Danny and Frank, two bumbling pest exterminators, cross paths with the enigmatic Lien, a Taoist guardian hunting an ancient Chinese jiangshi in Dublin. Together they set out deal with this menace the only way they know how: extermination.

Comic martial arts fight scene with a man and a woman — *Still courtesy Justin Cook PR*

I wasn’t sure what to expect from an Irish-Australian kung fu comedy, but KUNG FU DEADLY, directed by Fergal Costello, was part buddy comedy, part wuxia, and all fun.

I was immediately charmed by the brotherly relationship between roommates, best friends, and co-workers Frank and Danny, which felt real and added depth to what could have been a standard action movie, though there’s plenty of action.

Man and woman in cave with flashlights — *Still courtesy Justin Cook PR*

Danny discovers he is meant to be, like his dead father, a guardian that protects the world from supernatural evils, in this case the legendary Chinese vampire, jiangshi, and a demon queen. Though his father trained him in martial arts as a child, he had to learn the particulars of fighting evil by a little trial and error which added to the humor at times, such as when they learned that the vampire couldn’t see them when they hold their breath.

A vape pen puffing bad guy ™ and his partner release a jiangshi from a beautifully carved Chinese coffin inside a local church, and Danny and Frank stumble upon the ceremony where they narrowly escape with their lives, making a new friend, Lian, a guardian who has a very cool sword made of coins that collapses back into a pile of coins and which, in action, made me think of Ivy Valentine’s sword from Soulcalibur.

Though the human villains were underwhelming, the supernatural villains were scary enough to bump this film over to horror at moments, though it does threaten to tip to camp as the jiangshi has a perpetual smirk and snarky comment. Which I loved.

Between the creepy visuals, the humor, and the heroes’ relationships, I could watch a whole series of these.

KUNG FU DEADLY was screened at Fantastic Fest.

Kung Fu Deadly (2026)

The Ones Who Grieve (2026)