Reviewnalysis: Martial Law II: Undercover (1991)

*SPOILERS
AHEAD*

I often read the opinion “[90s martial
arts star X] should have been bigger,” which I take to mean that the
performer the writer refers to should have had a mainstream career. While
I can usually point out why this wasn’t the case (martial arts action has
always been a niche genre and Hollywood already had Seagal and Van
Damme) and typically voice opposition to the notion (I prefer the creative
freedom that comes with the low-budget realm), the one person I make an
exception for is Jeff Wincott. Already an acclaimed actor by the time he
started doing karate films, Wincott was a better dramatic performer than his
more famous peers and at least as good of an onscreen fighter. His knack for
landing nice-looking productions allowed him to simulate what a big-budget feature
for him might look like, and Martial Law
II: Undercover is arguably the best example of this. It’s the kind of movie that could only have been made when it
was, when the home video market was ravenous for action and indie studios still
had the means of making movies that looked as good as their mainstream
counterparts. It’s a personal favorite and I’m excited to promote it.

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The first of several stylistic differences
between the original Martial Law and
its sequel is apparent in the opening shots: whereas the original took place at night with shadowy lighting, Undercover
opens on a bright, sunny day. It’s a park scene, and two gangs have chosen the
adjoining street to carry out an arms deal. This is a police bust
waiting to happen, given that Officer Billie Blake (Cynthia Rothrock)
is selling hotdogs from a nearby wagon… but who’s the drunken vagrant stumbling
upon the van where the gang leaders (John Vidor and Nicholas Hill) are
conducting business? This is actually the returning Officer Sean Thompson, with
Jeff Wincott replacing Chad McQueen, and we get our first hint of his identity when
he grabs one of the baddies and throws him bodily from the vehicle. Other
policemen are on hand, but as Billie enters to fracas, the captain (Max Thayer) orders the rest to let the two supercops
take care of the attackers. Not only are they equal to the task, but they make
a pretty fun fight scene out of it.

Following some curious opening titles that I’ll talk about later, the story
commences with Sean being promoted and transferring to the
Northwest Division to begin a martial arts program. He’s disappointed that Billie
won’t be accompanying him, but personally, I think splitting the team is
part of a positive revamp of Sean and Billie’s relationship. You see, they
were an item in the previous film, but the romance ended up marginalizing
Billie as a character and limiting Cynthia Rothrock’s utilization. Here, they
don’t seem to be romantic anymore, and in addition to Billie having more
opportunity to shine, the lack of deference on her part makes for a more equal partnership. She’s still willing to do big favors for Sean, but the respect
between them is a lot more apparent.

At his new workplace, Sean meets Captain
Krantz (Billy Drago), his new superior, and also his old academy buddy Danny
Borelli (uncredited). Danny’s happy to have his pal around but becomes
noticeably depressed when the instantly-suspicious Detective Dobbs (Charles Taylor)
walks onto the scene. Danny’s subsequently so preoccupied that he breaks off Sean’s tour
of the premises and goes off to pursuits unknown. Unknown, that is, until we
see him tailing Dobbs in his car after hours. It turns out that the guy is off to an illicit meeting with
business prodigy / gangster Spencer Hamilton (Paul Johansson). Hamilton
presents a legitimate image to the public – earlier, a news team was filming a report detailing his accomplishments – but he turns out to have his hands in prostitution
and illegal gambling. To make things easier for himself, he buys off police
officers.

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For bodyguards, Spencer has surrounded himself with martial
artists – a fact which Danny must learn the hard way when he’s caught taking
photographs of the meeting. Held at gunpoint, Danny tries to fight his way free
but is thoroughly beaten by Spencer’s lieutenants: Tanner (Evan Lurie), Bree
(Sherrie Rose), Han (Leo Lee), and two unnamed characters; one is played by
Koichi Sakamoto, the other I have no idea. Drugged with liquor before having his
neck broken, Danny is sent down a hill in his car to make his death look like a
DUI accident.

We’ve now seen the depths to which the
villains are willing to sink. While Dobbs comes across as a greedy jerk willing
to screw over his comrades for money, Spencer is more of a study. On one hand,
it’d seem as though a prodigy like him would have no need for illegal action,
but on the other, it’s possible that his success is entirely built on crime. Whatever
the case, Spencer is a psychopath who enjoys exerting force and penetrating secure
institutions. The title sequence I mentioned before features a shadowy man in a
gi throwing kicks and punches in Sean’s dojo, and while I can’t be certain who
this silhouetted figure is, the ponytail makes me think it’s Spencer. His
mysterious presence here may symbolize that not only is he a physical match for
our heroes, but he’s already infiltrated Sean’s domain long before Sean even arrived. He’s a bad guy, for certain, but I’d go so far as to call Spencer a
Satanic archetype: he’s a manipulator, a seducer, a deceiver, someone who loves
making deals, and he commands a legion of minions from the underworld. In
short, he’s just plain evil.

TRIVIA:
The dojo in the film is actually the Jun Chong Tae Kwon Do Center of Los
Angeles, California. At least four members of the film’s cast have trained in
tae kwon do: Jeff Wincott, Cynthia Rothrock, Evan Lurie, and James Lew.

Sean arrives at the scene of the
“accident” and doesn’t accept the police verdict. Even though Danny had a
history of alcoholism and an autopsy reveals his intoxication, Danny had
mentioned that he’d been sober for months. What’s more, Sean finds a
matchbook in the vehicle from Syntax – the nightclub owned by Spencer. He
visits, but his conspicuous questions to the bartender (Pat Asanti) arouse the suspicion
of Tanner. A fight ensues, and Sean is effectively barred from pursuing the
matter: not only do the people at the club now know his face, but Captain Krantz
is irate and demands he stop. I like to think that Sean isn’t usually this
ham-fisted in his detective work, but perhaps the loss of his friend has affected his tactfulness. Whatever the case, he at least has the
wherewithal to come up with an alternative plan: have Billie investigate the
place in his stead. It proves to be a good idea, and a nice opportunity for
Cynthia Rothrock to do some genuine acting. There’s a fun scene where she applies for a job at the bar under a pseudonym, and the bartender quizzes her
on cocktails. (Billie’s recipe for the Cookie Monster: “Crème de cacao, crème
de menthe, vodka, lit on fire, run like hell.”)

