Before director
Isaac Florentine limited himself to vehicles for Scott Adkins, he
made movies with every action hero he could, and before the turn of
the century, Dolph Lundgren was his biggest draw yet. Lundgren, fresh
from a disappointing experience on Sweepers
(1998), was pleased to work with someone seasoned
in the action genre. The
production was looking
promising, but then got kinda
weird. Due to serious script
revamping, what might’ve been a
solid war film turned into a
bewildering
sci-fi adventure. Bridge of Dragons is
an entertaining romp but it’s
difficult to love,
thanks in part to
poor utilization of its
cast and characters.
The
story: On a mission to
capture
a princess (Valerie Chow) for the
warmongering General
Ruechang (Cary-Hiroyuki
Tagawa), the
mercenary Warchild (Lundgren)
uncovers a plot by his master to take over the kingdom.
The
most noteworthy aspects of the film are its setting and hodge-podge
aesthetic. Imagine: a
feudalistic society, uniforms
and weaponry spanning the last 70 years, martial arts, horse-drawn
carriages, Eastern chanting on the soundtrack, and
Cary Tagawa seemingly
wearing a Michael Jackson
outfit.
This is a world that feels
very much thrown-together – an environment crafted by an
indiscriminate prop department – but somehow,
it
still
engages
me.
Art director Valentina
Mladenova has a knack for turning trash into functional
onscreen societies, and while
the film isn’t her most striking work, it’s something I haven’t
seen the likes
of before. Disappointingly, the story
that plays out within this place
is bland.
I’m disappointed by how little the screenplay does with its
characters: I’d have loved exploring
the shifting relationship
between Warchild
and the man who raised and
commands him,
or incorporating a
tricky
dynamic
between Princess Halo and the men who want to control her
while still needing to defer
to her out of protocol. As
is, it’s a tired screenplay
filled with boring characters, only occasionally elevated when the
odd performer brightens the
show thru
force of personality – see
Jo Kendall as Halo’s nurse.
Of
course, any dramatic or
aesthetic triumph at this point in Florentine’s films was pure
gravy. His
acclaim was in making the most action-packed pictures you could find,
and that’s what he does here. The movie’s crammed
with adrenaline scenes, from shootouts to explosions and hand-to-hand
fights. But once again, I’m not satisfied. I was anxious to see
Dolph Lundgren wrangled by
the same director (Florentine) and action choreographer (Akihiro
Noguchi) who’d just
done
the Gary Daniels vehicle Cold Harvest
(1999), but their
results are kinda weak. Lundgren’s one of those actors who’re
generally identified as karate stars but doesn’t really build on
their
reputation, and while I wasn’t expecting him to go
full-on kick crazy, I was
expecting more fighting than this. The high point comes early when
Valerie Chow’s stunt double leads some
stick fights on raised poles, and the final duel between Lundgren and
Tagawa is worth a mention, but there’s sparse little karate between
these events. Lundgren
suffers from a lack of credible opponents, sure, but he just seems
readier to shoot a foe than fight
him otherwise – major
disappointment for
a movie by the guy who’d eventually set the standard for martial
arts flicks.
Part
of this karate dearth has to
do with the poor utilization of Princess Halo, who’s established as
a good fighter early on but spends the rest of the film in repeated
need of rescue. This
would peeve me even if the
movie didn’t need
more fights.
Stripping the character of practically all her autonomy after
establishing her so fiercely
is disingenuous: the filmmakers want to have
her be a passive trophy but at the same time also win points for
having her be a strong female co-lead –
somehow. It’s
boring, sexist, and impoverishes the movie all the more.
Bridge of Dragons
is an overall entertaining trip, but
it’s only worth a rental.
Florentine’s early style, with dialogue as overblown as his sound
effects,
will make some viewers wonder whether this is too much like Power
Rangers for their liking.
Combined with the other
shortcomings, this matches the film’s strengths tit-for-tat, but
it’s just not worth the shelf room unless you’re a particularly
big fan of any of the actors.
Trivia:
The film’s curious
title made sense in the original script. The story
was to end with the protagonists trapped in the middle of a bridge
with two armies bearing down on them from either side. The characters
are killed but die heroically, fighting “like dragons.”
Written
by
Carlton Holder (Extreme
Heist),
Greg Latter (uncredited), Clint Lien (uncredited)
Starring
Dolph Lundgren, Valerie Chow (Lover
of the Last Empress),
Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa (Mortal
Kombat),
Gary Hudson (Martial
Outlaw)
Cool
costars:
Perpetual
onscreen tough guys Scott Schwartz (Ocean’s
Eleven)
and Bashar Rahal (Direct
Contact)
have appropriate roles, as does
Lundgren’s
personal karate
trainer Brian Fitkin. English sketch actor Jo Kendall (Emmerdale)
is pretty
enjoyable in
pure acting role.
Content
warning:
Sexual assault, domestic violence, violence towards women, group
violence, war-related
violence
At
the end of the 80s, a Lebanese-Canadian martial arts competitor sold
his jewelry business and entered the world of karate flicks. His name
is Jalal Merhi, and through money and persistence, he became a staple
name of the U.S. video scene. Nicknamed “Beirut’s Steven Seagal”
(despite his accent making him comparable to Jean-Claude Van Damme),
what set him apart from virtually everyone else on the U.S. martial
arts scene was his desire to showcase Chinese martial arts over their
more common Japanese and Korean counterparts. He tried this first
with Fearless Tiger (1991), a
tournament flick that didn’t see an
American release until three
years after completion, but had greater luck with the more unique Tiger Claws. Merhi’s
recipe for this endeavor?
– lots of kung
fu, established stars, and a capable
director. The result is a
thoroughly watchable adventure that grew on me over time. It’s an
examination of fanaticism in martial arts, and arguably the best film
Merhi would ever star in.
The
movie opens in New York City with a woman (Cynthia Rothrock) hounded
on the street by a suspicious man (Nick Dibley). He corners her with
evil intent, but she fights back and utterly decimates him in a
brawl, knocking him out before he’s arrested. It turns out she’s
Detective Linda Masterson, supercop, and the guy who attacked her was
a suspect in a crime spree. She’s disgusted that her wolf-whistling
partner (Fern Figueiredo) wasn’t anywhere to be found when the
fight happened, but more so that she’s wasting her time “dressing
up like a whore and working on these two-bit cases.” Shortly
thereafter, we meet our other hero: Det. Tarek Richard (Jalal Merhi),
who’s carrying out an undercover drug deal that, somehow, is also
the purview of rival detectives Roberts (Robert Nolan) and Vince
(Kedar Brown). It’s unclear who’s actually out of line, but
Tarek’s suspended when his counterparts initiate a fight/shootout
and the dealer is blown up in his car.
The
case they’re both headed for – Linda by intent and Tarek by
accident – is that of the Death Dealer, a serial killer targeting
martial artists. The victims’ claw-like head wounds lead Linda to
believe that the killer’s also a martial artist and that he can be
unconvered by identifying his fighting style. This impresses her
superior, Sergeant Reeves (John Webster), who assigns her to the case
over a sexist cohort but also demands she work with the
still-suspended Tarek. Linda’s not pleased but has no choice,
especially when Tarek promptly identifies the style as “fu jow . .
. some people call it tiger claw.”
Let’s
pause to examine the story’s unusual take on martial arts
awareness. Usually in these features, a martial artist is teamed up
with someone who has no such experience and thinks “chop socky”
is nonsense. That approach is subverted, here: Linda’s already a
master martial artist but still needs the insight of a “specialist”
like Tarek when it comes to exotic styles. Again, this is part of
Jalal Merhi’s unique formula: not only was he featuring kung fu in
his movies when few others were, but doing so at a time when these
styles weren’t even widely practiced outside of films. It’s less
of a deal now that Hong Kong flicks are widely distributed and it’s
easy to find modern kung fu fight scenes, but at the time, Merhi
capitalized on a market opening and used the opportunity to build up
the Chinese arts grandly. The movie’s stance is that, while you can
be a well-studied martial artist, there’s always more to learn by
looking to the past. If you don’t, you’ll be at a disadvantage.
