Camden New Journal - Movies: BALLS OF FURY

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

The Review - AT THE MOVIES with WILLIAM HALL
Published: 27 December 2007

Christopher Walken as arch-villain Feng

Plenty of balls, but not too many laughs

BALLS OF FURY
Directed by Robert Ben Garant
Certificate 12a

NOW here’s a game to play around the table when what’s left of the turkey has been taken away and the crackers are being pulled. What do you think this film is all about? From the title it sounds like something out of a Bruce Lee martial arts movie. Possibly with Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal or Jean-Claude Van Damme joining the queue. Who said ping-pong? Give the man a cigar!
“A tiny bouncing ball going for gold,” announces a reverent voice over the Tannoy, as unlikely champion Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler) warms up for the Olympics in front of a cheering stadium.
Unlikely because he’s fat and wobbly-jowelled, and looks more like a couch potato than a first-class athlete.
When he loses to a manic German ace named Karl (Thomas Lennon) he quits the game, and his life goes on the skids.
But he’s brought back into the fold by an FBI agent (George Lopez) who persuades him to take up the paddle (bat to you and me) on a mission to track down arch-villain Feng (Christopher Walken) organising a secret ping-pong tournament in his luxury hideout in the Amazon jungle.
It’s one of those lethal win-or-die affairs, with the losers being shot with a poisoned dart at the table before they can even shake hands.
Fortunately Randy proves a ping-pong wizard who can direct his fire with blurring speed and a sound like a machine-gun, and soon reaches the finals to meet Weng head-on.
This is slapstick comedy of the most juvenile kind, and the 12A certificate seems a little harsh. As for Walken, he strides around with coiffeured hair in white robes and a flowing crimson cloak looking like something out of Madam Butterfly.
I can only think he must have done it for the money.

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment:

» Film Times
» Film Reviews
» Buy DVDs
» Rent DVDs