Kung Fury

[yorkie]

Who has seen this?

It's a free 30-minute crowdfunded short movie, available here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Fury

Kung Fury is a 2015 English-language Swedish martial arts action comedy short film written, directed by, and starring David Sandberg. It pays homage to 1980s martial arts and police action films. The film stars David Sandberg in the title role with Jorma Taccone, Leopold Nilsson, and a cameo appearance by David Hasselhoff.

The film was crowdfunded through Kickstarter from December 2013 to January 2014 with pledges reaching US$630,019, exceeding the original target goal of $200,000....

When you consider the budget constraints, they did a great job.

My favourite part is the 'hacking' scene, which brilliantly parodies the ludicrous way in which 'hacking' is portrayed in movies. Look out for the Power Glove!

Even if you don't want to watch the movie, I at least recommend you at least watch this music video, which was made to promote the movie:

Those who like modern, yet 80s sounding electronic music, are likely to enjoy the soundtrack which features artists such as Mitch Murder and my favourite artist to listen to right now, Lost Years.

 

[sprinterguy]

My friends and I think it's great: So many eighties idioms and action clichés condensed into little more than half an hour that still feels like a proper feature length film. You certainly can't criticise the plot for being slow-paced!

I'm pleased to hear that there's a sequel in the works, too.

'True Survivor' is a great track and video, too: It's reassuring to know that it's still possible to produce a mid-eighties classic in the twenty first century.

 

[HSTEd]

This film is incredible - it is a brilliant send up of the 'plot' contrivances and outright absurdities of early 80s action movies. Before Die Hard broke the mould.

 

[DaleCooper]

Great fun and a worthy successor to spoofs like Airplane, The Naked Gun and MacGruber, That David Sandberg looks like a young Johnny Depp.

 

[yorkie]

It's 10 years this month since Kung Fury was released (22 May 2015)!

Sadly, we're still awaiting the release of Kung Fury 2, due to legal issues.

From another thread:

I was surprised to discover a separate subgenre called 'Dieselpunk' which combines diesel and gasoline-powered technology of the interwar period with retro-futuristic technology....

There are elements of dieselpunk in Kung Fury, specifically the 'Kung Fuhrer' scene, which is noted on this Dieselpunk site:

Kung Fury 2

A special thank you to my good friend John Pyka (Bid Daddy Cool) for this news. Ever learned of a sequel to a movie and thought to yours...

www.dieselpunk.info

Released in 2015, Kung Fury is a hilarious throwback romp that's meant to capture the campy spirit of the 1980s. The decodence, and hence the dieselpunk, is with the appearance of Adolf Hitler as the “Kung Fuhrer”. The big finale fight scene in Nazi Germany is so dieselpunk, so over the top, and is so much fun.

Co-written by Sandberg and Tyler Burton Smith, the action is set in 1985, the best year ever. Miami is kept safe under the watchful eye of Kung Fury, the greatest damn cop of all time. His Thundercops are the ultimate police force assembled from across history to defeat the villainous Kung Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler. But after the tragic death of one of their members causes the group to disband, a mysterious villain emerges from the shadows to aid in the Fuhrer’s quest to attain the ultimate weapon. Kung Fury must travel through space and time to save his friends, defend the prestigious Miami Kung Fu Academy and defeat evil once and for all.

 

[Three-Nine]

If you liked “Kung Fury”, you may wish to try and find the Australian series “Danger 5”, which is in something of the same vein (the first season is very loosely set during the 60s, though it feels more like World War II), but the second has a more 80s theme). It even has at least one joke that also appears in “Kung Fury”, apparently arrived at completely independently! Not sure how readily available it is these days, but the odd episode and clips crop up on YouTube.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 May 2025 ==

So, er, you're never going to believe this but...

‘Kung Fury 2’: Insane 10-Minute Sizzle Reel Leaked of Michael Fassbender, Arnold Schwarzenegger Action-Comedy Stuck in Legal Limbo Since 2020

An insane promo for 'Kung Fury 2,' an action comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michael Fassbender stuck in legal limbo, has been leaked online

variety.com

A high-octane, wildly colourful and mostly bonkers sizzle reel for “Kung Fury 2,” the action-comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Fassbender and David Hasselhoff that shut down during post-production in 2020 due to legal issues, has been leaked online.


The ridiculously over-the-top and action-packed 10-minute promo shows Schwarzenegger as a cigar-chomping, shotgun-toting U.S. president “out to kick some Nazi ass,” Fassbender as a renegade FBI agent called Colt Magnum boasting an impressive mullet and explaining how to make a “justice omelette,” and David Hasselhoff in a red leather jumpsuit cradling some puppies.

I saw the sizzle reel before finding the news, and initially thought it was some A.I. generated abomination, but its genuine!

Note: not sure whats going on, I was trying to post the news about "Kung Fu 2" into a separate post but it keeps getting merged with my original reply.