This sentiment isn’t explored and thus feels a little like martial
arts propaganda (“Your kung fu is strong, but mine is better!”),
but I think Merhi was merely trying to set a precedent at this point.
Photo source| Jalal Merhi, Kedar Brown, Robert Nolan
Tarek
and Linda search Chinatown for the school where the killer trains.
Specifically, they’re searching for a secret studio that only
trains serious fighters – like Tarek says, “This is not a sport
for any bozo with 50 bucks.” They eventually receive a tip from a
drunken boxing student (Rick Sue) who they rescue from a gang
beating. It’s a cool fight, but doesn’t go very far in
distinguishing our heroes’ differing approaches to martial arts:
Tarek has some flowing movements, but he’s still as hard-edged as
his partner. Ironically, it’s Linda who wields a Chinese rope dart.
Anyway, they’re directed to a local tournament to find Sifu Chow
(Mo Chow) – the only fu jow teacher in the area. Tarek not only
finds him, but also an old friend and tournament competitor, John
Atkinson (playing himself). A huge and mysterious man in the crowd
(Bolo Yeung) looks on ominously as John wins the championship.
Shortly thereafter, he shows up in John’s home and attacks him –
killing him with a tiger strike to the face. Afterwards, we see the
guy before a tiger-themed altar decorated with trophies from the
other beaten martial artists. This is our killer.
Tarek
and Linda follow Chow to an abandoned movie theater which Tarek
immediately identifies as his school. He wants to go in right away,
but Linda demands he stay. When a night of waiting results in nothing
but the aforementioned death of his friend, Tarek impatiently sneaks
into the studio on his own. He’s promptly discovered, but –
immediately crafting his cover – earns a chance at tutelage by
revealing that Chow and he studied under the same master. (Stroke of
luck, huh?) Before leaving, Tarek notices his friend’s killer
painting a mural on the wall, but of course doesn’t know who Chong
is.
TRIVIA:
A subsequent scene features Tarek and Linda arguing whether to go to
an Italian or Chinese restaurant to eat. This mirrors a real-life
event wherein Merhi, Rothrock, Yeung, and some production members
were deciding where to eat after a day of filming. Everyone voted for
Italian, with the exception of Yeung. Merhi, who idolized Yeung,
immediately changed his vote and attempted to sway the group in favor
of Bolo’s choice. He was overruled and the group went to the
Italian locale, where Yeung refused to order anything.
Tarek
returns to the secret studio and earns his spot
by holding his own in against the other students. This is the first
fully-fledged kung fu fight scene, and the difference to previous
brawls is noticeable. The pacing is more restrained and the tiger
claw choreography reminds me of classic Hong Kong fights. You
get the impression that the filmmakers are genuinely trying to make
the fu jow
aspects
stand out, and this continues as Tarek engages
in a necessity for
any
good kung fu
flick – a training scene. He twirls weapons, strikes form, and
toughens his hands by submerging them in a wok of boiling water
filled with chains. Sifu Chow doesn’t do much on-the-ground
teaching, preferring
to beat a drum while his students go
at it, but he does step in
as a rivalry between Tarek and fellow
student James (Ho
Chow) threatens to get out of hand.
In
an unexpected turn, another student (Gary Wong) invites Tarek to a
go-go club, and they take Chong with them. The movie twists
expectations by showing Chong as a normal guy who drinks and laughs
with his comrades, but eventually, the scene’s mainly there so
Tarek can find out how good of a fighter the muralist is when they
have to thwart a mafia attack on the joint. Additionally, Chong keeps
Tarek from killing one of the guys – highlighting the theme of
martial excess that I’ll get into later. In the aftermath, Tarek
still isn’t certain which of the practitioners is the killer, but
Linda thinks it’s the hotheaded James. She confronts him at a
billiard bar, and despite beating up him and half the establishment
in the process, it turns out that he has an alibi. This faux pas
results in Linda and Tarek being removed from the case and being
replaced by the insufferable Roberts and Vince. In the meantime,
Chong kills Sifu Chow and some of the students.
This
scene is an enigmatic as it is essential. The final exchange between
Chong and Chow features Chinese dialogue with no subtitles, so while
their exchange may offers clues to Chong’s motives, I can’t be
certain. We
don’t find out otherwise
why Chong is a serial killer. The head-spinning
sequel throws a ton of new, outrageous information into the
continuity, but where only
this movie is concerned, it’s
ambiguous. The only theory
that’d
tie into
an existing theme is that Chong, having taken his training to the
extreme, has literally been driven crazy
by kung fu. Tarek’s spent the picture making sure we know how
demanding and encompassing fu jow is, having mentioned that his wife
left him when last
he trained – implying that
he, like Chong, has the potential to become a menace if
not kept in check. Tarek’s
also the only character to voice a
theory on Chong’s motives, saying that perhaps he’s
trying to “drum up lost respect for his style.” This may in fact
be a part of the reason,
given how the movie venerates
kung fu. Chong may see his
victims and
their martial arts as temporary and weak and is thus trying to
exemplify
the “true” martial art. This isn’t entirely without real-world
parallel: fierce inter-style
competition goes back centuries, and Chinese styles have often been
ridiculed in modern times
by “hard style” practitioners for being impractical and fancy.
Altogether, this information
comprises pieces to Chong’s puzzle, but the picture still isn’t
clear. Perhaps that’s why the movie reveals the killer relatively
early: it’s not bad writing, but an intended opportunity for
viewers to ponder Chong’s motives.
Tarek
and Linda refuse to drop the case, and they somehow
determine that Chong is their
prime suspect. Their suspicions are confirmed when they enter the
studio, finding the others
dead and Chong in attack
mode. He flees after a quick
duel with Linda, who spends the rest of the night searching for him
with Tarek. They find him at the pier, but not before the bumbling
Roberts and Vince arrive and handcuff
Tarek, suspecting him of the murders. Linda and Chong fight again –
possibly the best one-on-one match of the film – but the finale
pits the still-handcuffed Tarek against Chong in a warehouse. In a
bit of egoism, Jalal Merhi’s character is able to best Chong while
spending the majority of the fight with his hands bound. The
film ends with with Chong apprehended, Tarek and Linda commended, and
the former reinstated while the two share an awkwardly-earned
kiss on Tarek’s boat.
TRIVIA:
The movie draws on real-life characteristics for many of its
characters. For example… Linda is from Scranton, PA and
Chong is from Canton, China – just like their actors. Jalal Merhi
wasn’t divorced, but like Tarek, he was single at the time of
production. John Atkinson was indeed a successful karate fighter and
multi-time grand champion. Mo Chow is a martial arts
instructor who operateshis own studio.
Bill Pickels – Chong’s first victim – is a former cable TV
personality in Canada. Three actors share similar or identical names
with their characters: Mo Chow, John Atkinson, and Bill Pickels.