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We find out that Danny had been investigating
Dobbs for his interference in a solicitation arrest. The arrestee was Tiffany Michaels
(Deborah Driggs), one of Spencer’s employees whose primary job is to intimately
uncover secrets from his associates and business partners. She and Billie
develop a friendship after Billie beats up some aggressive men who
follow them from the bar, and it ends up being one of my favorite aspects of
the movie. While Martial Law II
doesn’t pass the Bechdel test, the scenes of Billie and Tiffany building a
rapport are rare instances female characters having scenes to themselves in
this subgenre, and they lend a more nuanced tone to an otherwise male-centric
action film. Also, Tiffany is arguably the most interesting character of the
movie, personifying the full gambit of Spencer’s nefariousness. Spencer’s
molded her into a femme fatale while keeping her dependent on his financial
assistance. Their relationship seems to be the result of a long history of
seduction and deceit, indicated in a scene where Tiffany coldly remarks on
Spencer drawing a college student (Kimber Sissons) into his service; she’s probably reminded of her own beginnings with the crime lord. Deborah Driggs
is a fine actress – equal parts Maria Ford and Jillian McWhirter – and
perfectly portrays Tiffany as a world-weary individual holding out for one
final possibility of changing her life.

Tiffany’s services are in demand: Spencer
uses her connection to a drug dealer (Matthew Powers) to facilitate a drug
bust so he can steal $10 million in drug money and purchase the business of a
wealthy sports promoter (Conroy Gedeon). To carry this out, he’ll need the
cooperation of someone more highly-placed than Dobbs, and it’s a surprise to
find out that Spencer even has his claws in Chief Krantz. Spencer tips off
Krantz about the upcoming drug deal and demands that he receive the spoils, but
the police chief is reluctant. He says that he “won’t cross the line,” but such
a declaration means nothing to Spencer. See, Krantz is involved with Tiffany,
and while it’s mostly mutual and Tiffany actually hopes that the chief will be
her ticket to a better life, she’s still indebted to Spencer and agrees to drug
Krantz during their next date. When Spencer and Tanner show up and take the unconscious
captain’s gun, she frets that they plan to kill him…but then Spencer turns
the weapon on her. Krantz comes to, and finds his lover dead and Tanner taking
incriminating photos. Spencer now officially has the chief under his thumb.

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Meanwhile, Sean’s been putting up with multiple
attempts on his life because Spencer considers him a threat. First, Dobbs pays
a biker gang to attack him, and when that fails, Spencer
sends Han, Koichi Sakamoto’s character, and a new enforcer (James Lew) to his
dojo. Sean beats the odds here, too, and Spencer decides to have both Sean and
the ineffectual Dobbs eliminated in the aftermath of the drug bust. The plan is
partially successful: following the raid, the partnered Sean and Dobbs are
accosted by a group of thugs led by Han, but while Dobbs is executed, Sean counterattacks
and succeeds in capturing Han.

Sean has Han lead him to a factory occupied
by Spencer’s forces, where his boss is awaiting the money. The climax is quick
to follow, but there’s a segment preceding it that intrigues me. Sean
holds a shotgun on Han, demanding that Spencer and his forces give themselves
up, but Spencer refuses and even encourages him to kill his henchman. Han gives Spencer
a look, then drops to one knee and pulls a knife from his sock; Sean promptly
blows his head off. This is such an odd, futile move on Han’s part that it
deserves examination. At first, we’re wont to think that Han is making a
last-ditch effort to attack Sean, or maybe even sacrificing himself so the
others can attack, but considering that his action comes right
after Spencer declares his life worthless to him, it’s possible that this is an
act of indignant defiance. Han likely considers himself a part of Spencer’s inner circle, higher-placed than the bought policemen, but it’s just hit him
that the devotion he feels towards his boss is entirely one-sided. In other
words, he realizes that he’s no different than Tiffany, who did everything
asked of her and was still killed. It would have been interesting to see who
Han turned his knife on – Sean or Spencer.

A quick shootout follows (with a clump of
Han’s hair still clinging to the barrel of Sean’s shotgun), but it turns into a
series of hand-to-hand showdowns. Billie, who had recently been promoted to
Spencer’s personal team, has a disappointing fight with Bree, but the
four brawls that follow are all very nice. Our heroes are victorious: Tanner
ends up hanging from his neck by a chain while Spencer’s remaining lieutenants
are thrown from a catwalk. While Spencer puts up a much better offense
than I expected from a slimy rich guy, he ends up impaled on a makeshift
sword.

Sean had found out after the bust that his
captain was complicit in Spencer’s schemes, and he and Billie immediately go to
Krantz’s residence. Krantz sees them approaching and puts a gun to his head.
Aggrieved by his involvement in organized crime, the selling out of his
officers, and the murder of his girlfriend, he shoots himself. The sound of his
gunshot ushers in the end credits.

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It’s an abrupt and unfulfilling ending, but
that’s the worst thing I have to say about this movie. Martial Law II is one of my go-to examples of a low-budget action
film that looks exactly as good as its high-end counterparts. Strong
direction coupled with an intimate style of choreography makes this virtually as
powerful of a vehicle as Seagal’s and Van Damme’s offerings of the same year. (I suspect that competition from independent studios played a part in those guys
moving up to bigger-budgeted, effects-driven blockbusters.) The excellent
casting and great distribution of resources, along with the clear storytelling,
qualifies this as study material for any director looking to make a
contemporary martial arts vehicle.

A good deal of credit goes to Jeff Wincott.
While he benefits immensely from a cool collection of costars, the great
choreography of Jeff Pruitt, and having no less of a talent than Cynthia Rothrock
as his onscreen partner, the guy does not
look like this is his first time headlining a kick flick. Wincott easily slips
into the action hero persona and takes to the fight scenes like a duck to
water. He’s the complete package, and arguably better-rounded than most of his
low-budget contemporaries, so it’s lamentable that his action career began
petering out well before the turn of the century.

From a social standpoint, the film could definitely
be stronger. Every non-white performer plays a villain of some stripe, and few of their roles fall
outside of stereotypes. Also, despite the presence of strong female characters,
women in general don’t fare well here, whether it’s Bree falling to her death
or Tiffany being murdered in cold blood. Nevertheless, we do have a significant
bright spot in the form of Sean and Billie’s relationship, because I can’t
understate how rare it is in these movies to see a friendly coexistence between
a man and woman without any romance involved. Billie and Sean are virtually
equal characters, with comparable prominence in the storyline and almost the
same number of fights. More importantly, they treat each other as equals, and
show fondness and concern for each other without needing to justify it with sex
or smooches. The fact that Billie isn’t stripped of her femininity to accomplish
this makes it all the more significant, and in this regard, the movie stands
out.

