BALLS OF FURY
Director: Robert Ben Gannon Stars: Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, George Lopez, Maggie Q, James Hong, Jason Scott Lee, Robert Patrick, David Koechner, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Patton Oswalt, Terry Crews, Thomas Lennon, Aisha Tyler, Deidrich Bader, Brett Delbuono.
Reviewed by GREG KING
Randy (Dan Fogler, from Good Luck Chuck, etc) was a teenage ping-pong prodigy, who had a spectacularly embarrassing meltdown during the Seoul Olympics. Nearly two decades later he survives as a novelty act in second rate casinos in Las Vegas. But salvation comes in the form of the FBI, who recruits him for a dangerous undercover mission. The FBI wants Randy to return to the competitive ping-pong circuit. They hope that he will win enough minor tournaments to gain entry into an illegal, secret tournament staged by the sinister gun runner and master criminal Feng (Christopher Walken), so that he can uncover evidence of his activities.
Essentially Balls Of Fury is a laboured pastiche of Enter The Dragon, albeit replacing martial arts action with ping-pong balls. This hit and miss comedy if the brainchild of director Robert Ben Gannon and co-writer Thomas Lennon, who previously gave us the offensive, scatological humour of Reno 911! Here they tone down the puerile toilet humour a little, and there are a few chuckles to be found in this largely hit-and-miss comedy.
The energetic Fogler comes across as a low rent Jack Black. Walken, who seems content to waste his talents in drivel like this, sleepwalks his way through his role, although he is allowed to dress in a different outlandish costume in every scene. There is a strong support cast that includes Jason Scott Lee, the gorgeous Maggie Q, comic Patton Oswalt, Deidrich Bader, David Koechner, Robert Patrick and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa in small roles.
And James Hong plays a blind ping-pong master. You can almost see his pratfalls coming a mile off! It's that kind of comedy.
*1/2