I
wasn’t a Jalal Merhi fan when I first saw this, and only held onto
the tape for Cynthia Rothrock. I can still see why the guy didn’t
click with me right away. Merhi lacks the charisma that makes even a
questionable actor like Rothrock fun to watch, and despite his
emphasis on kung fu being genuinely unique at the time, it doesn’t
make him stand out to the average viewer. Despite his efforts, Merhi
isn’t comparable to Steven Seagal introducing aikido in the late
80s or Tony Jaa rewriting action choreography with muay thai in the
2000s. Nevertheless, the more of this subgenre you consume, the more
Jalal’s effort does in fact stand out. The Chinese martial arts
help give this movie a unique flavor that you won’t find in other
kick flicks of the same budget. The crisp forms, traditional uniforms
and decent training montages eventually give the movie an air of
importance that I kind of miss in other features. This approach won’t
click with viewers who’d rather limit martial arts exclusively to
fight scenes, but it might be unique enough for those who’ve grown
tired of repetitious kickboxing.
Merhi’s
use of eye-catching names to star alongside him is a sound decision,
but again, you can’t help but chuckle at the scene that features
him defeating Bolo Yeung as Cynthia
Rothrock fishes a buffoonish
detective out of the bay.
Nevertheless, treating his own
character as exemplary
doesn’t mean the others are treated as jokes. This is one of
Yeung’s most interesting non-Hong
Kong roles, and even though
Rothrock hangs back many
times, both she
and Bolo are given ample
opportunity to steal the show in
fight scenes. To tell the
truth, Merhi is
elevated by their presence because
they bring out a lot in him. I’ve seen the guy do flashier moves,
but he’s never looked as tight and collected as he does here. To
date, Merhi is the only Arab martial arts star who’s had a solo
career in North America, and he really puts his best foot forward in
making a first impression here.
Exploring
the martial arts theme yields contradictory results. We’re to
presume that fu jow – and “old” martial arts in general – are
superior to modern forms, because when they come into contact, the
former tends to triumph. Nevertheless, Linda seems to be the
exception: she isn’t versed in fu jow but still defeats a hardcore
practitioner in direct combat. We’re also led to believe that
respect and mastery of the martial arts is limited to the experience
of immigrants and minority characters, but the majority of Chong’s
victims fall under the same labels. There’s also a theme of martial
arts bringing people together – i.e. Linda and Tarek bonding over
their practice of the fighting arts – but this ignores that Tarek’s
wife left him because of his training and that Chong’s obsession
with the martial arts may be the cause of his murderous behavior. I
wish the film were more consistent in what it’s saying.
Nevertheless,
it’s still enjoyable and that’s got much to do with director
Kelly Makin. Merhi had a knack for selecting inexperienced directors
who’d later go on to critical acclaim, and Makin displays his
talent via style in what would otherwise have been a humdrum-looking
picture. Though I’m not sure whether anyone would think this is an
A-grade production, Makin delivers a consistently clean look and
takes time to highlight the soundtrack, indulge in interesting camera
angles, and even film an occasional arty establishing shot. Though
not the best in this regard, he can shoot a fight scene surprisingly
well.
Tiger
Claws is a
fun watch for genre fans and definitely worth
hooking up the old VCR for. The
cast is a supergroup of genuine martial talent and
the filmmakers
know how
to make them shine. There are plenty of things I’d change, but
overall, this is one experiment that pays off. People interested in
coming into these types of movies should definitely consider it, and
established viewers
who’ve yet to see this particular one shouldn’t hesitate much
longer. Check it out!
Written
by J.
Stephen Maunder (writer for almost all of Jalal Merhi’s movies)
Starring
Jalal Merhi, Cynthia Rothrock (China
O’Brien),
Bolo Yeung (Bloodsport),
John Webster
Cool
costars:
Gary Wong, Michael Bernardo (WMAC
Masters),
Rick
Sue (Expect
No Mercy),
David Stevenson (Death
House),
Bill Pickels (Sworn
to Justice),
Mo
Chow (Talons
of the Eagle)
and Ho Chow
(Kung
Fu: The Legend Continues)
are
all legitimate martial artists playing the part. Wing chun legend
Dunn Wah (AKA Sunny Tang) plays a master
but doesn’t have
any fight scenes. IMDb credits gang member William Cheung as the William
Cheung – kung
fu
master and contemporary
of Bruce Lee
– but I don’t think they’re the same person. Similarly,
John
Atkinson is identified as an English TV actor who died in ‘07,
whereas the real performer currently operates a martial arts studio
in Arizona. Robert
Nolan
(Sixty
Minutes to Midnight)
is
a fairly
acclaimed dramatic
actor
while his onscreen partner
Kedar Brown has
been building a career in
voice acting.
Content
warning: Sexist
dialogue, attempted
sexual assault, group
violence, WTC imagery
Copyright
Tiger Claws Productions, Ltd. / MCA Universal Home Video (now
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)
I’ve
recently heard about the tragic death of Soon-Tek Oh, one of my
favorite actors and a person who definitely deserves honoring on this
page. Oh was an acclaimed Hollywood performer whose work spanned
genres and mediums, and while he wasn’t generally labeled a “karate
guy,” it’d be an oversight if nobody mentioned his involvement
with the action genre in memoriam. A practitioner of taekwondo and
kendo, Oh brought an authenticity to his fighting roles that wasn’t
lost on his fans, and he thus made an impression even when performing
alongside established martial arts stars. Indeed, his last fight
scene (in The President’s Man
[2000])
featured
the 68-year-old Oh leading
a
furious
climactic showdown
against Chuck Norris.
Though his involvement with
my U.S. video niche
was limited, his memory deserves the lasting respect of anyone who
enjoys the martial arts subgenre as a whole. With
regard to his towering
portfolio of dramatic work, I’ll
always remember him as a deceptively
skilled
fighter who brought much class to every production he was involved
with. I’m
going to miss him very much.
No collection of
martial arts greats is complete without Shihan Christine
Bannon-Rodrigues. A New England native who chose karate over other
sports because of its high level of participation (less “time on
the bench,” as she says), she would soon realize it was her
calling. She was 17 when she earned her first black belt, and was
successfully competing at the world championship level by 25.
Competition earned Bannon-Rodrigues 135 grand championship wins, her
most notable being nine world titles at the WAKO games – two in
forms, three in weapons, and four in fighting. The “Lady Lightning”
balanced this career with one in show business, netting stunt roles
in major productions while shining as a featured fighter on the small
screen. Now retired from competition and appearing only infrequently
on film, she co-owns and teaches at the Don Rodrigues Karate Academy
in Warwick, RI.
Styles &
Accomplishments Oki-Ryu
Kenpo (9th
Dan; 9-time
WAKO World Champion)
Kickboxing
Wushu
Judo
Jujutsu
Krav
Maga
Films to
See Xtreme
Fighter
(2004) – co-starring role WMAC
Masters
(1995-1996) – recurring role The
Martial Arts Kid
(2015)
–
cameo
Trivia Bannon-Rodrigues
set back-to-back world records at the WAKO games. At the 1991 world
championships, she became the first competitor to win three titles at
the same event. When
critics dismissed this as
a fluke, she repeated the feat two years later at the 1993 world
championships.
“Touch that gun, I’ll shove it up your ass and pull the trigger!”
Even
23 years after
its release, Ballistic
is a breath of fresh air. I put off buying it for a long time because
of the
higher-than-average price tag it
goes with these days, but
that was a mistake; it’s
worth every penny.
This isn’t the perfect action movie and
it isn’t
quite unique
enough to be in a class of its own, but it gets
enough of the genre’s necessities
right while also adding
some extra
touches
to make for a genuinely worthy
video entry.
Putting its assets to good use while avoiding any glaring faults,
this is a great vehicle for
first-time star Marjean Holden and
a real hidden gem in the VHS mine.
The
story: When a straight-shooting detective (Holden) is falsely
implicated in a murder, she must prove a conspiracy between the
department and a sleazy arms dealer (Sam Jones).
