It's ping-pong played to the death in this balls-out comedy: Dan Fogler stars as pong child prodigy and Def Leppard-devotee Randy Daytona, whose defeat at the hands of a hissy East German (Thomas Lennon) during the 1988 Olympics forced him leave the world of ping-pong competition in disgrace. Randy's life is a shambles until he gets recruited by CIA agent (Barry Lopez) to infiltrate an ENTER THE DRAGON-style ping-pong tournament (to the death), run by an evil triad leader (Christopher Walken). First Randy needs to get back in shape; enter James Hong (BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA) as the blind ping-pong master Wang and Maggie Q as his sexy, kung fu-fighting niece. While FURY is a consistently funny comedy it also manages to sluly infuse some intelligence and compassion into its steady stream of genre spoofery and lowbrow crotch gags (similar in that sense to Mel Brooks' BLAZING SADDLES). Fogler has an engagingly scruffy underdog-style warmth and seems to really connect with the older pros like Walken and Hong; there's the sense everyone had a good time making this film, which carries over to the audience. Director Robert Ben Garant knows when to speed up the action and when to give his actors room to stretch out; the result is a generous spirit where all the cast is allowed to grab their share of the laughs. There's also some awesome Def Lepard tunes on the soundtrack, and Maggie Q is one smokin' hot babe.
Theatrical Release: Augutst 29, 2007
DVD Features:
Region 1
Snap Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French
Subtitles - English (SDH), French, Spanish
Additional Release Material:
Deleted Scenes
Alternate Ending
Featurette:
1. BALLS OUT: THE MAKING OF BALLS OF FURY
2. UNDER THE BALLS: THE LIFE OF A BALL WRANGLER
Stars
Dan Fogler: Star, BALLS OF FURY (2007)
Christopher Walken: Oscar-winning American actor, THE DEER HUNTER
Maggie Q: Hong Kong actress, GEN-X COPS 2/LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD
George Lopez: Actor, BREAD & ROSES (2001)
Thomas Lennon: American comedic actor, THE STATE
James Hong: Actor/"Blade Runner"
Robert Patrick: American actor, THE TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY, FUTURE HUNT
Director
Robert Ben Garant: Screenwriter, PACIFIER (2005)
Producer
Thomas Lennon: American comedic actor, THE STATE
Roger Birnbaum: Producer/Executive
Gary Barber: Executive Producer
Jonathan Glickman: Producer
Screenwriter
Thomas Lennon: American comedic actor, THE STATE
Robert Ben Garant: Screenwriter, PACIFIER (2005)
Composer
Randy Edelman: American Composer
Director of Photography
Thomas Ackerman: Director of Photography, SCARY MOVIE 4 (2006)
Review 1:
"[T]he laughs are warm and occasionally hard, thanks to a decent script by director Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, some fairly ingenious ping-pong sight gags, and affable newcomer Dan Fogler."
Source: Film Comment
p.73 07/01/2007
Review 2:
"[T]here's an endearing visual brashness to the film, while Dan Fogler, the Tony-winning Broadway actor who plays Daytona delivers his gags well."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.52 02/01/2008