One minor nitpick is that Billy Drago isn’t
utilized to his full potential. I don’t mind that he didn’t get in on the
actual action, but when the most that he can brings to the film is an abortive
love scene, something’s awry. Nothing against Paul Johansson, but I’d have
loved to see this same movie with Drago in his role. But this, along with the
other shortcomings, isn’t reason enough to avoid the picture. Martial Law II excels on so many levels
and is such a gem of its subgenre that martial arts fans do themselves a
disservice in not plugging in their old VCRs for a viewing. Check it out!

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Martial Law II: Undercover (1991)
Directed by Kurt Anderson (Martial Outlaw)
Written by Pierre David (story),
Jiles Fitzgerald (screenplay), Richard Brandes (screenplay)
Starring Jeff Wincott (Mission of Justice), Cynthia Rothrock,
Paul Johansson (Highlander: The Raven),
Deborah Driggs (Total Exposure)
Cool costars: Evan Lurie (Hologram Man), Sherrie Rose (Me & Will), Billy Drago (Death Ring), Leo Lee (The Perfect Weapon), Koichi Sakamoto (Bounty Tracker), James Lew (Balance of Power), Oscar Dillon (Deadly Bet), Nicholas Hill (Death Match), Max Thayer (The Retrievers). Though only credited as
a “featured part,” world kickboxing icon Peter Cunningham appears as part of a
gang that attacks Billie.
Title refers to: Sean and Billie,
respectively. Sean’s nickname is “Martial Law,” but it’s Billie who infiltrates Spencer’s inner circle.
Potential triggers: Domestic abuse,
group violence, violence against women
Copyright M.L. II Partnership

Reviewnalysis: Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite (1996)

*SPOILERS
AHEAD*

When it comes to cult movies, the original Bloodsport
has its own shelf in the annals of nostalgia. Though I’m not the biggest fan of
that one, I recognize its significance and respect it for helping to reignite interest
in martial arts cinema in the post-Bruce Lee world. Given such status, it’s
inevitable that unfavorable comparisons would dog its lesser-known sequel,
especially since Jean-Claude Van Damme is nowhere to be seen here. Personally, I give
the movie more credit than just being a follow-up. Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite isn’t a perfect film, but it is an absolute opus of onscreen karate. This is as good as it gets for martial arts tournament
flicks, and I’d match it against any picture of the same description.

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The generic titles and the opening scene of kids in a dojo don’t
exactly imbue the movie with promise, but luckily,
here comes James Hong – one of my favorite actors – to play the role of Master
Sun. He calms the children by beginning a lengthy story about Alex Cardo
(Daniel Bernhardt), a professional thief whose tale begins with crashing the party of a wealthy businessman in Thailand (Pat Morita). Cardo
describes himself as a speaker of multiple languages, a specialist in Chinese
antiquities, and as being “quite good with [his] hands” – in other hands, he’s
as cocky as they come. Luckily, his arrogance doesn’t last long:
he’s come to steal an antique sword, and even though he
succeeds and beats up three guards in the process, his nefarious partner John (Philip Tan) double-crosses him and Alex is arrested. In
the words of Master Sun, “His greed had led him to a very dark place.”

The impression that Daniel Bernhardt makes on viewers during these opening
scenes is the impression of the film thus far, and I can empathize with
people who don’t take to it right away. The fact that Bernhardt uncannily looks,
sounds, and kicks like Van Damme almost makes me wonder why the filmmakers
didn’t just have him carry on the Frank Dux character from the original…but then again, even a good imitation is merely an imitation. Daniel
Bernhardt can’t help the way he looks, but perhaps the film would have been
better served with a more unique persona. The knockoff factor is high.

TRIVIA: The Bernhardt-Van Damme
connection encompasses more than just physical similarities. The two of them had
previously appeared together in a commercial for Versace Jeans, and
producer Mark DiSalle takes credit for having “discovered” both of them.

Alex is sent to prison. This seems to bring out his better side, as his
first act is to defend a fellow newbie being assaulted by the inmates. He subsequently makes the acquaintance of two other main characters: the sadistic prison guard Demon (Hans Ong) and the imprisoned Sun, who advises
Alex against fighting the guards. Sun is a lifer, imprisoned for the murder of
a rapist, and the bleakness of his situation is illustrated by that
his primary occupation seems to be sweeping a prison yard that’s
entirely made of sand. However, he has more interesting talents than that: Alex’s second
meeting with the bullying thugs doesn’t go well, and Sun demonstrates some
impressive tai chi to decimate the attackers. This sparks a mentor-pupil
relationship between the two, with Sun agreeing to teach Alex his secret – the
Iron Hand system.

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Also called Iron Palm, Iron Hand is not actually a martial arts style but a system
of conditioning techniques meant to increase striking power and bolster the
durability of the fingers and palms. Sun’s variation includes
fancy kicks and extinguishing candles with a punch, and this makes for a reasonably
fun training montage. I set no store by Sun’s concept
of chi and I think his armchair diagnosis of Alex’s psychological state is
silly, but he does make mention of something we’ve been waiting for since the beginning: the Kumite tournament, which he claims to have competed in. Alex is intrigued,
but Sun informs him that he will first have to earn an invitation – foreshadowing the trial Alex will have to go through after their chat. An attempt is made on Alex’s life by
the same thugs as before, and when he successfully defends himself, the
complicit Demon has Alex placed in a sweatbox.

Alex survives his presumably lengthy punishment by maintaining a spiritual connection
with Sun, with both of them striking hard surfaces to simulate their synchronized heartbeat. Mythically, this is Alex’s belly of the whale, and he emerges
prepared to undergo a heroic metamorphosis. He begins to excel in his training
– now able to extinguish candles with both fists and feet – and demonstrates a
newfound ability to get along with fellow inmates by playing checkers with them. You get the impression that he’s learned all he can here, so it’s
fortunate when he’s mysteriously freed. On his way out,
Alex makes two promises to Sun: that he will free him as well, and that he will
“make the Kumite a spiritual event again” – in response to the
sadistic Demon having been invited to compete.

When Alex finds out that his
liberator is none other than the businessman whose sword he stole – David
Leung – he makes one more promise: to retrieve the sword from his villainous
ex-partner and return it to Leung. The sword, you see, is the grand prize of
the Kumite, and Leung needs Alex’s help to get it back.