Marjean
Holden is a fixture of the U.S. action scene, but despite her career
spanning theatrical, video,
and TV
work, she’s been underutilized as
a martial arts star. She’s
best known for her exotic but disappointing role in Mortal
Kombat: Annihilation (1997),
and to date, Ballistic
is the only action picture she stars in. There’s no apparent reason
why she’s seen so little
lead roles, as Holden uses
the opportunity to prove
herself the complete
package. She has an engaging screen presence and more than one note
to her acting. Her martial arts lack the world-class sheen of a
Cynthia Rothrock but she’s yards better than, say, Mimi Lesseos. Or
Michael Dudikoff. In a
perfect world, Ballistic
would be the rough freshman effort that helps lead to a polished solo
career. As is, it’s a good
demonstration of how to build up a potential star, especially when
you have plenty of other
assets at hand.
The
production values are what you’d expect from an upper-level DTV
studio like Imperial, and the cast is surprisingly great for this
kind of film. Sam Jones is an appropriately smug villain, and Charles
Napier brings some dramatic
clout to the ensemble. Cult hero Richard Roundtree plays Holden’s
onscreen father, and while I’ve grown
to regard Roundtree as
someone who gets top billing and then only appears in a handful of
scenes, he’s a genuine character here and is made full use of as an
action veteran. And amid
a fair number of recognizable
enforcers and onscreen combatants, the great star-to-be
Michael Jai White shows off his moves as he does in few films that
he’s not
actually starring
in. Everyone plays to their
strengths, whether that be martial moves or dramatic prowess. While
nobody was about to win awards for this film, no one’s phoning it
in, either.
The
things
that set this movie apart
are Holden’s
relationships to some of the other supporting figures –
specifically Richard Roundtree and her onscreen boyfriend Joel Beeson
(The Dragon Ring). You
can guess that martial artist Beeson will make his way into the
greater story, but it’s not until the film’s second half when
Roundtree’s character is released from prison and joins in the plot
that both assume prominence almost equal to Holden. In a lesser
movie, this might give the impression of
the filmmakers not having
confidence
in their star’s potential to headline, but surprisingly good
writing conveys the importance of family in this scheme.
Thematically, Holden’s
family – defined by their entertaining,
well-established
interrelationships – proves itself stronger than the shifty
criminal enterprise. It’s probably
not what the 18-36 male demographic was demanding, but the film’s
all the better for it.
The
fight content is a mixed bag, but
even here there are definite high points. Again, Michael Jai White is
fantastic, even if he can’t always find opponents to match his
acrobatic skills. Joel Beeson is a pretty decent kickboxer; in any
other incarnation of this film, he’d be the lead. And while Marjean
Holden may technically be the least skilled performer to have more
than one fight, she proves versatile in a weapons-based match and has
a fun climactic brawl against
Corinna Everson – the bodybuilder from Double Impact
who you’ll subsequently
agree was severely
underutilized in her fight with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
All
of this plays out under the direction of Kim Bass. Bass is one of the
very few women who’ve directed a martial arts film in the U.S., and
while her aesthetic approach is
virtually indistinguishable to my eye,
she’s got a sense
for action and deserves much credit for everything she gets out of
her main characters. I can’t
think of many directors who’d produce the same familial kinship in
a picture while also filming skillful karate encounters, and
in light of that, it’s a
shame that Bass has yet to direct another martial arts feature. On
the other hand, that just makes Ballistic
stand out all the more. I like this movie a lot, and
the fact that there are few others like it makes it a little
precious. There’s a good chance others will like it, too, so give
it a look if you happen to find it on TV or in a thrift shop.
Ballistic
(1995) Directed
by Kim
Bass (Kill
Speed) Written
by
Don Lamoreaux (creative consultant for Day
of Days) Starring
Marjean Holden, Joel Beeson, Richard Roundtree (Shaft trilogy),
Sam Jones (Flash
Gordon) Cool
costars: Charles
Napier (The
Silence of the Lambs),
Corinna Everson, James Lew (Balance
of Power),
Julie St. Claire (A.J.’s
Time Travelers),
Michael Jai White (Blood
and Bone),
Vincent Klyn (Cyborg),
Robert Miano (Broken
Blood),
Nils Allen Stewart (Mercenary),
Georges Bejue (Cage
II) Content
warning: Sexist
dialogue Copyright
Imperial Entertainment Corp.
I
think it was the documentary Rewind This!
(2013) which
claimed
that
less than half of all U.S.
movies with
a VHS release also got
released on DVD. This number will
rise as distributors slowly
select older titles
they hope will make
some easy money, but for now,
the statistic
means that viewers have less opportunity to discover (or rediscover)
pictures that were released before video tape’s
obsolescence. This hits the
fans of direct-to-video
flicks particularly hard, as
theatrical features have always received preferential
distribution. Martial arts
movies face their own particular hardship here, as the overwhelming
majority of U.S. karate
features have been
direct-to-video. (A good rule
of thumb for pre-Matrix
movies: unless it stars Van Damme, Seagal, or
Norris, it probably didn’t
get a theatrical
release.) As such, many
martial arts movies produced before the proliferation of the DVD
still haven’t been released in that format – at least not in the
U.S.
This
problem isn’t prevalent with
newer flicks, but if you’re
a connoisseur of older films, it can be disheartening to
try to find these movies in a desired format.
Having faced
this issue for years, I feel
qualified to provide a general overview of such
films’ availability
and how to best get your hands on ones you’re looking for.
VHS
– This is the
format on which
DTV martial arts films are most widely available, but
no major U.S. distributor markets
tapes
anymore and they’re
unlikely to be sold
by primary
sellers.
This leaves you with only third-party sellers to buy from – mainly
online, where eBay tends
to provide good
deals.
Of course, one
of the reasons
behind video tape’s obsolescence is its inferior audio/video
quality, and the fact that it
will inevitably deteriorate over time. Pros
– Unmatched availability for
earlier
films, cheap prices Cons
– Third-party sales only, substandard technical
quality, progressive tape
deterioration
DVD Compilation Packages
– The option
of finding a rare movie as part of a DVD set
is
often overlooked due to their
relative obscurity
and the fact that they sometimes don’t show up in searches
for individual titles.
Nevertheless, in cases where
the single DVD release is incredibly expensive or the picture hasn’t
been released otherwise, such
sets can be a cheap
option. However, the more obscure the distributor is,
the less likely you’ll be getting anything more than a crappy
tape transfer. Pros
– Inexpensive Cons
– Relatively
rare, poor
technical
quality
Overseas
DVDs –
Sometimes,
video tapes just don’t
cut it and there simply isn’t
a modern format
of your desired
movie available in
the States.
In such cases,
you could
look abroad. It may surprise some American viewers that international
viewing preferences don’t
directly
mirror the U.S. mainstream, and cheap martial arts films are
actually widely available on
disc in other countries.
Personally, I’ve had luck acquiring
them from German, British,
Australian, and Malaysian distributors – just go online, find a
site from these countries that sells movies (Google’s translation
service
can be
a big help), and check out what they have. Disappointingly, not every
distributor will ship to U.S. addresses, and even if they do, the
import costs can be outrageous.
Additionally, many
of these releases aren’t
the highest quality; many
will inevitably be direct
tape
transfers. Worse yet,
plenty of films
are only available overseas
in censored formats. Pros
– High
availability, cheap retail price Cons
– High shipping price, questionable technical
quality,
proliferation
of censored editions
VHS-to-DVD Conversion*
– There are many devices
commercially available that allow you to
record your video tapes onto a DVD (or even a hard drive). I’ve
heard some people mention that they did this with
their entire VHS collection following the shift
to DVDs, so while I’ve never had much luck with it
myself, it obviously works
well enough for other people. The obvious drawback is that this is a
direct video transfer, so the quality of the DVD will mirror the
quality of the tape – it might even be a little worse. That said,
unlike the tape, the DVD will maintain the
resulting quality
indefinitely. Pros
– Infinite usage Cons
– Questionable quality, might be difficult to use
*Technically,
this may be illegal. I feel compelled to mention this, but really, if
you’ve ever burned music to a disc or even recorded something off
the radio, you’re already
guilty of the same level of crime. Just don’t try and sell your
transfers.
