Director Fergal Costello certainly takes some big swings with his first theatrical feature film, Kung Fu Deadly. First, he casts Steve He, of Youtube and “Emotional Damage” meme fame, as his lead Danny. He pairs him with relative unknown Michael Tient as the proudly non aspirational Frank. The second swing comes with landing Lee Huang. He’s of Warrior Nun fame, as his action director. And on top of that, Kung Fu Deadly is an attempt at a modern telling of the classic Jiangshi tale, aka the hopping vampire.
Running a pest control business in Ireland with Frank, Danny has no idea he is a descendant of a line of guardians that protect the world from the reuniting of an ancient and powerful Jiangshi couple. But when Lain (Gemma Chua-Tran) arrives to try and stop the awakening of the two powerful creatures, she eventually ends up partnering with the hapless duo to try and prevent the end of the world.
Where Kung Fu Deadly succeeds is in the likeability of its lead He and the obvious chemistry between He and Chau-Tran. It also packs a fun and impressive combination of practical effects and CGI. Plus the fight scenes deliver. Tient’s Frank is meant to be the comedic relief, and after the first half most of the audience will just want him to disappear. I’m not sure it’s all Tient’s fault, as the writing behind his utter lack of motivation is just poor. If it weren’t for the things the film does very right, this could have sunk the entire thing, but Kung Fu Deadly still manages to deliver a likeable enough story that should play better in front of a rowdy Fantastic Fest audience.
- Rated: R
- Genre: Comedy, Horror, Martial Arts
- Release Date: 9/18/2026
- Directed by: Fergal Costello
- Starring: Finola Xie, Gemma Chua-Tran, Jason Tobin, Ling Cooper Tang, Max Huang, Michael Tient, Steve Wall, Steven He
- Produced by: Liam Ryan, Nicholas Cooper, Nina Kolokouri, Paddy McDonald, Zane O'Donahoo
- Written by: Paddy McDonald, Paul Markey
- Studio: Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Project Arc Productions, Spellmaker Productions
