[1600 Word Essay] Women’s & Minority Representation in DTV Martial Arts Movies

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.]

image

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.

Marissa
Labog & Peipei Yuan – Fight Scene
Chris
Balualua – Showreel
Lauren
Mary Kim & Amy
Johnston – Fight
Scene
Percy
“Spitfire” Brown – Showreel
Robert
Parham – Showreel
Fernando
Chien – Showreel
Tamiko
Brownlee & Natalie
Padilla – Fight
Scene
Anna Ranoso
– Fight Scene
Emmanuel
Manzanares – Showreel
Zara
Phytian – Fight Scene
Jawed
El Berni – Short Film, The List
Andy
Leung & Ray
Carbonel – Fight Scene, Contour
Cheryl
Lewis – Fight Scene
Gui
DaSilva – Fight Scene
Nilo Ghajar-Williams

Vs. Ieisha
Auyeung – Fight Scene
Natascha
Hopkins –
Fight Scene
Gichi
Gamba – Film Highlights, PowerRangers
Michelle
Jubilee Gonzalez – Fight Scene w/Peipei Yuan
Shawn
Bernal – Short Film, Flower Thieves
Kristina
Hess – Showreel
John
Lewis & Alex Meraz
– Short Film, The Reward
Cecily
Fay – Film Highlights
Rayna
Vallandingham – Showreel
Ed
Kahana – Fight Scene, Relic Hunt
Eve
Torres – Fight Scene, The
Scorpion King 4
Marie
Mouroum – Showreel
Krystal
Vee & Selina Lo –
Fight Scene, The Scorpion King 3
Juan
Bofill – Fight Scene

“Do
you have any good news?”

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

image

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.

Dragon Profiles: DON NAKAYA NIELSEN (1959-2017)

image

Source

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.

Videos
Vs.
Rob Kaman
Vs.
Akira Maeda (pro wrestling)

Film Face-Off: Deadly Target (1994) Vs. White Tiger (1996)

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

A Timeline of Low-Budget & Direct-to-Video Filmmaking [Martial Arts Subgenre]

Since
no such thing seems to exist yet,
I decided to lay a foundation. This chronology is undoubtedly
incomplete, but I’ve tried to mention all events that stand out to
me and ones that would probably stand out to others. To the best of
my knowledge, all information is accurate.

March
23, 1987 – The film production &
distribution
company Imperial Entertainment Corp. is founded. One of the first
studios to focus primarily
on
low-budget action features, its releases include Cynthia
Rothrock’s Lady
Dragon,
Jerry
Trimble’s Breathing
Fire,
and Don
Wilson’s Red
Sun Rising.

August
18, 1988 – The
taekwondo-themed action feature
Miami
Connection
receives a limited theatrical release and subsequently bombs, almost
bankrupting star/producer Y.K. Kim. Over 24 years later, mounting
cult
fame inspires
a re-release
for the film on DVD.

1989
– Joseph
Merhi and Richard Pepin found PM Entertainment Group, Inc. – the most
prolific producer of direct-to-video action and martial arts fare of
the 1990s.

February
24, 1989
– American
Ninja 3: Blood Hunt
receives a limited theatrical release before being sent to video.
It’s the first time an installment to
a major martial arts franchise receives anything less than a wide
debut.

February
1990 – Martial
arts legend Cynthia
Rothrock makes her solo debut in the U.S. with China
O’Brien.
Rothrock would subsequently become one of the most prolific
low-budget action heroes and the single
most
successful female martial arts star of the American film market.

February
23, 1990 – Kickboxer
Olivier
Gruner debuts in Angel
Town,
a movie about warring gangs. Ironically, a gang brawl breaks out at a
California drive-in during a screening.

April
12, 1990
– Film
production company Cine Excel Entertainment is founded by director
David Huey. Its first U.S. release, American
Streetfighter,
premieres about two years later on video and is one of the first
starring vehicles of kickboxer
Gary
Daniels.

March
4, 1991
– The
Hong
Kong-based Seasonal
Film Corporation’s No
Retreat, No Surrender
series goes DTV with
its third installment, Blood
Brothers.
Keith W. Strandberg returns as writer, but director Corey Yuen is
replaced by Lucas Lowe. Karate star Keith Vitali makes his debut as a
leading man.

December
18, 1991 – Pro kickboxer Don “The Dragon” Wilson,
America’s most prolific DTV action hero, makes his video debut with
Ring
of Fire.

