Marsupilami (film)

''This article is about the 1991 El Kadsreian action film. For the unrelated comic book character of the same name, see .''

Marsupilami, known in some territories outside of El Kadsre as Hawkins, is a 1991 El Kadsreian vigilante action film directed by Świętopełk Wrzesiński in his directional debut and written by Joey Hines from a story by Dennis Varland, and starring Andy Wilson as the antihero Edward Hawkins and Taro Yamada as Zhang Yazhu, a crime boss who orders the death of Hawkins' entire family.

Produced by Lunarmagic Film, the film was released theatrically on May 7, 1991, by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, grossing $21 million in El Kadsre over its opening weekend, and reached a total gross of $60 million against a budget of $33 million. It has a 66% approval rating on.

The film's first sequel, entitled Marsupilami II, was released theatrically on June 22, 1993. The third sequel, entitled Marsupilami III, was released as a direct-to-video film on July 27, 1995.

Plot
A smuggling operation in El Kadsre Bay results in the deaths of Zhang Liang, the son of mafia boss Zhang Yazhu, and Albert Stemmler, an arms dealer. However, Stemmler's death was faked; he is revealed to be undercover EKIS agent and El Kadsreian Army veteran Edward Hawkins on his final mission before retirement. Enraged about the death of his son, Zhang orders his men to learn everything they can about Stemmler, and acquires access by bribing corrupt federal law enforcement officers for his federal service history. He orders Hawkins killed at a family reunion, while Zhang's wife Ruogang requests that Hawkins' family be killed as well. At the reunion, Zhang's men, including Zhang's best friend Senofonte Tarantino and Liang's identical twin Zhihao, kill Hawkins' entire family with Edward Hawkins Sr. taking down some of the attackers. Zhihao then shoots Hawkins after he takes down some of the attackers, leaving him for dead. Hawkins survives and is nursed back to health by a local fisherman.

With the police and the EKIS unwilling to pursue the killers due to Zhang's power and influence, Hawkins moves into an abandoned apartment occupied by three outcasts—Maruko, Perry, and Filip Spector—and begins his mission to bring the Zhangs down. With the help of information provided by Giovannucci, Zhang's less malevolent henchman, Hawkins studies the Zhang family and learns their every move, during which he discovers Tarantino to be a closeted homosexual. He openly attacks Zhang's business and sabotages his partnership with his Kuboian partners.

Zhang discovers Hawkins is alive and sends assassins to kill him. The first, Aaron Moss, ambushes Hawkins on a bridge until he crashes his car, but is killed when Hawkins fires a ballistic knife into his throat. The second, a Canadian behemoth, nearly beats Hawkins to death in his own apartment. Hawkins kills him by dousing his face with boiling oil and pushing him down a flight of stairs, breaking his neck. The tenants treat Hawkins' wounds and hide him in his hidden elevator as Zhang's men arrive for him. When Filip and Giovannucci refuse to reveal Hawkins' hideout, Tarantino tortures Filip by plucking each of his piercings with pliers. They leave one of their men to intercept Hawkins, but Hawkins kills him after they leave.

With Giovannucci's help, Hawkins poses as an anonymous blackmailer and arranges for Tarantino to be at certain places while planting Livia's car in the same location, and ultimately placing one of Ruogang's earrings in Tarantino's bed. When Zhang finds the earrings, he stabs Tarantino to death and, despite her protest that Tarantino was gay, accuses Ruogang of having an affair with his best friend. He throws Ruogang off an overpass onto a railroad track, where she is run over by a train.

With Zhang despondent, Hawkins assaults Zhang's club and kills every member of his mob, including his remaining son Zhihao. Zhang escapes the building albeit wounded. Hawkins pursues him and shoots him in a duel. As Zhang lies dying, Hawkins reveals his schemes that led Zhang to kill his friend and wife. He ties Zhang to a car and sends it into the club's parking lot which is rigged with explosives. Zhang dies in the ensuing explosion.

Hawkins returns home and prepares to kill himself with his mission fulfilled, but changes his mind after seeing a vision of his wife, instead deciding to continue to fight crime. He leaves some of Zhang's money as a farewell gift to the tenants for protecting him. He is then seen standing alone on the Ranger Bridge at sunset, where, in a voice-over, he vows to kill all killers, rapists, psychopaths, sadists and anyone else who harms innocent people in any way in his new identity, Marsupilami.

Cast

 * Andy Wilson as Edward Hawkins / Marsupilami
 * Taro Yamada as Zhang Yazhu
 * Bonaventura Chianese as Senofonte Tarantino
 * Sakuna Meijineri as Maruko
 * Gerald Weekes as Dante Perry
 * Antanico Matsushita as Filip Spector
 * as Mario Giovannucci
 * Anneliese Wilson as Caroline Hawkins
 * Ralph Wilson as James Hawkins
 * Jyang Xingwong as Zhang Liang and Zhang Zhihao
 * Cui Delan as Zhang Ruogang
 * as Aaron Moss
 * as The Canadian
 * Andy Wilson Sr. as Edward Hawkins Sr.
 * Świętopełk Wrzesiński as Fisherman
 * Armstrong Brewill as El TV Kadsre News Newscaster
 * Jasmine Davidson as El TV Kadsre News Newscaster