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The online film magazine Combustible Celluloid offers new movie reviews, DVD reviews, film reviews, actor interviews, actress interviews, director interviews, film books and all things cinema related for the thoughtful and passionate. Online for ten years! Over 3000 reviews!

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Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)

Rating: 1 Star (out of 4)

Kung-foolishness

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li on DVD

Director Andrzej Bartkowiak doesn't screw up his latest action film as badly as he has in the past, mainly because he uses a lot more slow motion here, so it's easier to see the martial arts fighting. Kristin Kreuk stars in the title role, a tough girl who wants to rescue her father from an evil, Irish land developer (Neal McDonough) but first must stop by Bangkok for some kung-fu training with Gen (Robin Shou). Unfortunately, Chris Klein is also on hand as an ineffectual Interpol agent, and his job is to read all his preposterous dialogue in a bad Jack Nicholson voice. (It may be the flat-out worst performance I've seen by anybody in years.) Moon Bloodgood wears tank tops and black pants around him to make him look good. Michael Clarke Duncan co-stars as the bad guy's hired muscle, who seems to take too much joy in the suffering of others. It's all based on a video game, and hardly any of it makes sense, yet it does occasionally veer into so-bad-it's-good territory. Jean-Claude Van Damme starred in a previous film, Street Fighter (1994), though there have also been other versions.

DVD Details: Fox's DVD comes with an "unrated version," which runs about a minute longer, as well as the 96-minute theatrical version. There's a commentary track with producers Ashok Amritraj and Patrick Aiello, actor McDonough, and -- believe it or not -- Klein! Though it appears to be a pretty much by-the-numbers track, recorded before the film actually came out and flopped. We get about 15 minutes of deleted scenes, other featurettes and trailers, plus optional subtitles. Also available on Blu-Ray.

With: Kristin Kreuk, Chris Klein, Neal McDonough, Robin Shou, Moon Bloodgood, Josie Ho, Taboo, Michael Clarke Duncan
Written by: Justin Marks
Directed by: Andrzej Bartkowiak
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence and martial arts action, and some sensuality
Running Time: 96 minutes
Date: February 27, 2009