Online
Video Streaming
– I’m referring to services like Netflix and other authentic
platforms that have a legal right to market movies. Obviously there’s
much less appeal here for viewers who prefer a physical medium.
There’s
also
the
fact that even if you purchase a film for indefinite use on these
platforms, you don’t actually own
the movie like you would a
DVD: you’re
still technically
renting it, and there’ve
been instances where providers have legally reclaimed what consumers
assumed was their personal property. However, these platforms are
useful for a couple of reasons: they allow you to rent movies that
you won’t find at the progressively
rare
video stores, and they increasingly
provide movies of this subgenre
for a lower cost than more recent productions. Pros
– Growing availability, rental option Cons
– Limited by internet service quality, digital
ownership
paradox
I’m
choosing to not list illegitimate video streaming as an outlet. While
distribution on sites like Youtube is
tempting, I don’t
condone consuming content in
a way that won’t directly benefit the filmmakers I wish to support.
And while some
martial arts filmmakers have chosen to post their content freely,
these are typically newer
movies.
Though economic realities require filmmakers at
all levels to balance their artistic visions with the demands of
financiers, DTV flicks have historically felt these demands
particularly hard. Producers and studio representatives frequently
have vetoing power over all creative aspects of a feature, and the
result has been an often baffling amount of narrative dis-fluency.
Newcomers to the video market in the early-to-mid-2000s like Sony
were particularly bad about this, and the resulting poor quality of
the movies was all too often incorrectly regarded by fans as the
fault of incompetent writers, directors, and talent.
This isn’t to say
that things were super before the new millennium, thanks to the
impact of international distributors. You see, U.S. productions were
(are?) surprisingly reliant on foreign sales to recoup on their
budgets, and as a result filmmakers often planned their productions
to meet an all-important goal: impress agents at film festivals.
Distributors who purchased the rights to these pictures often
wouldn’t even watch the whole movie – just the first few minutes.
Consequently, many films were thematically unbalanced due to the
makers pouring an overabundance of resources into the opening 10
minutes. As such, the stereotype that these movies are all very
similar is truer than I’d like to admit, but for a different reason
than many critics suspect.
Smaller,
action-oriented studios like PM, Imperial, and Shapiro-Glickenhaus
developed a reputation for above-average content during video’s
heyday. However, the crash of the video market around the turn of the
century resulted in such
studios
going out of business, being bought up, or otherwise dropping
out of the marketplace.
In their place came the likes of Sony and 20th
Century Fox: giants of film
production/distribution but newcomers to DTV flicks. The transition
wasn’t particularly smooth, with the studios largely churning out
pictures that were clunkier and less memorable than the schlockiest
indie production. This was something of a surprise, since these same
conglomerates were simultaneously producing
award-winning theatrical fare.
The
reason for this
low quality output
is
surprisingly base. As indicated by Nicholas Chartier –
co-founder of Voltage Studios, the production house that released the
Academy Award-winning film The
Hurt Locker
– in
a 2009 Variety
interview, the strategy of larger studios
is to produce and market DTV fare based solely
on name recognition,
ignoring
quality
and
using
the proceeds to finance larger
and
more ambitious productions. While
this may have changed a little over time with
DTV productions eliciting a little more respect from studios,
you can still see this
meat & potatoes
approach in many films.
Before
the time of the aforementioned video crash, the DTV action circuit
was regarded as a potential stepping stone to greater fame and
fortune. Don Wilson, Jeff Wincott, Billy Blanks, Cynthia Rothrock,
Loren Avedon, Michael Worth, Jerry Trimble, and Mimi Lesseos are
just some of the names that fans discussed during
the subgenre’s zenith,
with the question being who
would eventually ascend to Hollywood stardom.
However, the market’s fall saw most of these figures flushed out of
the market
and replaced by previously-established
names:
Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, and Wesley
Snipes. The message was clear: there was only limited room for stars
and studios
favored
aging
ex-
A-listers over more talented alternatives. Worse
yet, their movies tended to be pretty darn bad.
In
a short amount of time, fan conversations turned from who was going
to be the next major action hero
to how little Seagal & Co. must care about their fans to deliver
such poor results. To
be sure, the problem wasn’t that these stars were now making
non-theatrical fare, but that doing so came at the expense of
everybody we’d been hoping
to make it big for years. While the ex-superstars
suddenly
dominated the rental shelves with well-funded but poorly-made
vehicles, the heroes of yesteryear were either relegated to even
cheaper
flicks or dropped out altogether. It
was a
disappointing end to
many aspirations.
As stars age and aren’t in the spotlight anymore, we can often
rest
assured that they’ll continue to share their influence behind the
camera as directors
and producers.
Eastwood and Stallone are doing it. Hong Kong fans are particularly
lucky, as Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung and Stephen Chow are known just
as well as filmmakers
as they
are action
stars. The
B-movie action genre, on the other hand, doesn’t have this to
look forward to.
The
best we’ve got is Dolph Lundgren directing the odd low-budgeteer
that the guy himself criticizes. Seagal
and Van Damme have nursed directorial hopes in the low budget realm,
but these have yet to bear fruit. [NOTE:
I just found out that Van Damme’s self-directed Full
Love
is scheduled to come out later this year, after having been in and
out of production for almost
a decade.] And though a few less-recognized names are finding notable
behind-the-scenes work in major motion pictures, the fact is that
most of what made the subgenre enjoyable during its heyday looks like
it’s being forgotten. No other faction of martial arts filmmaking –
from the earliest Chinese productions to the sloppy Bourne
style of
fight
scenes – has been so disregarded by its successors, and
it’s happening for no reason. Time will tell whether this changes,
but for now,
it’s not looking promising.
It’s
long interested (and, recently, concerned) me how movies represent
women and minorities (ethnic and cultural). As of late, I’ve turned
this scrutiny on my particular film niche – direct-to-video
American martial arts movies. Specifically, I wanted to measure which
demographic was most likely to produce stars within the subgenre. I
already had an idea, but the results were still a little surprising.
I’ve
collected the data as to who’s been a leading star in these sorts
of movies since 1985. All of the performers listed below have starred
in or co-led at least three US-based DTV/limited release
action/martial arts productions. Where applicable, I’ve substituted
a starring role in a TV production in lieu of a third film lead.
White
Men (not Latin):
Loren
Avedon, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris,* Richard Norton, Jeff Speakman,
Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jeff Wincott, Michael Worth, Scott Adkins,
David Bradley, Bryan Genesse, Michael Bernardo, Paul Logan, Sasha
Mitchell, Michael Dudikoff, Ted Jan Roberts, Ron Marchini, Chad
McQueen, Scott Shaw, Eric Jacobus, Matt Mullins, Gary Daniels,
Olivier Gruner, Jerry Trimble, Dale Cook, Antonio Sabato, Jr., Gary
Wasniewski, Steven
Seagal** White
Women (not Latin):
Cynthia Rothrock, Mimi Lesseos, Zoe Bell Asian
Men: Philip Rhee, Ho-Sung Pak, Leo Fong, Johnny Yong Bosch, Jon Foo,
Julian Lee, Jun Chong, Jino Kang, Cung Le, Don Wilson, Ernie
Reyes, Jr. Asian
Women: N/A Black
Men:
Billy Blanks, Wesley Snipes, Michael Jai White, Fred Williamson, Ron
Hall Black
Women: N/A Latin
Men:
Fabian Carillo, Hector Echavarria, Lorenzo Lamas Latin
Women: N/A Arab
Men:
Jalal Merhi Arab
Women: N/A Multiracial
Men:
Mark Dacascos Multiracial
Women: N/A *Norris describes himself as being of mixed ethnicity, but his claims have been disputed. [SOURCE] **Ditto. [SOURCE]
[ERRATUM 8/4/18: I may have mis-attributed the ethnicity of Mimi Lesseos, whose Wikipedia article claims she’s actually Latinx and Greek.]
