This Malawian Kung Fu movie may be the best action film of the year

I love African movies. I’m not talking locally-produced stuff which more often than not spits out roughly three billion Ek lief jou Afrikaans movies for every gem like Apocalypse Now Now (Seriously, go watch that short again it’s so good), but rather the content that has arisen in other African nations. Nigeria, Malawi and Ghana all have a healthy film industry, which regularly creates movies that are at times so bad that they’re masterpieces.

Like Man Kumfo:

If you’ve got a camera, a handful of actors and an idea, you can be a star in the African movie industry. It’s just that easy. What if you wanted to make something above the usual grade of absolutely batsh*t bonkers greenscreen effects and dramas though? What if you intended to make an African Kung-Fu movie? You’d get something like this:

So awesome. Scene from a Malawi Kung Fu movie by Malawi Kufewa Acrobatics. They deserve be stuntmen tat least for a movie. pic.twitter.com/NVWzr9aJtA

— Khaya Dlanga (@khayadlanga) September 6, 2017

You know what? That is brilliant. I’m not saying this ironically. The actual action, the meat and potatoes is executed fantastically. There’s some real talent behind the stars of that video, which is equal parts The Raid and Ong Bak. It was also probably filmed on a shoestring budget, extensively rehearsed and holy cow these guys can move. I actually enjoyed that sequence, which told a fantastic story. As Kervyn noted in our office chat, this is the point where Iron Fist should be ashamed. Seriously Marvel, just hire these guys for the season 2 fights. They know their stuff.

I tried to track down some more information on the film, which apparently comes from Malawi Kufewa Acrobatics. If anyone has any links to the original film or the crew, please let us know in the comments. Here are a few longer scenes from that film:

You know what? This is the kind of movie that I’d honestly pay to see. You think back to the heyday of cinema, and when B-Grade King Fu movies ruled the screens. Maybe it’s time for a resurrection of this genre, albeit with an African flavour. Because there’s certainly nothing B-Grade about this kind of martial arts action.

Last Updated: September 6, 2017