1992
– The film production
company
Nu Image, Inc. is founded by Avi and Danny Lerner, Trevor Short, and
Danny Dimport. Four years later, a subsidiary called Millennium Films
is launched. Producing both theatrical and DTV fare, their output
over the years has included the Undisputed
and
Ninja
series.

February
7, 1992 – Michael Worth makes his action film debut in Final
Impact,
becoming the first martial arts action hero created by PM
Entertainment. Worth is also the first martial arts star to debut on
the video circuit, without any prior work in theatrical or
international markets.

July
16, 1992
– The release of Tiger
Claws,
one of the first films of the subgenre to feature Chinese martial
arts over karate and kickboxing. Star Jalal Merhi had attempted the
same with his previous vehicle, Fearless
Tiger,
but this wouldn’t receive a U.S. release until 1994.

August
20, 1992
– U.S.
video premiere of Martial
Law II: Undercover,
the first martial arts vehicle of star Jeff Wincott.

October
14, 1992
– Director
Isaac Florentine releases his first U.S. production, Desert
Kickboxer.

November
6, 1992 – Billy Blanks makes his starring debut in Talons
of the Eagle,
which enjoys
a limited release before going to video.

March
3, 1993
– American
Samurai
premieres in
the U.S. on video.
Mark Dacascos co-stars in his first substantial martial
arts-themed role.

May
5, 1993
– Shootfighter:
Fight to the Death is
released, becoming
the
first U.S.
starring
vehicle of Hong
Kong
action
staple
Bolo Yeung.

July,
1993 – At age 13, Ted Jan Roberts makes his video debut in Magic
Kid.
To date, he is the youngest martial arts action hero of
the western hemisphere to
have a substantial solo career.

March
1, 1996 – Almost eight years after the release of the cult hit
Bloodsport,
its sequel The
Last Kumite
premieres via a limited theatrical release. With the exception of one
supporting cast member, no one who worked on the original had a hand
in the sequel.

December
8, 1998
– The
release of Champions,
the first U.S. action
film
based on mixed martial arts competition.

February
9, 1999
– Jean-Claude
Van Damme’s Legionnaire
unexpectedly becomes the star’s first DTV release. With a $35 million
budget (adjusted: $52.5 million), it’s officially one of the most
expensive releases of the subgenre.

2002
– PM
Entertainment folds. Its catalog of over 150 features and two TV
shows is acquired for
distribution by
Echo Bridge Home Entertainment.

November
23, 2004 – Unstoppable
becomes the first Wesley Snipes action vehicle to go DTV, following a
limited theatrical release.

2005
– Nicholas Chartier and Dean Devlin found Voltage Pictures, whose
output includes the
DTV rleases
Puncture
Wounds,
Lady
Bloodfight,
and Eliminators.
In a Variety
interview
four years later, Chartier describes
his business strategy of marketing DTV action flicks as a means to
pay for higher-budgeted theatrical productions.

May
31, 2005 – The
DTV action-thriller Submerged is released, and the Uruguayan
national government subsequently threatens legal action against the producers for
its embarrassing
portrayal of the
country.

December
27, 2005 – Multinational conglomerate Sony first becomes a major
player in the DTV action
scene when its subsidiary, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, releases
Black
Dawn.

2008
– The low-budgeted Money
Fight
(aka The
Red Canvas,
aka Art
of Submission)
becomes the first film to receive an “off-planet” premiere
aboard the International Space Station.

April
28, 2009
– Hector
Echavarria releases his MMA-themed
passion
project, Never
Surrender.
For
the next several years, Echavarria
is
the primary producer of movies capitalizing on the MMA craze by
heavily incorporating cage fighting into his plots
and featuring pro fighters in supporting roles.

February
2, 2010 – The Michael Jai White vehicle Black
Dynamite
is released on DVD, following a limited theatrical release. An
instant cult hit, it
wins widespread acclaim and the “Best Film” award at the
Seattle International Film Festival.

February
2, 2010
– Universal
Soldier: Regeneration
is released on DVD in the U.S. Widely regarded as superior to its
predecessor, its
star
–
Jean-Claude
Van Damme –
reportedly
turned down the opportunity to appear in Sylvester Stallone’s
blockbuster The
Expendables
in favor of focusing on the
smaller production.