TRIVIA: All inmates in the prison wear
conspicuous pink outfits. This costume design wasn’t planned, but was decided
on when director Alan Mehrez got a good deal on the fabric.

Alex arrives at the Kumite, and I think these initial scenes divide viewers
by how they deconstruct the tournament. For starters, the involvement of David Leung throws back the aura of secrecy from the first film. (How secret can a tournament be if a public businessman is supplying the prize?) Also, Alex is able to show up there
even though he hasn’t received an invitation, whereas the original film required the hero to pass through checkpoints. And perhaps more surprising than anything, we see that the
returning Ray “I ain’t your pal, dickface” Jackson (Donald Gibb) is now
involved in the tournie’s organization. It’s not explained how he went from being
a competitor to an associate, and given that he’s still the loudmouthed brawler he was in the past, you can’t help but wonder who the heck thought he was
supervisory material.

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Much to Alex’s benefit, Ray has an odd way of doing his job. See, when
the head judge (Hee Il Cho) refuses Alex entry because he doesn’t have an invitation, Ray sets up an opportunity for Alex to win the invite of a fighter he’d just expelled (Jeff Wolfe). (It’s sort of a jerk move, given that Ray’s sole reason for tossing him out is that he
didn’t think he was good enough.) He does this for unexplained reasons, and after Alex wins a one-sided fight and the right to compete, the two of them become buddies. Weird.

We’re introduced to a handful of fighters with just enough screen time to count as characters. Cliff (Ron Hall) was the one who suggested
Alex consult Ray for help. Sergio (Nicholas Hill) is a self-proclaimed street
fighter and another of Alex’s impromptu friends. And Kim (Lisa McCullogh) is…well, not a
man. Admittedly, all of these characters have equally little substance, but how the film handles Kim is particularly irritating.
The screenplay *cannot* get over the fact that she’s a woman. She’s introduced
as the first female fighter to compete in the Kumite, and her reception in entering into an exclusively male domain is kinda harrowing. Her peers
hit on her, treat fights with her as a mockery, and go out of their way to try to
humiliate her. There are sexual jokes, and Ray feels compelled to protect her
more than he would any other fighter. At one point, she’s kissed against her
will. To be fair, the spotlight shines on her a little more than the other
fighters, but it’s disappointing what the filmmakers chose to
focus on.

Once the Kumite commences, I ascend to martial arts heaven. While it’s boring in the sense that the story all but stops, it’s
exciting in that I’ve rarely come across a collection of fight scenes that
consistently maintains such a high standard. While it lacks the original movie’s
theatrical touch, it nevertheless surpasses its predecessor in substance by presenting all
fights in their entirety. Nothing against montages, but give me any number of
consecutive brawls over a collection of snippets any day. There’s a lot of
back-and-forth action and long, uninterrupted shots – the foundations of any
great fight scene. The only real disappointment here is Demon, who – like Alex
– is very obviously modeled after his counterpart in the first film. Demon is arrogant,
plays to the crowd and flexes his muscles a lot, but the performance has a forced
look and can’t touch Bolo Yeung as Chong Li. A reenactment
of the judges turning their backs on the villain after he kills a competitor feels particularly desperate.

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As he advances through the tournament, Alex also has to worry about retrieving
the sword. Despite having been offered David Leung’s vast resources, Alex is determined to carry out the recovery by himself.
It’s not clear why, but his plan bears fruit: he tricks
John into appearing for a faux transaction, then has the police show up to
arrest him – but not before a quick fight.
Ray and Sergio are searching for Alex at the same time, and in coming upon the
scene, Sergio is shot in the leg by John’s bodyguard. They don’t make a huge
deal about this, but I’m a little indignant. After all, Sergio had a real
shot of winning the tournament by now, and his injury could have been avoided if Alex hadn’t been all lone
wolf about this.

TRIVIA: Eight months after the film’s release, Nicholas Hill competed in the World Vale Tudo Championships under the ring name
Niccolaus. Though Hill was a legitimate martial artist who owned a dojo, he hadn’t competed before and lost to his opponent, future UFC star Pedro Rizzo. While the promoters viewed this as a one-off adventure and publicity stunt, Hill was in fact eager to compete and thus embarked on a six-year career as a pro MMA fighter.

With the sword retrieved, Alex has an excellent match against another
semifinalist (Chad Stahelski) en route to meeting Demon in the finals. Things start out bad for Alex: he goes down following a few hard strikes, exclaiming that “[Demon’s] arms are like
cement.” Demon nearly eliminates
Alex by targeting his leg, but the protagonist rallies upon receiving help
from an unexpected source. Unbeknownst to him, David has already freed Sun, who
is present at the match and is able to remind Alex of his training. By
channeling his inner strength, Alex is able to defeat Demon’s ‘cement arms’
with his Iron Palm. Upon victory, Alex is awarded the sword, but later presents
it to Sun in gratitude.

The film ends with a thoroughly unearned kiss between Alex and Janine (Lori
Lynn Dickerson). She’s technically been his love interest throughout the movie,
but has been so underutilized that I haven’t bothered mentioning her.

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I have to admit, the storyline seems a little less sound than when I first saw
the movie. The narrative hops around a
little and, with the exception of Alex and Sun, it doesn’t do a great job of
building character relationships. Nevertheless, the film
largely succeeds in recapturing the first film’s ambience. No mention is made of the
original’s protagonist, Frank Dux, but it feels like this is the same world he
inhabits. My favorite aspect of this is the extensive assortment of fighters,
which measures up well to the first movie’s. It’s the same kind of cattle call
for martial artists, and the varied personalities that show up are impressive.
Nicholas Hill, Philip Tan, and grappler Gokor Chivichyan are (or would be) champions in
their respective disciplines; judge Hee Il Cho and fighter Jerry Piddington
give the roster some clout as legitimate masters; Ron Hall is hands-down one of
the most exciting performers in America. It’s a great ensemble,
unmatched in size and skill in all but a few movies.

