Reviewed by Cassam Looch
Stars Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, Maggie Q, James Hong,
George Lopez, Terry Crews, Robert Patrick, Diedrich Bader,
Aisha Tyler, Thomas Lennon, Jason Scott Lee
Written by Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon
Certification UK 12A | US PG-13
Runtime 90 minutes
Directed by Robert Ben Garant
Although 2007 overall has been a strong year for movies, comedy has not fared all that well. From lame no-joke efforts like The Heartbreak Kid to crass gross-out timewasters like Good luck Chuck there’s been very little to laugh at in the cinemas, save for Jude Law’s desperate attempts to hide his balding head. This film is not going to serve any purpose other than giving those desperate for another helping of turkey the opportunity to get their teeth into something. Oh, and fans of Maggie Q should also be happy.
Set in the world of competitive table tennis, washed-up prodigy Randy (Fogler) is recruited by the FBI to infiltrate the lair of ping pong loving criminal kingpin Feng (Walken). Helped by the daughter of an old master (Q), Randy must win the underground contest and save the world as well as his own life. So much for the plot. The film relies heavily on overweight Fogler trying to convince everyone he really is a legend around the table. Fogler was recently seen as the vile sidekick in Good Luck Chuck and he does make a noticeable effort to step up his game here. But he’s let down by a weak, underwritten character which only allows for some CGI sight gags to create the laughs. The athletic Maggie Q is easy on the eye as she was in Die Hard 4.0, but the high-kicking love interest routine is starting to wear a bit thin.
Walken is faxing in another so-so performance, which never really has the chance to grab the audience, as it is too long for a cameo and too short for a notable-supporting role. The film does fall foul of racial stereotypes (if we’re not talking the barrel-scraping levels of the Rush Hour franchise then we’re not far off) and overall I can think of better ways to spend my days off than watching this trashy and forgettable movie.
• Official Site
• Balls of Fury at IMDb