June
1, 2010
– Undisputed
III is
released to cult acclaim. The vehicle catapults star Scott Adkins to
martial arts superstardom, and the movie is quickly
regarded as a benchmark of martial arts filmmaking.

August
2011 – DTV movie veteran and pro fighter Joe Son is convicted of
torture and sentenced to life in prison. Two
months later,
he receives
another 27 years for the voluntary manslaughter of a
cellmate.

May
6, 2015
– The
Dolph Lundgren/Tony Jaa collaboration Skin
Trade
is released in the U.S. via the internet. In addition to being Jaa’s
first American production to not be released theatrically, it’s the
first U.S. martial arts film to have an online premiere.

April
14, 2016 – The
Martial Arts Kid
becomes the first full-length martial arts movie produced via crowd
funding.

Though
I’ve already distanced myself from Steven Seagal, he just gave me a
reason to go further and condemn him outright. His statement
regarding the NFL players who take a knee during the national anthem
is deplorable.

“I believe in free speech, I
believe that everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but I don’t
agree that they should hold the United States of America or the world
hostage by taking a venue where people are tuning in to watch a
football game and imposing their political views. I think it’s
outrageous, I think it’s a joke, it’s disgusting. I respect the
American flag. I myself have risked my life countless times for the
American flag and I don’t understand or agree with this kind of
behavior. I think it’s an outrage.” [SOURCE]

Seagal’s
blatant misdirection of the issue, ridiculous hyperbole, and shameless
lying in this circumstance (we’ve been waiting your entire career
for proof of how you ever risked your life, Steve) shows that he has nothing
constructive to add and is merely standing in the way of decency and
justice. Additionally, Seagal’s position reeks of hypocrisy: not
only does he have no problem imposing his own political views when it
suits him, but he’s spent a good portion of his career attempting
to integrate himself into black culture and portray himself as a
friend of the black community. His denunciation of peaceful protests
against police brutality indicate that he’s done with that act. (As
if championing Joe Arpaio and fellow racist
sheriff Harry Lee on his Lawman TV
show wasn’t enough.) Similarly, I’m done with him.

Seagal
is the main reason I found my particular film niche, as I followed
him from his theatrical features into the direct-to-video realm. The book Seagalogy: A Study of the Ass-Kicking Films of Steven
Seagal helped nudged me towards
film analysis.
However, I’m done talking
about the guy
and his movies, entirely. Steven Seagal has become complicit in the deadly epidemic of racism, and it’s dashed any desire
I have to even remotely further his career. Fuck you, Steven.

Reviewnalysis: China O’Brien II (1990)

*SPOILERS
AHEAD*

Sequels
aren’t as common in martial arts cinema as other genres (at least not
for U.S. fare), and ones within the direct-to-video realm are
similarly rare. While China
O’Brien II was
shot simultaneously with its predecessor and therefore a
guaranteed
release,
the original’s success assured that a sequel would indeed be in
demand. Sadly, this is an
instance
where embarrassing stereotypes about sequels indeed
apply.
While
the original China
O’Brien
was a simple but endearing adventure that established
Cynthia Rothrock in America’s martial arts movie scene, China
O’Brien II
rings hollwer.
The circumstances behind
its creation
ensure that its production values and action content are as strong as
its predecessor’s, but an
uneven story and an unambitious
screenplay go a long way in making this the inferior flick.

The
film opens at night with a low-key soundtrack and
a
convoy of cars making its
way through a forested area. Things pick up soon, as the
convoy
divulges
a slew of police officers who’re
hunting
the story’s villain. Escaped convict C.Z. Baskin (Harlow Marks) –
ex-Special Forces operative and drug smuggler – shoots several
officers before turning up at a hideout with his sizeable
gang
of Vietnam veterans.
He lays out his goals in
a straightforward way:
he wants
to kill the judge, prosector, and detective responsible for sending
him to prison, along with a former teammate who betrayed and stole $5
million from him. Barely five minutes into the movie and we already
have enough information to determine that the hero-villain dynamics
have flipped: whereas
the first film featured our heroes attempting to topple a villain
who’d
entrenched himself in the system, this one casts the heroes as the
establishment and the villains as outsiders. We’ll
see soon
enough that
such a reversal actually renders our protagonists more vulnerable
than before.

