Kung Fu Elliot (FILM REVIEW)
Kung Fu Elliot
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Spellbinding Documentary Chronicles Delusional Kickboxer’s Quest for
Stardom as a Matinee Idol
Elliot “White
Lightning” Scott supposedly won 7 different kickboxing titles in Canada before
deciding it was time to parlay his success into an acting career. That’s a
little hard to believe given the aspiring thespian’s flabby physique and
underwhelming fight and acting skills.
Nevertheless, the Halifax, Nova
Scotia native’s goal was to become his country’s
first, homegrown, screen action hero. Unable to interest a Hollywood
studio in underwriting his assault on showbiz, he turned to his gainfully-employed
fiancée, Linda Lum, to bankroll his self-made kung fu films on a modest day
care center salary.
Elliot not only
performed in but wrote and directed the micro-budget action adventures. He also
did his own stunts and added the pictures’ special effects. Besides paying for
the projects, Linda served as cameraman, editor and scored the soundtracks. She
even had to chauffeur the cast and crew around since her flaky beau didn’t have
a car (or a job).
If all of the above
sounds like a recipe for disaster, that’s only because it was. The struggling
couple’s ill-fated endeavor is humorously recounted in Kung Fu Elliot, a
documentary which contrasts impatient Linda’s increasing frustrations with her
delusional hubby-to-be’s selfish ambition for superstardom.
Co-directed by
Matthew Bauckman and Jaret Belliveau, this spellbinding biopic revolves more
around whether their strained relationship will last than whether their latest
martial arts production, “Blood Fight,” has a ghost of a chance of being
completed and released in theaters. For, besides exploiting Linda financially,
questions eventually surface about Elliot both in terms of fidelity and the
legitimacy of his kickboxing record.
A cautionary tale
about how love might blind you to the actual agenda of a very slippery
character.
Excellent
(4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 89 minutes
Distributor: The
Orchard
To see a trailer for Kung
Fu Elliot, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWN_IMZ1vvI
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