The
obvious implications of
this data are that (1) white men
enjoy far greater representation
than all other groups, and (2) women of color are completely
unrepresented.
Additionally, no other
ethnicities or cultural identities than
the ones listed here are represented at all,
and this includes
Asians who don’t fall
under the eastern or southeastern headings.
So…
What’s the problem
here? What’s the issue, especially since we’re talking about such
a very specific
subgenre? Well, to everybody outside of this niche, there isn’t a
problem beyond the degree to which DTV action
flicks mirror the larger filmmaking scene. However,
representation matters here as much as for any
genre because it helps
determine the future of this kind of movie. If
these films are viewed by customers and filmmakers
as primarily a gilding hall
for white male
leads, the number
of women and minorities vying for anything
beyond stuntwork or supporting parts isn’t encouraged
to grow…and that’s likely to deprive us all of
potentially great talent.
Women, people of color, and other minorities
help comprise the cream of the martial arts
crop, and the thought of losing out on the
next potential Cynthia Rothrock or Michael Jai White is
galling. These movies don’t necessarily
thrive on technical or dramatic innovation,
but rather the physical
innovation of its
performers. Given this,
it’s within everybody’s interest that anybody
with the potential to
thrill martial enthusiasts be duly considered.
“Objection:
As this data only represents the DTV realm, it’s not an accurate
portrayal of representation in American filmmaking or even the
action/martial arts genre as a whole.”
The
fact that DTV films don’t encompass the entirety of a
genre doesn’t negate the significance of their own
sector, the same way that one avenue
of occupation needn’t encompass the entire job market to have
unique implications for those involved.
Though often viewed as a derivative of Hollywood, the DTV realm is
very much its own place
with unique hierarchies and politics. Entire careers are played out
within it. What’s more, the DTV circuit
isn’t so small as to be insignificant: even if the U.S.
blockbuster scene became
a beacon of representation, poor practices in
the DTV scene could
still be enough to
unsettle the landscape.
When you consider that less than 100 films are given a widespread
theatrical release in the U.S. each year, it’s easy to imagine how
quickly the smaller, quickly-produced
releases can overtake them in quantity.
Add to that the
popularity of online video streaming services
and their
equalizing nature,
and you can see that DTV flicks
are a significant part
the national film market.
“Objection:
A quantitative measurement doesn’t properly convey how well a group
is represented. For example, Wesley Snipes is more prolific and
successful than almost every white male star listed here.”
Aside
from the fact that too many demographics are still entirely
unrepresented, the problem with pointing to a Wesley Snipes or a
Lorenzo Lamas as adequate representation for an entire group is that
it closes off the chances for anyone else who might fall within that
demographic. If you take one prominent star and say there’s no need
for additional representation, then what reason is there for someone
else from that group to be taken on? Again, the result is the DTV
circuit potentially depriving itself of the next great showstopper.
“Objection:
The sample is too limiting. There’d be more women and minority
entrants if you counted those with fewer than three starring roles
and/or counted
supporting ones (e.g.
lead villains).”
I
opted for no less than three starring roles because this indicates an
established career within the DTV realm, which indicates a
willingness of
studios/distributors to repeatedly invest
in a performer – this
is, to some degree, the mark of a star. I’ve limited the
credits to lead roles because such
parts convey prestige and social esteem, and
this is important. Yes, fans can definitely
find favorites among lifetime supporting players, but supporting role
or even those
of the lead villain typically don’t
convey the positive
qualities that usually
define protagonists. Aside from being promoted
the most, lead characters
are most likely the ones the audience is encouraged to identify with.
By comparison, other
roles don’t measure up.
“Objection:
Maybe there aren’t more women/minorities in lead roles because
there are no viable contenders.”
Here’s
but a small sample of viable contenders – women and men with the
necessary physical talent to lead a fight flick.
The
good news is that the trend of white guys
dominating this subgenre does seem to be abating as
we move further
into the 21st
century. Of the 52
names in the sample, thirteen (13) are individuals who’ve begun
starring in these movies within the past 16 years; of these, only 5
are white men – about 38 percent of the
total.
White
Men: Scott Adkins,
Eric Jacobus, Matt Mullins, Gary Wasniewski,
Steven Seagal White Women:
Zoe Bell Asian Men: Johnny
Yong Bosch, Jon Foo,
Jino Kang, Cung Le Black
Men: Wesley Snipes,
Michael Jai White Latin
Men: Hector
Echavarria
Though
white male performers still enjoy the greatest
amount of representation,
they don’t completely
dominate the pipeline of new stars.
Also,
I get the impression that big-budget Hollywood
is making an effort to diversify the selection
of people it has leading its movies. I’ve said before that the DTV
arena isn’t merely
derivative of Big Studio World, but obviously the latter plays a huge
role in shaping popular trends.
If Hollywood capitalizes on diversity among
stars as
an asset, then low-budget
filmmakers may be inclined
to follow.
“How
do we change this? How do we get new, diverse
performers to helm
these movies?”
The
first step is to find out who’s actually out there. The list of
links I provided is pretty short, given the sheer amount of
performers making their reels publicly
available. Become a fan
of lesser-known kickers. Once you’ve found
someone whose work consistently impresses you and who you’d like to
see lead a production,
you can get started.
Short of stepping down from a theatrical
career, there are generally two
ways that new performers acquire
starring roles in the
DTV scene: (1) they work their way up from smaller parts and/or
stuntwork, or (2) they finance or co-finance
their own productions. In
either case, what you need to do is support
them. Help
finance indie projects they’re
developing via
crowd-funding. Feature them and their work on your social media. If
they’ve had parts in studio work, review these movies publicly
and
point out that their involvement is the reason you looked at the
picture in the first place. And
if a
movie they’ve starred in gets released, buy it directly – don’t
download or buy
it from a third party seller, and for goodness sake don’t post the
whole thing online
for free.
It’s
up to the performer(s)
in question
to prove
that they’d rock
a starring role,
but it’s up us
to
make their
effort worth it.
When
it comes to living a rich and exciting life, not many can compete
with the scope and thrill that Don Nakaya Nielsen experienced.
Starting out as a college football player, Nielsen moved on to a
career of combat sports that began with amateur boxing and
transitioned to professional kickboxing. Tough and charismatic, Don
became an international
superstar while
capturing three major
championships. His
popularity allowed an easy move
to pro wrestling in Japan,
wherein
Nielsen competed in shoot-style matches while wearing boxing gloves.
Around
this time, Nielsen initiated a
short but successful film
career and
co-starred
in three movies.
These were
Filipino productions but
made
for the western film market, and subsequently
found homes in retail
and rental shops during
home video’s
heyday.
Eventually,
Don traded
his fighting career for one
in chiropractic and
opened
the first official clinic of
Thailand in 1993.
He continued
this practice until
the end of his life on
August 15, 2017 – the
result of a heart attack
stemming
from surgical complications.
He was cremated nine days later.