Baskin
succeeds in having
his personnel eliminate
their
first three targets in short order,
treating
us to
a convoluted scene
where the
judge is murdered while participating in a magic act. The final
victim, Frank Atkins (Frank Magner), is living
under
the Witness Protection Program in the same town where Lori “China”
O’Brien (Rothrock) is receiving a commendation for ridding the place
of organized crime. Also present
are her returning cohorts Matt Conroy (Richard Norton) and Dakota
(Keith Cooke), and we see that their collective
problems
have become significantly less drastic
in
recent times:
while Dakota beats up a couple of men harassing a woman (one of
them’s future Mortal
Kombat
star Chris Casamassa), China and Matt drive off to arrest a bumbling
mountain man called Chester (J.R. Glover) who made a mess of a local
bar. The
trio seems to have everything under control.

This
impression continues even as the plot begins to move along and
several of Baskin’s men arrive
to kidnap Frank and his wife Annie (Tricia Quai) during
the July 4th
celebration.
Despite
an ominous soundtrack, our
heroes
thoroughly kick the crud out of these guys. The would-be kidnappers
flee, and China gets the cagey Frank to tell her about the
situation…though
he leaves out the bit about the stolen money.
An unproductive call from
his
FBI keeper
gets
Frank into an uproar, but China shuts him down and forbids him from
leaving town. Frank
doesn’t like this. Unlike
its predecessor, this
film has almost nothing to say on gender roles or feminism, but
there’s a glorious moment where the impotent
Frank whines
“I bet you like beatin’ up on men, don’t you?!” It’s a
not-so-subtle reminder that China is a subverter
of norms and
that men of questionable character can’t come to terms with
this.

Dakota
is dating Frank’s stepdaughter Jill (Tiffany Soter), which is a
little uncomfortable when you remember that Dakota is old enough to
be in college but
Jill
appears to go to school with students in
their
mid-teens. He
picks her up from the
campus
on
his bike and
brings her home, where Baskin and his men are lying in wait. Dakota
puts up a fight, but he’s kidnapped along with Jill and Annie.
Ironically,
Baskin’s
attempt to thus
press
Frank to surrender himself and the money almost goes wrong: Frank is
in the process of skipping town when China happens upon him and finds
out what’s going on.
(Frank’s
shame at being shown up by a woman is complete when he threatens her
with a gun and she takes him down from
the other side of a door.)
She
calls in Matt and her deputy Russell (Michael Anthony), and they
hatch a plan to retrieve the hostages with Frank’s (forced?)
cooperation.
The next day, it’s put into effect: Frank meets with Baskin at a
rock-crushing plant while
China & Co. Sneak up
, and following a massive fight scene that parallels the first film’s
sawmill brawl, all the good guys escape. Baskin, who gets quickly
taken out by China early in the fight, vows revenge.

This
fight scene, in
which Dakota doesn’t actively participate,
is a demonstration of how he’s
become estranged from
the other lead protagonists. While
neither
his screen time nor his contribution to the action content has been
reduced,
he shares very
few
scenes with China or Matt and has no one-on-one
time
with
them at all.
What’s more, he’s become almost facetious to the story.
While
the original movie featured his quest for revenge as a major plot
point
and gave him moments wherein
he
at least helped
China out of a jam, here he’s little more than a flashy side
character.
The importance of his kidnapping is diminished by China already
being prepared
to put herself on the line for Jill and Annie, and probably the most
significant thing he does throughout
the picture is
rescue Jill from molestation
by one of Baskin’s men (Douglas Caputo). I’ve heard that Keith
Cooke was very discerning
about
only accepting
roles that highlighted
his onscreen presence; if this is true, then
Dakota
being
indepdent of China and Matt probably appealed to Cooke,
but the result is that the film could’ve largely been made without
his character. The things he does and the things that happen to him
don’t affect the plot much, and that’s disappointing.

