The Last Kung Fu Monk (2010) [Film Review]

The Last Kung Fu Monk; or, The Teachings of Shaolin
     If something happens to me, I need you to promise me to take care of Michael. I just need to hear that!
Today’s review is going to be something slightly different because I am taking a look at the filmography of Peng Zhang Li, the real Shaolin monk-turned-actor/director. While initially spreading the gospel of Kung Fu in Europe, the martial artist moved to America and, in 2010, he wrote and directed his debut feature called The Last Kung Fu Monk.

Release Info

Directed by: Peng Zhang Li Starring: Peng Zhang Li, Kristen Dougherty, Hu Sang

Langauge: English, Mandarin Original Title: 最后的武僧 Runtime: 82 min

Synopsis
Li Long (Peng Zhang Li) is a monk from the Shaolin monastery who got separated from his brother when they were children. Years later, Li Long learns that his brother died in a car crash together with his wife, leaving their son Michael (Major Curda) completely alone. Li Long goes to America in order to look after his nephew. While adjusting to Western reality, he is aided by a social worker Sarah (Kristen Dougherty), for whom he develops romantic feelings. The monk opens a Kung Fu school which enjoys great popularity; however, Russian mobsters kidnap his students. In order to save them, Li Long has to participate in an underground tournament.

Living in America
Although the film is an American-Chinese co-production, one can clearly notice that it bears the marks of an indie flick with big aspirations limited by tight budget. Peng Zhang Li is evidently a fan of good old kung-fu action films, as The Last Kung Fu Monk repeats the “fish out of water” story pattern of Bruce Lee’s The Way of the Dragon (1972) and Jackie Chan’s Rumble in the Bronx (1995).

Given the fact that Peng Zhang Li is a martial artist, it comes as no surprise that the fight sequences are decently choreographed and they evoke the feels of Jet Li/Tony Jaa pictures. These scenes are definitely the strongest aspect of the film.

However, the movie suffers from a number of shortcomings as well. The plotline is very incoherent due to tons of flashbacks and off-the-wall pacing. It is only halfway through the picture that you realise who is who and what is the main goal of the protagonist. In addition, some lines of dialogue, or abruptly cut conversations, will certainly make you think about Tommy Wiseau’s The Room (2003). Yet, I believe that under the layers of questionable scriptwriting, there is some decent story to be told. Unfortunately, it was buried by less-than-professional editing.

Interestingly, the production was not trouble-free, which made the filmmaking team shoot the majority of scenes on location in China rather than New York (which is the main setting of the story). Still, the outdoor scenes do not really give away the feeling that the location is not America.

With regard to performances, Peng Zhang Li is obviously not much of an actor, but he also does not give the kind of so-bad-it’s-lovable performance of Tommy Wiseau. He is just there, trying to portray a peaceful monk. Kristen Dougherty, on the other hand, is a major disappointment as the female lead (this film was her only acting gig ever, according to IMDb). Still, I enjoyed the supporting parts of Hu Sang as a student in distress, and Johan Karlberg who played the Russian mafia boss. It is a shame though that his voice was dubbed over in post-production. In addition, I think that his character could have been given more screen time, especially in the finale which is a bit overwhelming in its itself.

Recommendations
If you would like to check out a very niche kung-fu movie cooked up by a Shaolin monk, then The Last Kung Fu Monk is waiting for you. Treat the whole thing with a grain of salt and keep an eye out on weird editing transitions. In this way, you will get enjoyment from watching well-made fights and embarrassing conversations. You can check out the film on YouTube.
Overall score: 5/10
Note: My thanks go to Johan Karlberg for sharing pieces of trivia about this film. You can check out his interesting making of featurette here.

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