On the surface, Bloodsport II seems
like a pretty straightforward film with an unambitious story. However, given that
the script supposedly underwent considerable rewrites, it’s worth looking at a
little more closely for signs of intrigue. Sure enough, there seem to
be traces of a deeper story here. The mention of Alex’s past as the unhappy son
of missionaries, Sun’s backstory as an immigrant in Thailand, and the
hints of a more established relationship between Alex, Cliff, and Sergio
provide some fodder for headcanon. However, the part that got me thinking more than
anything is an almost overlookable snippet in the film’s first half. When Alex is
thrown into the sweatbox, he experiences a series of
hallucinations; many of these are just replayed footage of past events, but
there’s also a momentary shot of him placing a damp cloth on a prone Sun’s
head. This scene never occurs elsewhere in the movie, and it’s actually the reverse
of what happens when Sun nurses Alex back to health. This may simply be
salvaged footage from a deleted scene, but I interpret it as Alex’s realization
of his transformation. The relationship between him and Sun had almost
exclusively been to his benefit until then, but soon after, Alex makes his commitment
to free his teacher. Alex seems to have been endowed with a sense of purpose during the
sweatbox torture and comes to see himself as Sun’s savior. Such extraordinary conviction
may explain his confidence in handling a life & death situation later (i.e.
the bust on John), and it even justifies the seemingly empty spiritual talk
throughout the movie. Basically, I think Alex received a supernatural
premonition in the hotbox. After all, heat exhaustion is often used as a
catalyst in trances.

In an interview on The Voice Versus
TV show, the real-life Frank Dux claimed that the reason Bloodsport II “never went anywhere” was because he wasn’t involved
in its production and it lacked his style of fight choreography. It seems more likely that the film’s obscurity is
due to that it was a low-budgeted limited release produced by
filmmakers who specialized in DTV work and didn’t star Van Damme. Daniel
Bernhardt has since played supporting villains in major pictures, but I don’t
think there are too many casual viewers looking up his past work. As such, Bloodsport II doesn’t stand on accolades
or cult fame; it stands solely on its merits, and in that regard, I’d argue
that it definitely does go places. It has a good cast, excellent fight scenes, and it’s colorful and fun to look at. It’s
a smooth, exhilarating adventure whose faults don’t come close to dragging it
down. I’d even say that as far as pure DTV martial arts flicks go, this is one
of the very best. Check it out!

TRIVIA: The movie features 28 full-length
fight scenes – seven more than its predecessor. This officially makes it one of the
most fight-crammed U.S. productions ever released.

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Bloodsport
II: The Next Kumite (1996)
Directed by Alan Mehrez (Bloodsport III)
Written by Jeff Schechter (creator
of the TV show Stitchers)
Starring Daniel Bernhardt (True Vengeance), James Hong (Big Trouble in Little China), Donald
Gibb, Pat Morita (The Karate Kid series)
Cool costars: Hans Ong (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story), Philip Tan
(Martial Law), Ron Hall (Triple Impact), Nicholas Hill (Fists of Iron), Hee Il Cho (Best of the Best), Jeff Wolfe (Once Upon a Time in China and America),
Nils Allen Stewart (Mercenary), Earl
White (Heatseeker), Gokor Chivichyan
(Streets of Rage). Lisa McCullogh was
one of Uma Thurman’s stunt doubles in Kill
Bill Vol. 1. Chad Stahelski has since become one of the top Hollywood fight
choreographers. Fighters Jerry Piddington and Ken Harte don’t have many other
credits but are respected as masters in the martial arts community. The
credits claim that good ol’ Eric Lee is in here, playing a character called
Seng, but I haven’t been able to identify him.
Title refers to: The tournament. Whether it’s actually the next Kumite – i.e. the one following the original film’s – isn’t clear.
Content warning: Prison violence and abuse, group violence, torture, sexual harassment and assault
Copyright FM Entertainment
International N.V.

How to Choose Good DTV Martial Arts Movies

A while ago, I posted a primer about what
direct-to-video martial arts films a newcomer to the subgenre might want to
watch first. I’ve since realized that those recommendations don’t really imbue
the reader with any means of making informed decisions beyond the list, so now,
I’ve come up with a set of tips regarding the subgenre in general. While many
of these suggestions are not without ample exceptions, I have done my best to
ensure that they match general perceptions and are not too biased.

To
choose a quality DTV martial arts flick, consider the following:

The time of release is important
Beware of films released during the home video slump – approximately 1999 thru 2006.
During this time, the smaller studios responsible for the action boom had
either gone out of business or been bought up by larger distributors. Studios
like Sony and Columbia TriStar were new to the low-budget game and tended to
focus on style over substance. Additionally, many of video’s stars had either
left the genre by this time (e.g. Jeff Wincott) or were stepping down from solo
careers to focus on supporting roles (e.g. Cynthia Rothrock).

Different studios make different movies
Not all studios that release DTV martial arts flicks specialize in them, but
there have been several that do. Knowing what to expect from such studios can
be helpful, so here’s a handful of the more prolific ones.

  • PM Entertainment – Better-than-average
    stories and production values, mixed with good (and occasionally great) action.
  • Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment – Strong
    production values and so-so fight scenes.
  • Cine Excel Entertainment – Cheap-o productions,
    often with dubbed audio. Tons of fight scenes of poor quality.
  • Voltage Pictures – Increasingly decent
    productions starring current or ex- A-listers. Its founder publicly stated it
    only produces B-movies to finance larger pictures.
  • Nu Image – Its 1992-1997 output ranged
    from good to decent. 1998-2005 was very questionable. From then ‘til now, Isaac
    Florentine’s productions have set the standard.
  • Millennium Films – A subsidiary of Nu
    Image; see above.

Some guys are lovers
There are a few performers in the DTV market who are identified as “karate guys”
– usually because of past work – but don’t actually feature that much
hand-to-hand fighting in their movies. Primary offenders include Wesley Snipes
and Dolph Lundgren, along with post-2005 Lorenzo Lamas. Michael Dudikoff,
Olivier Gruner, and Steven Seagal have also had some pretty bare stretches.

Eastern Europe = blah
Low-budget filmmakers apparently find favorable
production conditions and a ready stunt community in nations like Bulgaria, but
this is also the place where many productions were shot during the dreaded
video slump. Filmmakers have had a much better time of it since the late 2000s,
but in addition to their unsatisfying action content, these colorless films are
depressing to look at.

MMA-themed movies suck
Again, filmmakers seem to be getting the hang of this nowadays, but mixed
martial arts have ironically fared much better in mainstream cinema than on DTV.
I blame a lot on this on the films of Hector Echavarria, a kickboxer-turned-filmmaker
who cornered the market with movies saturated by bad fight scenes and overhyped
cameos of professional fighters.

Ignore the reviews
Or rather, know to gauge others’ opinions. DTV fare
tends to generate reviews from two kinds of people: cult fans and casual
viewers who rarely watch non-mainstream pictures. This leads to a polarized set
of opinions, and it’s hard to know which to trust in any given case.
Personally, I used to ignore reviews completely, though the consequence has
been sitting through a lot of sludge. As far as reviewing hubs go, Rotten
Tomatoes tends to mirror popular consent, Amazon is where people go to write
positive reviews, and IMDb is the most nuanced of the three.

