Official synopsis
Two hapless rat catchers encounter a kung-fu Taoist Guardian pursuing an undead Chinese Jiangshi. Together they uncover family secrets and must embrace their fate to rid Dublin of this supernatural menace, the only way they know how: Extermination.
Review
Generally, genre-film festivals need some fun to balance out the more horrific and darker fare. Director Fergal Costello delivers the feel-good goods with martial arts/ jiangshi/supernatural action comedy Kung Fu Deadly (Ireland/Australia, 2026). The film seeks to entertain, and absolutely does, with a tale of two underachieving buddies who need to do some “growing up” fast unless they want to either become or be killed by traditional Chinese hopping vampires.
Danny (Steven He) has been running Deadly Vermin Control since his father passed away. His childhood best friend and current roommate Frank (Michael Tient) works with him. Their lack of success with the business is nothing compared to the trouble that awaits them when jiangshi begin appearing, and it turns out that Danny is what’s known as a Guardian, someone with the potential powers to fight this type of evil.
He and Tient make for a believable bumbling-buddies duo, and Gemma Chua-Tran provides excellent support as Guardian Lian. As impressive as He and Tient are in the martial arts scenes, Chua-Tran brings matters to another level. Action director Lee Huang does masterful work with the trio and their characters’ opponents.
Costello does a great job of balancing the comedy — slapstick and pain-to-the-groin aficionados will have a blast — with the action and suspense. The practical effects makeup on the supernatural entities will bring smiles to loads of viewers.
Kung Fu Deadly may have some familiar beats in its likable-losers-make-good plot, but the infectious energy and well-earned heartwarming feel make it a strongly recommended offering for genre-film fans in the mood for a great time.
Kung Fu Deadly screens as part of Fantastic Fest, which runs September 17-24, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