Styles
& Accomplishments
Kickboxing
(WKA US National Champion; WKA International Champion; UKF
International Champion)
Muay Thai
Tang Soo Do
Films
to See Blood
Ring
(1991) – co-starring
role Eternal
Fist
(AKA Fist of
Steel)
(1992) – co-starring
role Blood
Ring 2
(1995) – supporting role
Trivia:
Nielsen played an important role in the establishment of Japan’s
mixed martial arts scene
when
he faced Frank Shamrock in a 1992
mixed
rules bout. [VIDEO]
Though Don lost, the match itself was a popular success and helped
lead
to the founding of the Pancrase Hybird Wrestling promotion in
1993.
While
re-watching some of my movies in search of something to review, I
realized how strikingly similar 1994’s Deadly Target and
1996’s White Tiger appear
to be. Both are pretty good
vehicles from Gary Daniels’ solo career, and seemingly
by coincidence, they
have
the same plot. This
realization and
the provisional quality of the films makes
me want to try
something new
and turn this
would-be review into
a competitive
comparison between the two.
Should be fun, right?
Know
now that this article’s
almost exclusively for the Gary Daniels fans out there. Few
casual viewers will have seen both features, but hey, we’re all
about niches here at B-Movie Dragons.
First,
some background. Deadly Target
is a PM Entertainment production,
and while not the first starring
picture for Gary Daniels,
it’s his first solo vehicle
that’s actually good. Indeed,
it wasn’t until PM gave him
this nudge that the
prettyboy kickboxer from London became Gary friggin’
Daniels. Just
a couple
years
afterwards,
he was working on a Hong Kong feature when the production went
broke and was bought out by
the Canada-based Keystone Pictures company.
Keystone scrapped the existing footage and did away with the
storyline, committing themselves to a completely different movie
called White Tiger,
which inexplicably
ended up being
very similar to Daniels’ aforementioned
feature. There’s no evidence that this was actually their
intention, but there’s no denying the parallels.
Now,
let’s look at which version of this adventure did it better.
The
Story
In
both features,
a law enforcement agent seeks to capture a rogue
member of the
Chinese-American mafia who’s killed the
hero’s partner en
route to distributing
an addictive narcotic on the
West Coast. In both cases,
the hero is
aided by a love interest and
the final showdown takes
place on a docked ship.
The
overriding
difference between the two is
how seriously the story takes itself. As tends to be the case with PM
productions, Deadly
Target is lighthearted with
a noticeable comedic streak. It’s a popcorn flick despite never
having seen the inside of a theater. Contrarily, White Tiger is far too
serious
to have much fun with itself. It goes for drama over
laughs, and even when there is some humor, it’s dry or
ironic. Merely
considering this, I prefer the former. While I can see some viewers
being bored
by Deadly Target’s
90s-style cheesiness,
it’s the same cheese which
gives the story texture and an
organic quality that White
Tiger lacks.
That
said, White Tiger
invests you more in its
characters. While not the most skillfully-written action feature, it
knows what it’s going for
and does a good
job of directing viewers’
emotions. Deadly
Target’s
characters are established as
soon as they appear onscreen, but White Tiger’s
tend to not show
their cards right away.
There’s development here, and it’s not just limited to the leads.
The movie wants you to think
about characters’ motivations,
and it’s ambitious enough to try and surprise the
audience at intervals with
out-of-nowhere twists.
Wisely,
it doesn’t overplay its hand: though
it liberally sprinkles the
thriller aspects, it
never forgets that we’re
expecting an action movie and
makes sure to avoid pretentiousness.
To that end, it wins me over. Deadly Target may
be more fun, but White
Tiger gives
me more to write about. It’s
a pretty good movie with
which to introduce newcomers
to Gary Daniels, whereas Deadly Target
is mainly for
established B-movie audiences.
Point: White Tiger
The
Hero
Gary
Daniels wasn’t the greatest actor at this point in his career and
his starring roles sort of blend together. Such is the case when you
compare these
movies: he’s Detective Charles Prince in Deadly
Target
and Agent Mike Ryan in White
Tiger,
and they
seem
like merely
different
takes on the same character. The
major
difference
between them
is that
Charles seems to have more fun with his life-or-death mission,
taking the
time
to crack
jokes and express
interest in other things while Mike pursues his target with uniform
intensity. You
can see practically
Charles
in an early scene of White
Tiger
while the
hero’s vacationing
with his partner’s family, and Mike seems to pop up in Deadly
Target
whenever he’s faced with the
lead villain.
When
it comes to their motivations, Mike is a little easier to empathize
with.
Charles mentions that the villain killed his (first)
partner,
but with Mike, you not only see this happen but also experience
his
investment in his partner’s family. This favors White Tiger,
and it doesn’t help that Charles seems to have some sort of
unspoken homophobia going on…but despite that,
I give the point to Deadly
Target.
For
all his shallowness, Charles
is simply
more likable. Gary
Daniels turns in a better dramatic performance for Mike,
but he’s just not interesting enough to make his relentless
seriousness
worthwhile. Charles is an example of Daniels having fun with a role,
and in
this case,
it wins him the
category.
Point: Deadly Target
The
Villain
A
hero is only as impressive
as their
adversary, and in both cases, Gary Daniels draws a good card for a
bad guy: Byron Mann as Chang in Deadly
Target
and Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa as
Victor Wong in White Tiger.
Mann and Tagawa are both acclaimed performers
who, despite having predominantly acted in other genres, are
generally known for playing martial artists – Mann in Street
Fighter: The Movie
and Tagawa in Mortal
Kombat.
Both
are versatile actors who swing between low-budget and Hollywood-grade
productions with
ease,
bringing class to both while
keeping
their dignity intact. For
both movies,
they elevate the production
and help
legitimize Gary Daniels with their presence.
That
said, I’m more impressed by Cary in this instance. Part of it’s
just that his character’s
written
with greater nuance, but he also
just
has the stronger
presence. It helps that this role goes against type for him,
so
that he’s not depicting
an
upright sentinel
for
a change.
He starts off like
that,
but within minutes you get the impression that Victor Wong would be
more at home in The
Silence of the Lambs
than Showdown in
Little Tokyo.
By
the time the movie reaches its climax, Victor has
become a self-destructive freak,
single-handedly justifying the film’s drug & fire motif.
Comparatively,
Mann doesn’t have much going for him other than that he’s
obviously
having
fun. Byron
manifests
the tone of the screenplay perfectly,
but his character sometimes
goes absent long enough for me to almost forget he’s the bad guy.
Given
his youth, Mann may seem like the more obvious choice for
an underworld renegade who’s
upsetting the established order,
but Tagawa stands
out thanks to Victor’s greater depth.
(Also, he has
a fight scene with Gary Daniels, which Mann doesn’t.)
Point: White Tiger
The
Love Interest
Please
forgive the condescension this
label implies, but in both movies, the most prominent
female character
is largely defined by her relationship with
the hero. Nevertheless, Susan Byun’s Diana Tang and Julia Nickson’s
Jade are uniquely
different
characters that
lend differing
tones to their features. Diana is
a warm-hearted person who, despite working
in
a casino owned by a mob boss, leads
a pretty sheltered
life.
Jade spends much of her
movie being an enigma, clearly knowing
more than she’s letting on.
Diana wants to get intimate with Charles
because she feels genuinely attracted to him,
whereas Jade is a femme fatale who
nudges Mike along and has sex with him only
to
further a
personal
agenda. Also,
Jade
is
infinitely more in touch with her Hong Kong heritage while Diana is
utterly Americanized and initially repulsed when Charles prepares her
a “Chinese delicacy” with squid.
As
for
who
earns the point,
it comes down to
how they fare
in the face of danger,
and
there’s
really no question.
Diana introduces
herself
by clubbing
an attacker in the head to
rescue Charles and
later
goes on to have two unexpected
fight scenes. Susan Byun becomes a temporary action hero despite
her character’s conventions,
but
Julia Nickson ironically
fares
worse. White Tiger
spends much time building Jade up as an experienced
assassin, but when the need
for her to make a move arises,
she’s instantly
overwhelmed and becomes a damsel
without
really
having
accomplished
anything.