Yeah, I’m aware of the irony of that last
one, seeing as I write reviews, too. But keep in mind that we’re talking about
a subgenre that is still fairly marginalized. Whereas finding out what movies
you like in the mainstream is relatively easy, finding good low-budget martial
arts movies – some of them 30 years old by now – is like trying to find
treasure using an incomplete map. To that end, I hope this list is helpful.

Reviewnalysis: Black Cobra (2012)

*SPOILERS
AHEAD*

When you begin to appreciate how talented of a performer T.J. Storm is,
it’s surprising that it took so long for him to get a solo vehicle. Even though
Storm (born Juan Ojeda) entered the direct-to-video martial arts field at its
zenith, it wasn’t until the genre had gone through an
economic slump and been revived that he briefly became a leading man. The movie
that makes this possible looks like a shoestring operation, but despite being
plagued by some typical low-budget problems, it’s this scanty amount of
resources that – in true B-movie fashion – brings out the best in the
people involved. Black Cobra isn’t a
showstopper and it’s unlikely to become your new favorite, but if your
appreciation of martial arts cinema includes pure effort and heart,
this one’s worth looking at.

image

Black Cobra is based on a novel by Sebati E. Mafate, When the Cobra
Strikes. I can’t say whether the movie’s a faithful
adaptation, but its opening ten minutes show the filmmakers trying to
establish a lot of backstory in as little time as possible. The basis of the plot
is that Sizwe Biko (Storm) – a South African martial artist of mixed race – must find a way to release his father from jail. His dad (Michael
Chinyamurindi) is a political prisoner from the time of apartheid, and he’s
being targeted for murder by racist prison guards. He gives Sizwe
the location of the family’s treasured diamonds, which Sizwe intends
to sell so he can pay off a corrupt judge. He’d probably
prefer to do this in South Africa, but after one of the aforementioned guards
(Robert Pike Daniel) follows him to the hiding place with a couple of men
(one of them’s his son) and they’re all killed in the resulting fight, Sizwe contacts a friend in Los
Angeles (Jeff Wolfe) who agrees to help him hock the diamonds. Leaving behind
his angry fiancée (Ursula Taherian) and the martial arts master who trained him
in snake kung fu (Damion Poitier), he heads to California.

All of the above happens before the main title screen. It’s an ungraceful narrative, but nevertheless, this pseudo-montage has introduced
us to the overarching theme of the feature: the relationship between fathers
and sons. In Black Cobra, this relationship is directly connected to mortality; we’ve
already seen the racist prison guard die alongside his son, while Sizwe undertakes a life-threatening mission to save his father.

In Los Angeles, Sizwe is received by his old schoolmate Mpho – played by the
author of the book – and his roommates Gerald (J.T. Jackson) and
Gilroy (Floyd Gilmor). What they lack in indispensability they
tend to make up in likability…although Mpho’s idea to throw a party and hook
Sizwe up with a woman clearly isn’t well-advised. The evening features poor Sizwe
all but fleeing the advances of one of the ladies (Ogy Durham) and
later knocking a drunken guest into the pool after being challenged to defend
himself.

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The following night, Sizwe is finally picked up by Nicholas, the guy who’s
to help him sell the diamonds. Nicholas is quite high and makes a suspicious impression, but Sizwe goes with him anyway. They pay a
visit to Goro Tanaka (Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa), a Yakuza lord looking to get into the
jewelry business. Tanaka’s son Satoshi (Richard Dorton), Nicholas’ contact, is desperate to impress his apathetic father – so desperate that following
the exchange, Satoshi and his goons attack Sizwe and steal back the money. During the attack, Nicholas stands by and
snorts some heroin. Satoshi’s intentions are clear – he wants his father to
notice him – but as Nicholas leaves his friend for dead, it’s
not clear why he’s done this. While his betrayal is never adequately explained,
it’s mentioned that he’s trying to produce a movie and needs the money Satoshi pays him for the double-cross. It’s possible that his drug habits have leveled any previous finances, and now he’s trying to simultaneously pay for both a film and his heroin use.

Sizwe is brought back home by a sympathetic passer-by called Vicky (C. Traci
Murase). Unable to locate Nicholas and not knowing what else to do, he
turns to a former martial arts instructor of
his – Shihan Kris (Stephanie Cheeva). Shihan’s first act is to test Sizwe with a fight scene
the moment he enters her home (“A simple hello would have sufficed!” Sizwe
complains afterwards). Despite
this violent reception, his teacher is pretty helpful, first giving him a potion to speed up his healing and then helping him locate Nicholas through his
father – another martial arts instructor.

Vicky – suddenly a part of Sizwe’s group –
helps them gain entry to Nicholas’ home by posing as a deliveryperson. Embarrassingly,
Nicholas is caught in the presence of escorts and planning trips to Las Vegas. Sizwe and his friends kidnap him, along
with the women (I’m not sure why). Sizwe & Co. interrogate them, but Nicholas
proves to be resourceful and surprises the friends while Sizwe is out of
the room – beating up Gilroy and Mpho while still tied to a chair. This leads
to a showdown between Sizwe and Nicholas, and while it’s the best
fight in the movie, I must admit dissatisfaction. Both performers are
talented, but the editing is overactive – constantly flipping between shots
and providing no smooth, start-to-finish
exchanges.

After Nicholas is defeated and successfully interrogated, you’d think
it’s time for Sizwe to get his diamonds back, but the movie has him contend
with some relationship drama first. Vicky has inexplicably fallen for Sizwe,
and while he politely rebuffs her, his fiancée turns up in L.A. and assumes that the
two are having an affair. This leads to a gratuitous catfight. They don’t rip
off each other’s clothes or anything, but there’s a really sheepish instance of
male pandering where they’re scrapping and cussing each other out while an oblivious
Sizwe showers. It’s an unnecessary confrontation that’s never mentioned again, and the reason that Sizwe’s fiancée – Kiki – came was to reveal that she’s pregnant. This doesn’t effect the story
much, but I suppose it raises the stakes a little.

image

When Sizwe finally heads to Tanaka’s base of operations, he walks into a
highpoint of family drama. Frustrated that his father refuses to give him 
responsibility, Satoshi attempts a foolhardy takeover with the help of a rival
underworld faction, but his efforts are stomped on by the
better-prepared Tanaka. Tanaka favors a young protégé called Kogi (Jamison
Wang), and after Satoshi is subsequently disowned, the disgraced son takes
advantage of the chaos Sizwe causes to kill Koji with a tanto.
Finding his disciple slain, Tanaka blames Sizwe and unleashes all his minions on him.

