When a cop is simultaneously struck by lightning and bitten by a cobra, transforming him into the ultimate kung-fu master at the same time as he sees his partner and father figure get sliced in half by an evil ninja, you know you’ve got a recipe for success. Throw in time traveling to enlist the help of a trio of unlikely heroes—one of which is 200-foot tall Norse god Thor—to defeat Adolf Hitler, the most evil kung-fu master in the world (Kung Führer), and you’re most of the way through the zany plot of Kung Fury, the most outrageous contemporary pastiche of 80s American action films.
Serving as both the director and titular, gravelly voiced kung-fu renegade cop Kung Fury, David Sandberg makes quite the splash in his 30-minute, balls-to-the-wall calling card. The film is reminiscent of my childhood ice-cream sundaes—just throw every fucking thing on it: Oreos, M&Ms, gummy worms, nuts, whipped cream, sprinkles, chocolate syrup, caramel… And you know what? It’s delicious and amazing and bewildering in the best possible way.
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Released online for free yesterday following its television debut, Kung Fury is poised to be the greatest thing you’ll watch all week/month/year. The short made its festival debut last week at Cannes, and is already making waves across the internet, with 2.5 million views in 24 hours, while being lauded as a must-watch by Variety, Hollywood Reporter, and others.
It’s not often that a film can amass a cult following before even being released, but that’s what happened with this super fan’s wet-dream passion project. By jamming the film full of inside-jokes, catchphrases, retro gadgets, and insanely cheesy effects, Sandberg, a Swedish commercial and music-video director, won the hearts of thousands on Reddit and Youtube, where his Kickstarter became his ticket to the big leagues. His crowdfunding campaign raised over $630,000, landed him an agent at William Morris Endeavor, and secured a feature version of the film. Sandberg was also connected with his hero and 80s icon David Hasselhoff, who has a cameo in the film and recorded a music video to his song “True Survivor,” which has racked up more than 11 million views.
The whole project is pure unadulterated fun, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If it’s Kung Fury’s job to stop crime and be a badass, then it’s your job to spend the next half hour watching him do just that.
Check out Kung Fury‘s website for some cool behind-the-scenes, production diaries, and more.
Jeffrey Bowers is a tall mustached guy from Ohio who’s seen too many weird movies. He currently lives in Brooklyn, working as a film curator. He’s the senior curator for Vimeo’s On Demand platform. He has also programmed at Tribeca Film Festival, Rooftop Films, and the Hamptons International Film Festival.