For
both of these characters, they end up doing the exact opposite of
what you’d expect, but only Diana benefits from it. It’s
a cheap
move on the part of White
Tiger’s
writers to ultimately demean their character this way, and in this
instance, it costs them.
Point: Deadly Target
The
Supporting Cast
Which
set of supporting characters you end up preferring is largely
dependent on
what tone you favor,
as all the performers do a good job reflecting the mood of
their picture. Again, there
are many parallel roles that
are merely played differently.
Portraying
the hero’s partner is Ken McLeod in Deadly
Target and Matt Craven
in White Tiger:
martial arts-practicing straight man and
tragic best buddy. Both
police captains
are
played by award-winning TV actors:
colic-y Max Gail (Barney
Miller) and the reserved
Philip Granger (Neon
Rider). The most visible
mafia lord is played by the expressive Aki Aleong in
the first film and
the graceful Dana Lee in the other. Both feature henchman
extraordinaire Ron Yuan as the villain’s lieutenant, but he’s
only a
fully-fledged character in Deadly
Target. Last
but not least are
the roles good ol’ George
Cheung plays:
he’s a
mafia figure with no lines in the first picture,
and
one of the more interesting co-stars in the second.
If
there was nothing else to
consider, I’d happily
decree this category a draw, but the
deciding
factor ends
up being the amplitude of
supporting fighters in Deadly Target.
It’s a cool
lineup: Leo Lee, Al Leong, James Lew, Randall Shiro Ideishi, and
Koichi Sakamoto all have at least one highlighted altercation, and
the late Master Bill Ryusaki plays
one of the more
active henchmen. Lieutenant
Lydia Look – along
with her stunt double, Olympian taekwondoka Dana Hee – has a couple
of surprisingly good fights against
Susan Byun. By comparison, White Tiger
doesn’t bother highlighting many of
its supporting kickers, and that seals it for me.
Point: Deadly Target
The
Production
In
addition to the filmmakers’
talent, the quality of a
movie’s production is a
matter of time and budget, and it’s easy to tell which of
these films had more. As
I’ve mentioned, Deadly
Target is a PM
Entertainment film, and while PM was
great at maximizing its
resources and cranking out exciting
B-movies, it’s obvious
that these are,
in fact, B-movies. Deadly
Target’s no exception:
the locations are
unremarkably urban,
the cinematography is staid, the camerawork isn’t dynamic, and
even the film quality is a little grainy. Director Charla Driver –
one of the few women to direct a PM production and one of the few
women to direct a U.S. martial arts feature, period
– is every bit as good as her cohorts at
putting together a compact and entertaining action package, but
there’s no opportunity for it to rise above that status.
White
Tiger,
on the other hand, may easily be mistaken for a Hollywood production.
Keystone
Pictures would actually produce a couple of those shortly after this
one, which in retrospect seems like a warm-up exercise for director
Richard Martin. The movie showcases some exotic
locations, has
a lot of good-looking sets,
and actually has
the time to do fun stuff with its camera. The musical stings are
almost comically overdone at times, but the soundtrack still stands
out where its adversary’s is forgettable.
The
movie
generates
mixed results when
trying to be artsy
but still has
the finesse to
qualify
as a neo-noir. Whereas both features
are by-the-numbers in their own way, White
Tiger is
simply more lavish and
thereby
pulls
ahead.
Point: White Tiger
The
Action
In a way, this is the most
important category. Action pieces and fight scenes are the backbone
of any martial arts feature, and with a star as capable as Gary
“Danger Man” Daniels in the lead, both productions knew they had
the potential to make a minor action classic. To help get them there,
both selected fantastic coordinators to get the job done: Deadly
Target had Jeff Pruitt and White Tiger had the late, great
Marc Akerstream.
Pruitt was an exotic regular of
the TV and DTV realms from 1991 to 2003. As the first American member
of the Japan-based Alpha Stunts team, his cohorts and he brought a
dynamic, stunt-heavy style of action to the small screen. Though best
known for working on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Jeff
regularly got career-defining performances out of the performers he
directed, particularly DTV golden boy Jeff Wincott. Deadly Target
was the first (and thus far only) time Pruitt collaborated with Gary
Daniels, and the Hong Kong veteran works well with the style of his
handler. No slouch either is Akerstream, whose career highlight may
have been working with Jackie Chan by coordinating the vehicle that
gained JC fame in America: Rumble in the Bronx. Though he
tended to work in low-budget fare, he coordinated several times in
Hollywood blockbusters and did a ton of work for TV. Tragically, an
accident on the set of The Crow: Stairway to Heaven ended his
life in 1998.
White Tiger may actually
be Marc’s magnum opus as an action filmmaker, as he delivers some
strong pieces without being relegated by a higher-placed coordinator.
Though this is primarily a martial arts movie, it mixes things up
with some vehicle scenes and shootouts. Deadly Target does
this as well, but White Tiger has a flair in that regard that
the former can’t top, especially when it comes to the
well-choreographed scenes with the biker assassins. Still, Gary
Daniels’ fight scenes are the highlights of the picture, and what
highlights they are! The brawls dig deep into Daniels’ real-life
abilities, featuring not only a plethora of spinning kicks but also
aikido throws and intricate kung fu exchanges. A showdown with Ron
Yuan is pretty cool, and the final match with Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa is
a very decent brawl.
However, the increased production
standards ultimately work against White Tiger via
over-editing. While not horrible, the fight scenes are filled with
cuts and slow motion that tries to fool you into thinking that the
brawls are even better than they already are. Gary Daniels isn’t
some inexperienced Ken doll with shortcomings that need disguising,
so the editing tricks are facetious. Deadly Target’s fights
have no such problems, with their long takes and limited slow motion.
Though Jeff Pruitt’s heavy usage of throws and flips may seem
excessive to some, the fact is that his film’s simply less
restrained in showcasing physicality. While I understand that White
Tiger’s action may simply be a matter of stylistic consistency, Deadly Target’s greater willingness to show a fight junkie
like me everything its performers have to offer puts it over its
competition.
Point: Deadly Target
The
Winner: Deadly Target
Deadly Target
(1994) Directed by
Charla Driver (assistant director for Ice Cream Man) Written
by
James Adelstein, Michael January (To
Be the Best) Starring
Gary Daniels, Susan Byun (Sgt.
Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.),
Ken McLeod (College
Kickboxers),
Byron Mann Cool
costars:
Ron Yuan, Aki Aleong (Farewell
to the King),
Lydia Look (Battle
of the Damned),
Philip Tan (Martial
Law),
Master Bill Ryusaki (Ulterior
Motives),
George Cheung (First
Blood II),
Al Leong (Rapid
Fire),
Leo Lee (The
Perfect Weapon),
James Lew (Balance
of Power),
Randall Shiro Ideishi (Black
Scorpion),
Koichi Sakamoto (Bounty
Tracker),
Butch Togisala (Firepower) Content
warning:
Violence against women, kidnapping, police brutality Copyright
PM Entertainment Group / Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
White
Tiger
(1996) Directed
by
Richard Martin (Air
Bud: Golden Receiver) Written
by
Bey Logan (original story), Gordon Melbourne (Bulletproof
Heart),
Roy Sallows, Don Woodman, Raul Inglis (uncredited) Starring
Gary Daniels, Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa, Julia Nickson (Noble
House),
Matt Craven (Crimson
Tide) Cool
costars:
Ron
Yuan, George Cheung, Dana Lee (Dr.
Ken) Content
warning:
Violence against women, torture, sexual assault Copyright
Keystone Pictures / Crown Media
B-Movie Dragons 