Baskin
effectively isolates
the town by cutting phone lines, scrambling radio airwaves, and
setting up roadblocks.
The next day, his crew rolls in to flush out China and her allies,
and the rest of the movie consists mainly of China, Matt, and Dakota
taking out opponents throughout
town.
It’s a cool collection of fight scenes, including ones with a trio
of specialty fighters (Billy Blanks, a whip-wielding Indiana Jones
wannabe, and Toshihiro Obata wearing a pair of Freddy Krueger claws),
but the
whole affair is one-sided with our
heroes
rarely losing the upper hand.
Things are a little more perilous for the characters who aren’t
martial artists: Russell is shot to death trying to get help, China’s
dispatcher Lucille (Cindy Clark) is killed when the police station is
shot up, ol’ Chester is killed just shortly after being sprung from
jail,
and even Frank is gunned down by Baskin as his family and he try
to escape with the money. Baskin grabs the suitcase of
dough,
ignoring the women, and is subsequently killed by Annie after
she grabs Frank’s rifle.
It’s surprising,
a little disappointing, but also apt that the antagonist is taken
down by a character who even the audience is meant
to consider beneath notice. C.Z.
Baskin is a more threatening and able villain than Edwin
Sommers was, but in the end, they’re both eliminated by a former
victim of their greed.

TRIVIA:
Filming had already wrapped
when director Robert Clouse was told that the runtime had to be
increased. Some additional action scenes were shot, including the one
featuring Billy Blanks, who was cast at short notice.

The
film ends on a downer, with China and Matt leaving Frank’s funeral
and mourning the loss of Lucille and Russell. Dakota’s there, but
he doesn’t leave with his friends.
Looking
back at the whole picture, I get the impression that the filmmakers
were intending for this to be a grittier
and more perilous movie than the original – you get hints at a
darker tone throughout via the soundtrack – but they
failed
to achieve the effect by reserving
all of the more
depressing stuff
for
the final
15
minutes. Sure, the
movie collectively
lacks the original’s upbeat tone, but it’d
be
comparable to shooting The
Empire Strikes Back
without the heroes facing
any setbacks prior to Luke Skywalker losing
his hand.
It just feels uneven.

China
O’Brien II
is a typically
inferior sequel in many ways, but its production circumstances make
the situation a little weirder. The films were shot at the same time
with much of the same crew and supporting cast, so their look and
design are
identical. That’s what makes it so disorienting that China
O’Brien
should be such an engaging romp while its follow-up is a distant
exhibition. I don’t know nearly enough about the production to say
more, but it goes to show just how delicate of a process it is to
create
a cult classic. It’s difficult to capture lightning twice, even
when the bottles are standing right next to each
other.

Nevertheless,
as
technically
the more mature film of the two, the sequel manages to make at least
one
narrative point about
change and adaptation. The most obvious example
of this
is China’s relationship
with
firearms, which was laid down in the original film and even
reinforced,
here. China never uses a gun, even
opting
to use a hunting bow when in need of a long-range weapon, but she
reluctantly
approves of
her allies using them. Russell uses a machine gun during the brawl at
the plant and there’s a meaningful shot of China entrusting a gun
to Frank, and
even Matt takes control of a rifle at
one point.
(There’s
also
a
recycled shot of Dakota riding his motorcycle with an M-16 strapped
to his back.)
The good guys kill people with these weapons – a signifier
for
lack
of control and a major no-no in the past, but now an apparent
necessity. There’s much to be said about taking a realistic look at
self-defense and firearms, but in the context of the film, this
underscores the effectiveness of the villains: they’re apparently
so dangerous that they drive our heroes to desperation and put a dent
in China’s ideals. In the aftermath, Sheriff O’Brien probably
reflects
on her worldview and how she intends
to protect
her town. It’s impossible to imagine her deputizing schoolchildren
anymore.

The
relationship Matt and China share with Dakota also
comes under the header of change.
The former two are
now
a
couple, but Dakota is noticeably estranged. They
still share
friendly gestures and
show concern for each other,
but there are hints that the trio may be in the process of breaking
up. Dakota’s status as a deputy is strictly voluntary, and after
seeing him spend more time with Jill than his cohorts and not joining
them after the funeral, I’m left with the impression that their
dynamic is coming apart. Dakota doesn’t hint at his plans and I
don’t want to make unfounded predictions, but as China admits that
she’ll miss her fallen friends, perhaps the
unspoken message is that she’ll also
miss
Dakota, now that he’s beyond
her inner circle.

One aspect that I
wish had been taken greater advantage of is the rest of the town’s
involvement in defending itself. The movie starts off with the place
feeling as organic as before, but as the film progresses, we see less
and less of the citizens. By the time the big finale occurs, the
streets are empty. The film’s trailer promises us that “This
time, [China] will need to have the whole town cooking,” but the
most we see of this is an out-of-the-blue scene where a couple of
Baskin’s thugs are thwarted by two chefs armed with cleavers.
Perhaps that bit was inserted to pad out the runtime, but seriously –
where have all of the extras gone? I can see China advising the
townspeople to stay in their homes off-screen, but the impression
this makes is that, despite their successful rallying of the
community in the past, China and her friends are eventually on their
own when it comes to facing danger.

