The King of Fighters, known specifically as Gordon Chan's The King of Fighters (or KOF 2009 by fans) is a 2009 science fiction martial arts film directed by Gordon Chan from a screenplay by Rita Augustine and Matthew Ryan Fischer, based on the video game series of the same name published by SNK Playmore. The film stars Maggie Q, Sean Faris, Ray Park, David Leitch, and Will Yun Lee. In the plot, the last surviving descendants of three legendary clans are continuously transported to other dimensions to test their martial arts skills during the King of Fighters tournament against an evil force that seeks to invade and infect the real world.
Contents
Plot
The King of Fighters 2009 tournament is held in an alternate dimension. When contestants are issued challenges, they enter the tournament via a special Bluetooth headset.
Mai Shiranui and her boyfriend Iori Yagami attend a private unveiling of three relics at a museum in Boston: The Kagura Mirror, the Yagami Necklace and the Kusanagi Sword. Rugal Bernstein storms into the exhibit and steals the three relics, and uses them to disappear into a dimensional portal to awaken the mythical entity known as the Orochi, which grants limitless powers. The sword is revealed to be a fake and the quest is delayed. Mai is told by an injured Chizuru Kagura the real sword is with Saisyu Kusanagi at a mental institution. She is warned that Iori should not be involved in her quest to defeat Rugal. At the institution, Mai meets a catatonic Saisyu and his son Kyo but Iori's presence suddenly breaks Saisyu's catatonic state, and the elder Kusanagi threatens to kill Iori before losing consciousness and dying.
At another hospital, Chizuru is informed by her colleague Scott that Rugal has altered the King of Fighters 2009 database and issued challenges to fighters around the world. CIA agent Terry Bogard enters Chizuru's room, demanding information on Rugal's whereabouts and the tournament. She tells that different dimensions exist, but when he does not believe it, she tells him to go to Seattle and ask Mai, who is an undercover operative sent by the CIA to infiltrate Chizuru's organization a year ago.
At a cemetery in Seattle, where Saisyu is buried, Kyo and Iori confront each other. Iori explains that both Kusanagi and Yagami clans were destined to be enemies. Mai hitches a ride with Kyo to his home, where she explains that she is looking for the Kusanagi Sword. Kyo tells her that centuries ago, a Yagami ancestor attempted to release the Orochi, but it consumed him with murderous rage. Kyo's ancestor killed the Yagami and returned the Orochi into its world. Mai tells Kyo that Rugal is out to unleash the Orochi. Kyo wants to confront Rugal, who destroyed his father's mental state.
At a hotel, Mai and Kyo meet up with Iori and Terry. Rugal is using the tournament dimension to merge it with the real world. After Mai blows her cover in front of Kyo, Iori puts on his Bluetooth headset and enters the tournament dimension to confront Rugal. There, he defeats Rugal's servants, Mature and Vice, only to have his mind consumed by the Orochi.
Cast
Savior Team
Sean Faris as Kyo Kusanagi: A Japanese American motorcycle enthusiast and the son of Japanese martial artist Saisyu Kusanagi. He is also a descendant of the Kusanagi clan. Keanu Lam also portrays Kyo in his teen years. Faris spent a month learning how to use a katana in preparing for his role and took up basic Karate.
Maggie Q as Mai Shiranui: An undercover CIA operative, MMA fighter, and the girlfriend of Iori.
Will Yun Lee as Iori Yagami: a King of Fighters participant, a descendant of the Yagami clan, and the boyfriend of Mai.
Rugal Team
Ray Park as Rugal Bernstein: A mysterious tyrannical fighter and leader of his own namesake K.O.F. team, the criminal from Europe takes over the King of Fighters dimension.
Monique Ganderton as Mature: A femme fatale KOF participant and Vice's lover, who is lured into the tournament dimension and brainwashed by Rugal, her weapon of choice is a tonfa.
Bernice Liu as Vice: She is the second femme fatale KOF participant and Mature's lover. Alongside Mature, she also becomes the enslaved servitress of Rugal.
Other fighters
Françoise Yip as Chizuru Kagura: Descendant of the Kagura clan and host of the King of Fighters tournament. Due to a bullet injury, Mai takes Chizuru's place on the Savior Team with Iori and Kyo in the KOF tournament.
Hiro Kanagawa as Saisyu Kusanagi: Descendant of the Kusanagi clan, the father of Kyo, and the keeper of the Kusanagi Sword. His appearance resembles that of Takuma Sakazaki from Art of Fighting.
David Leitch as Terry Bogard: A skeptical CIA agent and amateur street fighter who investigates on the activities of the KOF tournament by being the assist fighter of the Savior Team. Leitch was also the film's fight choreographer.
Sam Hargrave as Sam: a wealthy crime boss and Eskrima master from Australia who challenges Mai during her first match.
Non-canon characters
Mike Dopud as CIA Agent
Doug Abrahams as Mick O'Meara
Candus Churchill as Berta
Robin Nielsen as Junior Agent
Scott Patey as Scott Hana
Toshi Haraguchi as Takao Iwata
Production
Filming began on November 3, 2008, at Aja Tan Studios, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and finished on January 19, 2009.
Reception
Release
The King of Fighters was released direct-to-DVD in the United States on September 7, 2010, through Vivendi Home Entertainment. It was re-released in the U.S. by Well Go USA Entertainment.
Criticism
Beyond Hollywood gave the film a negative review, saying that this movie:
"wastes a lot of unnecessary time trying to convince itself that the audience needs to know everything there is to know about its history (we don't, by the way), when it should have just accepted that it's a movie based on a 2D fighting game, spend 10 minutes tops on the explanations, and get to the fighting already."
Felix Vasquez, Jr. of Cinema Crazed gave the film one-and-a-half out of four stars, commenting:
"Yet another semi-classic video game from the nineties is butchered in to yet another half assed lazily made film"
Reboot
Ledo Millennium announced that they are working with 37 Mutual Entertainment for new animated and live action adaptations of The King of Fighters.