Donnie Yen is without a doubt one of the greatest action stars there’s ever been, something that a whole new wave of audiences just discovered firsthand after witnessing his barnstorming turn in John Wick: Chapter 4, but he isn’t immune from criticism. While his nationalist stance on China has gotten him in hot water in certain quarters, Enter the Fat Dragon incited fury for a very different reason.
That’s not to say it’s an abomination that should never have been made in the first place, with an audience approval rating of 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes underlining that it hit that sweet spot that Yen’s best martial arts adventures tend to do, but the actor donning a fat suit for the majority of the running time did lead to foul cries that it was insensitive, offensive, and roundly mocking of a certain societal group.
The leading man stars as a police officer left heartbroken after being ditched by the woman he was preparing to marry, which causes him to spiral out of control to the tune of roughly 200 pounds. Being demoted as a result, he ends up being given the low-rung duty of escorting convicted criminals to Japan. Naturally, he ends up being thrust back into the thick of the action when one of his felons dies, leading down a rabbit hole of mystery and mayhem.
Despite accusations of turning fat folks into figures of fun, Enter the Fat Dragon has nonetheless ended up as one of the biggest hits on Starz this week per FlixPatrol, so maybe it was all just a storm in a teacup.
Published: Jun 7, 2023 02:40 am