Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon to tell its tale of Randy Daytona, one time child table tennis contender who is reduced to using his ping-pong talents on stage in a cheesy cabaret act.
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.
the homage to Bruce Lee films are seen throughout if you're looking - and the Chinese scenes are the best thing in the movie.Had to say the tournament just wasn't exciting enough, just not enough real sports - this only works as satire if it has moments of real heart as well as real dumbness - plenty of smart dumb ideas, but not enough heart.Pizza and beer movie - sure - just don't expect to really laugh, you will chuckle, and smile wryly though..
I was disappointed by the new comedy, "Balls of Fury," not because it's a bad movie, but rather because all the best scenes had been given away by the trailer.
When FBI agent Rodriguez (George Lopez) shows up he recruits Randy on a dangerous mission to find Feng (Christopher Walken), a Ping-Pong enthusiast who runs a secret and criminal underworld of tournaments where people are held against their will.
This is all harmless, dumb fun, I suppose, but this kind of humor seems to be aimed primarily at twelve year old boys.The trailer for "Balls of Fury" is much funnier than the movie itself because it contains all the best scenes and edited in such way as to create good comedic timing.
Like Shih Kien's character in Enter the Dragon, you have an enigmatic megalomaniac as the chief of the tournament, held in a mansion, and in no time, our hero (hey, just for another Bruce Lee related reference for the heck of it, Jason Scott Lee's in this picture as well, though only as a supporting cast member) will discover its dark secrets, and kick the living daylights out of everyone to escape.Except that in Balls, it is a ping pong / table tennis tournament, and the master of tournament is Feng (Christopher Walken, and I have no idea what's he doing here too), with assistance provided by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who is relegated from a similar head honcho role in the Mortal Kombat movie.
You have the usual sexist jokes involving sexy female characters, like the conveniently named Maggie (Maggie Q, doing so little and wearing even less), tired fat jokes, and plenty more from the blind sifu Master Wong (James Hong), whom I thought had probably the best lines in the movie, nevermind that most of them consists of faux pas martial arts philosophy full of sexual innuendos, and plenty of politically incorrectness coupled with slapstick physical comedy.
Dan Fogler was the perfect choice for Randy Daytona (makes one say "Jack Black who?") James Hong plays Daytona's blind ping pong master Wong and has some great lines...because of his blindness, he's constantly left in the dark (ba dumb bum) and remarks "what's going on?
as far as i know this is the first spoof that's been made about the game.there are some chuckles here,but no real big laughs.it's sort of like "Karate Kid" but with Ping Pong.and obviously done with tongue firmly planted in cheek.it's fast paced,and has lots of action.Christopher Walken is the highlight of course,though we have to wait quite awhile to see him.you won't likely be bored while watching this flick.but i wouldn't expect anything resembling comedy of the fast and furious variety.for me,Balls of Fury is a 5/10.
Certainly a lot better than expected and on a plane above the recent crop of so called spoof movies.Christopher Walken is good enough to lift this film a bit but so much talent wasted - although I think as the principal villain  he could have been a little more over the top.
The humor is broad and predictably predictable in "Balls of Fury," a low-grade, though admittedly good-natured, sports farce that elicits roughly one laugh for every five attempts at being funny (not a bad ration, I suppose, but not really high enough to make the movie worth seeing).
I went in with friends (most of which do not know movies beyond comedies like this) and an open mind, and all of us agreed that it was, in a simple word, bad.The saving grace is, of course, the man - Christopher Walken.
I knew the movie wasn't going to be a great comedy but I at least expected a few good laughs, but instead I got nothing.