Despite
its drawbacks, I still recommend China
O’Brien II
– not to just anybody, but probably to general martial arts fans
and definitely to Cynthia Rothrock devotees. The fight scenes are
top-notch, and there are enough entertaining moments to make it worth
your while. The
movie has plenty of problems, but it avoids the most common sin of
sequels by not merely rehashing the last flick. This
one’s yet to be released digitally or on DVD, and while it may not
be worth buying a VCR for, it’s definitely worth digging an old
model out of the basement.

China
O’Brien II
(1990)
Directed
by
Robert Clouse
Written
by
Robert Clouse, Craig Clyde (The
Wild Stallion),
James Hennessy (Wind
Dancer).
Sandra Weintraub receives a “based on a story by” credit, but
it’s unclear whether this just refers
to
her work on the previous film.
Starring
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton, Keith Cooke, and Frank Magner –
all of
who
appeared in the original China
O’Brien.
Cool
costars:
Chris Casamassa, Billy Blanks (The
King of the Kickboxers),
Toshihiro Obata (Rage
and Honor).
Donre Sampson plays one of the more
noticeable
henchmen, and while not particularly distinguished, he did appear in
the super cool Revenge
of the Ninja
and therefore merits a mention.
Title
refers to:
Cynthia Rothrock’s character.
Content
warning:
Violence against women, group violence, kidnapping
Copyright
Pan-Pacific
Productions, Inc. / Imperial
Entertainment Corp.

5 Killer Fight Scenes You Might’ve Missed

If you enjoy any of these, consider supporting the studios by buying or renting the respective movie.

College Kickboxers (1991) – Ken McLeod vs. Jeff Langton

Mission of Justice (1992) – Jeff Wincott vs. The Gauntlet

U.S. Seals II (2001) – Karen Kim vs. Sophia Crawford

In Hell (2003) – Jean-Claude Van Damme vs. Michael Bailey Smith

Contour (2006) – Dennis Ruel & Ray Carbonel vs. Everybody

Dragon Profiles: BRIDGETT RILEY

image

Source

A
career in the fighting arts wasn’t what people expected of Bridgett
Riley, a former cheerleader who was working as a flight attendant
when she made the transition to professional kickboxing. Her
nickname, “Baby Doll,” was bestowed on her in her teens by a
karate instructor who was amazed by the small-statured young woman’s
fighting ability. Nowadays, people are less surprised, given
Bridgett’s thorough domination of the pro kickboxing scene and five
world championship reigns. What’s more, Riley bridged
the gap between martial arts and boxing – becoming a top rated
pugilist and securing a 15-3 record with one IFBA World Championship
reign. All the while, Riley successfully balanced her fighting
careers with one in show business: though still mainly known for her
stuntwork in major blockbusters, she’s also notable for a handful
of fighting parts in DTV films and television.

Styles
& Accomplishments
Kickboxing
– ISKA, WKBA, WKA,
UKF & IKBF World
Champion; record: 26-2
Karate
– 1st
Dan
Muay
Thai

Films
to See
Triple Impact (1992)
– lead role
Bare Knuckles
(2013) – supporting role
WMAC Masters
(1995-1996) – recurring role

Trivia:
In her first professional kickboxing match, Riley defeated
U.S.
national champion Denise Taylor in a major upset. Taylor grabbed a microphone and demanded a rematch, calling
her loss a fluke.
A month later, Riley defeated Taylor again
via
technical knockout – breaking her nose in the process.

Videos
Vs.
Olivia Gerula
Highlights
(Boxing, Kickboxing, Film, Etc.)

Long Review: Death Fighter (2017)

“What’s
the matter, never humped a rock before?”

image

While
every other martial arts fan was watching the long-awaited Boyka:
Undisputed IV a
couple weeks ago, I was
getting my hands on a
more low-profile release called
Death Fighter. I
regret that decision, now.
While looking
up
lower-profile movies
has served me well in the past, it led
to a disappointment
this time. After having its
release pushed back repeatedly for
several
years, this film finally reveals that it has little more
going for it than
a
supergroup of karate stars and a few surprises. While
there are some things that I like and admire about this one,
I have
to admit that it’s just too plain to hang with its more substantial
competition.