There’s a pretty decent fight wherein Sizwe engages two knife-wielding bodyguards
(Jade Quon and Kiralee Hayashi). One of them was among Satoshi’s goons who
attacked Sizwe earlier, and it’s treated as a reveal when we see that
there are two of them. They wear masks
half of the time, so I’m not sure whether they’re supposed to be twins, but I
get the impression that there’s some untold story behind these two. Whatever
the case, Sizwe kills them by redirecting their blades at each other – similar to
the technique he used to slay the racist guard’s son. Afterwards, he engages the remainder of Tanaka’s thugs and eventually takes the fight to the aggrieved boss himself, who attacks him
with a sword.

Sizwe gets the upper hand on Tanaka, his kung fu beating out the old man’s
kenjutsu, but Satoshi appears and halts
the fight by pointing a gun at Sizwe’s head. Satoshi makes one final bid
for his father’s approval, but Tanaka notices the bloody knife still in his
hand. Realizing that his rage was misdirected, Tanaka
charges and kills Satoshi. As Sizwe looks on in shock, an exhausted Tanaka throws
him a suitcase filled with the money from their deal and tells him to go. The
Yakuza boss is left kneeling over his son’s body, his empire devastated and his
lineage lost.

After so much violence, it’s a feat that the movie manages a happy ending, with
Sizwe emotionally receiving his father as he exits the prison. As they walk offscreen, we see that by some unexplained means, Sizwe has
regained his diamonds (perhaps they were in the suitcase) and used them to repay his allies with. We also see an epilogue of Nicholas,
who tears a photo of him and Sizwe in half and lights the image of his former
friend on fire. You don’t get the impression that he’s plotting revenge or anything,
but he’s got to be reflecting on how his willingness to double-cross a pal has
led to his financial detriment. I don’t think he’s ever going to get that movie
made.

image

Having watched Black Cobra a few
times, I can summarize it as decent movie that could have been better.
The story shows a lot of promise, the martial cast is great, and T.J. Storm
makes a great lead, but problems with the pacing keep this one down. There’s
simply too much story to tell and the screenplay falls over itself in trying.
There are at least a couple out-of-the-blue flashbacks where the movie seems to
be saying “Oh shoot, I forgot to mention this!” There’s also some needless
timeline-hopping, not to mention a whole subsection regarding a private
investigator (director Scott Donovan) that I didn’t bother mentioning
because it’s facetious to the plot. Problems like these remind you that this otherwise
good-looking movie is an indie production, prone to amateur mistakes, and makes
me wish that Lionsgate sent the film back to the editing bay before releasing it.
(Then again, DTV action flicks are often victims of studio meddling, so
perhaps I should blame these shortcomings on
Lionsgate itself.) It’s far from unwatchable, but also far from perfect.

Nevertheless, I do recommend the movie, in part to promote diversity
within the subgenre. DTV martial arts flicks aren’t ethnically exclusive,
but aside from the fact that you’re unlikely to find a dark-skinned protagonist
unless it’s in a Wesley Snipes or Michael Jai White vehicle, it’s particularly
rare to come across a film wherein neither the protagonist nor the lead villain
are white. The use of animal kung fu in a modern fight flick is likewise pretty
unique, and while my complaints about the action content still stand, I appreciate
the little touches that choreographer Ken Ohara put in to distinguish Sizwe’s
fighting style. And despite already having been in the movie business for over two
decades when the film was released, T.J. Storm approaches his role with all the
enthusiasm of Jean-Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport –
imbuing it with the energy of a true breakout vehicle. I really hope he gets top billing again.

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Someone who also elevates the
movie is Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa. Tagawa’s one of a few performers who are able to crisscross
between B-movies and mainstream cinema without damage to his career. Like Lance Henriksen and John Rhys-Davies, the guy can go from filming big-budget
work to a movie like
this, bringing some flair to it without losing his dignity. He goes the extra mile here by partaking in that
swordfight: even though Tagawa will always be known as a martial artist
for his role in Mortal Kombat, look
up his filmography and take note of how rarely he’ll actually do fight scenes. His return to actual action is perfectly
respectable, and I hope he’s not done mixing it up like this.

The film’s theme of fathers and sons is interesting. The most obvious comparison it wants you to consider is between the Bikos and the Tanakas;
at first, it seems like a simple contrast between a good father-son
relationship and a bad one, but the two sets are actually pretty similar in that both feature the son risking death for his
father’s sake. Again, mortality is key: the life of Sizwe’s father
is dependent on his son surviving his adventure, and Tanaka’s absence from the
epilogue seems to indicate with his son dead, he has no
future left. Then there’s the relationship between Nicholas
and his dad, who isn’t even credited. The decision not actually credit the latter may illustrate how the (presumably) distant
relationship between Nicholas and his father has caused both of them to fade from
prominence: Nicholas can’t get his movie made, and his pop can’t even get
credited! The fate of the father affects the fate of the son, and vice-versa.

I think Liongate’s marketing department made a questionable decision with this
one’s Region 1 DVD cover. It looks like it’s modeled after the artwork of a 50
Cent album, and in no way conveys that this is a movie about an African kung fu
practitioner who takes on an American Yakuza faction. For reasons like
this, the movie seems to have gone under most peoples’ radar, but while I can’t
justify urging viewers to see it like I might some other hidden gem, I still
hope that its audience will grow over time. Black
Cobra isn’t a movie to change our lives, but because we all love a genre that’s often criticized for unoriginality, we should celebrate instances of
uniqueness. Give it a try, maybe?

image

Black
Cobra (2012)
Directed by Scott Donovan, Lilly
Melgar (co-director)
Written by Scott Donovan, Sebati E.
Mafate
Starring T.J. Storm (Conan the Adventurer), Cary Hiroyuki- Tagawa, Jeff
Wolfe (Once Upon a Time in China and
America), Ursula Taherian (Carver)
Cool costars: Damion Poitier (Hunter Prey), Stephanie Cheeva (The Ultimate Game), Jade Quon (Raze), Kiralee Hayashi. Tanaka’s
henchmen include Anthony Nanakornpanom (Broken
Path), Tsuyoshi Abe (Sword of Honor),
Sam Looc (Falcon Rising), and
Tadahiro Nakamura (various Power Ranger
incarnations). Harrison Snider, who plays the drunken guest who challenges
Sizwe, is actually a competitive tae kwon do practitioner who operates the Helix
Martial Arts studio in Colorado.
Title refers to: Sizwe mentions that his nickname is “the cobra.” And he happens to be black.
Potential triggers: Racist dialogue, racially-motivated violence, group violence, homophobic dialogue, torture
Copyright Sizwe Productions, LLC.

