The Age of Commercialism

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

A slice of family-centred martial arts mayhem courtesy of young action star Stephen Fung (of GEN X COPS fame), HOUSE OF FURY is very much in the style of the SPY KIDS movies or alternatively Jackie Chan's THE SPY NEXT DOOR, although with the added bonus of some kick-ass kung fu scenes choreographed by the one and only Yuen Woo Ping. I should note that it starts off on an appalling note, with a ninja fight that's among the stupidest I've seen in a while, but this turns out to be a fantasy sequence and the rest of the film's a lot better.The film was written and helmed by pretty boy Stephen Fung, who also stars in one of the leading roles. He's not much of an actor, part of that set of youthful Hong Kong stars who appeared around the turn of the millennium in a bid to set the world on fire. Still, he's pretty good in the many staged fight scenes, which make up much of the running time. Yuen Woo Ping is in his element, returning to the glory days of the 1980s with mucho glass-breaking and scenery-destroying, and if these fights aren't among the best the genre has to offer – leave that to Donnie Yen these days – then they still provide much entertainment value.The slim storyline sees Anthony Wong playing a spy who finds himself pursued by a bald, wheelchair-bound bad guy (Michael Wong, giving an ever-cheesy performance) who's desperate to track down Wu Ma. The latter, incidentally, has a nicely extended role in the production, and bags some of the funniest scenes (his flight across the rooftops is hilarious viewing). Wong's kids happen to be martial arts experts too, and with a huge crowd of bad guys in pursuit there's plenty of action to enjoy.Daniel Wu bags another supporting role as a would-be suitor who's hiding a secret, and Anthony Wong provides some stand-out kung fu in one scene where he uses a skeleton in a novel way to fend off multiple opponents; who knew he had it in him? The film makes for light, inoffensive viewing throughout, a piece of popcorn entertainment designed to be digested, enjoyed, and ultimately forgotten.

House of Fury is a fun, neat flick that doesn't waste time with any of the usual junk that gets thrown into most movies these days. I knew nothing about this movie when I rented it, but I'm very glad I did. It's one of the coolest movies I've seen in years. House of Fury works as sort of a Big Fish/Spy Kids mash-up. But in this film the "Kids" in question are a girl in her late teens and her adult brother. The film opens with a visually innovative fight sequence that segues into an efficient set up: the siblings are routinely embarrassed by their father's nonstop tall tales of his past as a secret agent. However, the brother and sister discover too late that they were not tall tales at all when their dad goes missing at the hands of a revenge driven former soldier. From here out, the siblings are quickly schooled on their family's secret history before rushing off to save the day in a string of brilliant fight scenes.Anyway, I don't want to spoil anything. Just rent House of Fury.

Sue me I liked this.You've heard the story before: two kids who don't believe their dad's way out tales find he was telling the truth when he's kidnapped and they have to go rescue him. Its been the story of countless films most recently in films like Spy Kids. Here its done with an Asian flair and for the most part it works. Its not the be all and end all of action films but as a 100 minute lark its quite nice (even with tongue in cheek this film does contain some graphic violence and blood of the PG 13 variety). The fights are incredible even if the wire work is far from believable. I liked this film a great deal, my only complaint is that the pacing at times is a bit slow, considering this is the directors second time out of the box I'll cut him some slack. In reading reviews on this film I was struck by the intense dislike for the director. I'm not familiar with him or his earlier work as actor or director but I can't see why the knives have been drawn, its just a harmless movie.If this film passes your way give it a shot. Turn you mind off and grab some popcorn and you'll have a good time.

The fights aren't by JC as mentioned by another user - his company is just the producers.*********{some minor spoilers below}********** Anthony Wong stars here as widowed father Yue Siu-bo, an ex-secret agent who is now retired and alone, looking after his 2 children Nicky (Stephen Fung) and Natalie (Gillian Chung). His relationship with his children is noticeably strained as his constant stories about his illustrious former career come across more as the fanciful tales of a mid-life crisis, constantly causing them embarrassment. However, little do they know that their father's supposed penchant for Jackanory should actually turn out to be true, when an enemy from his past resurfaces and takes Siu-bo hostage. It is inevitably left up to the 2 teen idols to save the day, in what is essentially another popcorn blockbuster from the current crop of HK movie talent.House of Fury is clearly a lightweight adventure, and makes no pretences at being a grand dramatic exercise. An hour and a half of over the top action, less than subtle comedy and a fair sprinkling of in-jokes and parody are what is on offer. Ultimately, it delivers on this promise.First and foremost this is a modern day actioner, and as such, there are a number of fight scenes peppered throughout the running time. Most of these are solidly choreographed by (the now world-famous) Yuen Wo-ping, along with his less well-known associates Yuen Shun-yi and Ku Huen Chiu. The execution of their typically tight stylings is pretty good considering the cast are not stunt people of the 80's mould. Wirework is used to enhance spins and kicks, as well as some of the more OTT moves, but otherwise the fisticuffs are grounded and realistic. In terms of comparing the action to other contemporary films, it holds up well, and anyone familiar with the current trends will know what to expect. Overall the fights are good, and sometimes impressive, but not revolutionary.The comedy in this feature is less broad than I expected it to be from an overt HK parody. There are moments when it is truly silly (such as seeing Wu Ma flying across the rooftops or Anthony Wong's impression of Bruce Lee complete with skeleton nunchaku) but otherwise the comedic element is restrained, taking a backseat to the fast moving, but simple plot.Away from the action and comedy elements, almost all of the cast still perform well. "Almost" being the operative word here. As in 99% of his roles Michael Wong has yet again managed to confuse me. I am confused because I just do not understand why he is ever cast in any film. Here, he is typically stilted with his dialogue, and has no action to perform at all. He speaks English, even when being spoken to in Chinese, and no-one has a problem understanding him at all?! Anyone could have played his role in this film, and I fail to believe that anyone could do a worse job.Aside from the usual Michael Wong grumbles, House of Fury does an excellent job of distracting you for 100 minutes. It doesn't rank up there with the best of any genre but for a lightweight action-comedy it is worth a watch. After his full directorial debut with "Enter the Phoenix", Stephen Fung has shown a lot of promise and I'm surprisingly looking forward to his next attempt behind the camera.