The
story: A renegade FBI agent (Matt Mullins) teams up with an
ex-military mercenary (Don Wilson) to take down a dangerous kingpin
(Gigi Velicitat) in the Thai jungle.

Ensemble
casting is so common now that it’d almost be a bigger surprise to
feature less than four
prominent names in an action movie, but Death Fighter
certainly secured an iconic
draw. In addition to XMA
champ Mullins and kickboxing
hall-of-famer Wilson, the
cast packs two more legends
in Cynthia Rothrock as one of the evil lieutenants and the late Joe
Lewis as Mullins’ doomed partner. Throw in rising genre staple
Jawed El Berni and you can
see why I had such high hopes
for this. However, the utilization of its stars is the main
reason I’m unhappy with the film. Only the acrobatic El Berni
delivers approximate to his reputation; everyone else is in trouble.

  • Matt
    Mullins    : I’ve been waiting for this
    guy to step up and become the
    next Scott Adkins ever
    since I first saw
    him in Adventures
    of Johnny Tao    . With
    Death Fighter being
    technically his first vehicle in 12 years, I thought it’d
    be the stepping stone he
    needed to get people at large
    to notice him…but now, I
    have doubts about his
    potential. Matt shows off his
    martial
    skills just fine, but jeez, are
    both he and his character
    ever bland! Mullins comes off
    as a Ken doll, and
    is absolutely unremarkable beyond
    his fight scenes.
    Adkins is no master thespian
    but at least he can create a memorable character, whereas Mullins
    barely creates an impression. Were
    it not for Matt’s
    physicality, anybody could’ve
    played this role.
  • Don
    Wilson    : The opposite of his younger costar, Wilson is charismatic but
    totally unprepared for the movie’s style of action. Choreographer
    Patrick Tang favors a flashy, acrobatic style of fight scene, but
    Wilson isn’t about to change up his usual grounded game for
    anybody. Though Don’s brawls feature significantly less slow motion
    than his regular fare, they’re noticeably slower and less creative
    than anybody else’s – giving the impression that everyone had to
    go at half-speed with the old man.
  • Joe
    Lewis    : Speaking of old men, the late
    karate god is in decisively poor shape. I know
    Joe was in failing
    health at this time in his life and thus excuse
    much
    about his utilization,
    but he still seems
    poorly-placed in an
    action-packed film like
    this. He briefly beats up a henchman
    and engages in a shootout before being killed off only
    a few minutes into the movie. Whereas
    his previous role in Kill ‘Em All
    seemed like an
    appropriate sendoff to the
    grandmaster’s film career,
    this almost seems like an unwanted obligation.
  • Cynthia
    Rothrock    : Having previously
    stated
    that she’d like to do at
    least one more Hong Kong film in her life, I’d hoped that the
    similar
    style of this picture might
    be the opening Cynthia needed to remind the world that she’s an
    action legend. Not so. Rothrock seems awkwardly cast in her
    supporting role, playing second fiddle to a performer less
    charismatic than she (Velicitat),
    and like Wilson, her two fights leave a lot to be desired. Her
    dream match against Don is
    particularly disappointing, featuring some
    cruddy
    camerawork.

Nevertheless,
the picture has some noteworthy redeeming traits. Despite
my complaints about some of the fighters’ individual performances,
I’m still generally pleased by
the action
content. Though he doesn’t
properly
distinguish himself from other performers who utilize the tricking
style, Matt Mullins is well-matched against Jawed El Berni and the
various Thai stuntmen, making
for occasionally nice
showdowns. However, the film’s trump cards aren’t any of its
advertised performers, but rather two hitherto-unknown costars who
just about blow their cohorts out of the water. Chiranan
Manochaem is introduced as a dramatic performer and potential love
interest to Matt Mullins, but explodes onto
the adrenaline scenes
with
some impressive
fights,
making her arguably the best-utilized performer of the bunch. Less of
a character but definitely the best onscreen fighter is Prasit
Suanphaka, playing
Don Wilson’s near-stoic sidekick. I’ll
be really
disappointed
if
this guy gets lost among the masses of stunt
guys
in Thailand, because he’s one of the most versatile and unhinged
performers
I’ve lately seen leading
a fight scene. With
a brawling style that’s a fair mix of Tony Jaa and Jackie Chan,
he’s
one guy who should definitely been in more movies.

Other
positive things I noticed include the
refreshingly
layered participation
of women in
the action scenes.
I recently wrote an essay on the depiction
of women in martial arts films, and it
seems as though the filmmakers were thinking along similar lines
regarding exceptionalism.
Chiranan Manochaem soundly dismantles any demure expectations you
develop about her character
leading up to her first fight (demonstrating
that
women can be action participants and
supporting stars at the same time),
and Cynthia Rothrock’s otherwise disappointing casting as an
enforcer helps level the field between the sexes and makes the sight
of women fighting men less extraordinary than filmmakers often
perpetuate. A
subplot involving human trafficking isn’t handled with as much
gravitas as I’d hoped (it takes a backseat to the personal revenge
angle), but it isn’t played for titillation. Not
only that, but
– for the first time I’ve ever
seen
in a U.S. production – the kidnapped women are rescued by another
woman. These
are small
touches, but the effect they have on the presentation is
noteworthy.

If
there
were
only such
aspects
to
consider and
the handful of weird B-grade
moments (e.g. a kid thinks it’s funny when a murder victim’s
blood pours onto
his head), the film might
yet manage to shine a little.
Disappointingly, the
technical presentation keeps
viewers
from properly engaging with
the story.
While the movie can get its plot
from A to B, choppy editing frequently
gives a strained feel to conversations, fight scenes, and
montages.
The presence of some naturally pretty scenery merely
draws
attention to the lack of standout cinematography. Also, the movie’s
tone can shift so drastically at times that it can
be like watching
two different films: it
favors a refreshingly optimistic outlook wherein characters develop
genuine bonds and manage
overcome personal problems, but it can quickly turn around and become
quite grim, like the rather gratuitous throat-slitting scene.
This film wasn’t rated by the MPAA, but
I
can
see
it getting one of those ironic R ratings based
on
just a
couple
of
scenes.
(For
the record, it’s gotten
a 14^ rating in Canada.)

Outright lack of quality isn’t
Death Fighter’s failing point so much as mediocrity. While a
movie like this would be a decent watch in most circumstances, the
amount of talent involved makes it all the more disappointing when
you see how little the filmmakers did with their resources. It makes
me fear for the career of Matt Mullins: Rothrock and Wilson
subsequently showed themselves prepared to shape up in The Martial
Arts Kid (produced after this one but released earlier), and the
sheer amount of movies coming out of Thailand assures me that I’ll
probably see Manochaem and Suanphaka again, but Mullins probably had
a lot riding on this for his prospective solo career. He’ll always
be able to find stuntwork and supporting roles, but if this is all he
can do when the spotlight’s on him, I have a feeling that it won’t
grace him many times more. However, responsibility for the picture’s
quality ultimately falls on the filmmakers: to the extent that
director Toby Russell wasn’t hampered by producers, he’s
demonstrated that he needs more practice in producing a standout
karate film and, for the time being, should stick to documentaries.

image

Death
Fighter (AKA
White Tiger)
(2017)
Directed
by Toby
Russell (Cinema of
Vengeance)
Written
by
Lawrence Riggins (Replicant)
Starring
Matt Mullins, Don Wilson, Chiranan
Manochaem,
Gigi Velicitat (The
Mark)
Cool
costars: Prasit
Suanphaka,
Cynthia Rothrock, Jawed El Berni (Ninja
II: Shadow of a Tear),
Joe Lewis
Title
refers to: The
official
title could refer to virtually any of the above-mentioned performers,
whereas the working title refers
to Matt Mullins.
(Don
Wilson: “Sometimes,
it takes a stubborn tiger like you to get a reluctant lion like me
to fight. And you’re white.”)
Content warning:
Kidnapping, implied torture, violence against women, extreme
violence
Copyright
Vision Films, Inc.

From
the Death Fighter DVD summary: “…
Their quest for vengeance brings them face-to-face with a band of
notorious criminals (Cynthia Rothrock … )”

Me:
Wow. This makes it sound like Cynthia Rothrock plays every single
villain in the movie.

Him:
…I want that. That would be so awesome. Just a bunch of Cynthia
Rothrocks going around, interacting with each other. Put that in the
review. I’m going to be disappointed if this movie doesn’t
feature Cynthia Rothrock Village.