Reviewnalysis: The King of the Kickboxers (1990)

*SPOILERS
AHEAD*

The No Retreat, No Surrender series
is a benchmark of western martial arts cinema and a personal favorite of mine.
Ask a casual fan how many installments it contains and they’ll say three, but
ask me and I’ll say seven – pointing to the stylistic similarities between all
seven of the U.S. movies produced by the Seasonal Film Corporation. In this
regard, The King of the Kickboxers
may be called No Retreat, No
Surrender IV, and I’m happy to say that it retains many of its predecessors’
strengths. A few glaring shortcomings make it pretty weak in some respects and
repeat viewings have definitely sobered my initial impression, but nevertheless,
it’s still a cult classic and arguably the last good movie that Loren Avedon
starred in. Fight fans with a taste for the exotic will love this.

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The film opens energetically in 1981 at the Samrong Stadium of Bangkok, where
American kickboxer Sean Donahue (Michael DePasquale, Jr.) wins the “Thai
Kickboxing Grand Championship” while his younger brother Jake (Patrick Shuck) cheers
him on. As the brothers depart the arena in a tuk-tuk taxi, Jake expresses
concern that some of the spectators seemed angry at an American winning the
title, and it turns out that his fears aren’t unfounded. In a rural part of
town, the taxi is stopped and Sean is accosted by a group of thugs. Their
leader, a rifle-toting man of African descent (Billy Blanks), informs him that
“An American can never be champion. You should not have won the fight tonight,
and you won’t win this one.” He attacks Sean, easily killing him with a set of
three devastating kicks. For good measure, the stranger breaks the
championship belt in half and beats Jake unconscious, leaving him with a facial
scar and a singed photograph as reminders of the night.

The assailant’s name is Khan, and in case this post fails to convey it
otherwise, know that he’s one of the most over-the-top villains I’ve
seen in a martial arts movie.

TRIVIA: The stadium in the movie may
allude to two actual locations in Bangkok – Muay Samrong Boxing Stadium and
Samrong Boxing Stadium. Both are located on Samrong Road and feature fights on
Friday and Sunday nights.

Ten years into the future, Jake has become a New York detective of particular
caliber. Our first scene of the grown boy – now played by Loren Avedon – is of him engaging in an
undercover drug deal. After the dealers incriminate themselves (and
voice a disregard for the wellbeing of children to boot), Jake purposely blows
his cover so’s to fight the aggressors hand-to-hand. After
thoroughly beating them and using a space heater to fry the face of their
leader (Jerry Trimble), his backup arrives, furious because Jake purposely
provided them with the wrong location. In summary, Jake is the consummate 80s
karate cop: too good for guns and too ahead of the curve to regard protocol,
whose use of police brutality is only fleetingly mentioned afterwards. New
York’s crime scene is no match for him, so his enraged captain (Oscar nominee Richard Jaeckel) assigns him to an Interpol case regarding snuff films produced
in Bangkok.

Clearly feeling his dark past, Jake is initially against the idea of working in
Thailand, but once he realizes that the man beating people to death on the tape
is none other than Khan, he becomes determined to take
revenge. Naturally, he decides against telling anyone about his personal
investment – not his captain, and not his Bangkok contact (Don
Stroud).

It’s interesting that while Jake is upset by the memories the tape
brings up, he regains his cocky confidence by the time he makes it to
Southeast Asia. He looks like a tourist in the introductory montage, and even
after he meets with his contact, he doesn’t seem particularly perturbed that the
three agents who’ve worked on the case before him have been killed. To be fair,
he can take care of himself: in an attempt to get noticed by the criminals, he
shoots his mouth off at the “Bangkok Kickboxing Academy” and handily wins an
impromptu brawl against three boxers. Perhaps he’d be a little more cautious if
he knew that Khan had only recently killed a fighter who likewise had held his
own against three attackers, after being tricked onto the set of the latest
snuff movie. While Jake will have the opportunity to address his own arrogance, the unfortunate fighter – played by Bruce Fontaine – is
left hanging by his jaw on a meat hook.

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Khan and Jake are indirectly connected through a new character: Molly (Sherrie
Rose), an American model who’s presented to Khan by his unscrupulous filmmakers
as an unwilling prize. Molly escapes a near-rape but is pursued by Khan’s
thugs, from whom she’s rescued by Jake. Jake finds a temporary haven at her apartment,
and to be honest, the scene which follows is where I begin to tire of the
character. Not only is Jake an ace cop and awesome warrior, he’s now also
presented as a reader of women who lays Molly’s backstory bare for her – no
need for her to assert her character at all. The movie ends up handling the
relationship between these two with relative decency, but Jake’s become a real
problem. He’s way too cocky for me to admire the extent of his talents, and just isn’t very likable.

TRIVIA: Loren Avedon and Sherrie Rose
didn’t actually get along. Following a rocky behind-the-scenes relationship, Rose reportedly bad-mouthed Avedon to producers at the PM Entertainment studio after landing a contract with the company. Avedon claims that word got around and he was effectively blackballed from Hollywood.

Luckily, the humbling of Jake Donahue begins the following morning, when he’s
accosted by a fighter from the gym. “Thasi” (Ong Soo Han) engages
him in a quick fight, showing him that in fact even a modest boxer can actually
best him. Upon hearing that Jake is after Khan, the spirit of comradery moves Thasi to point Jake in the direction of Master Prang – a secluded hermit living
in the jungle, and the only fighter to have almost beaten Khan. Jake
ventures there but is disappointed that the master (Keith Cooke)
appears to be an alcoholic loser who shares his home with a pet chimpanzee.
Jake leaves in disgust, but not before the chimp steals his passport. When Jake comes back looking for it, he finds Prang confronted by a gang of knife-wielding thugs – likely
sent by the malicious filmmakers to abduct him for their upcoming
film. Jake holds his own, but as things get tough, Prang leaps into action and
demolishes the attackers with a series of amazing kicks.

Prang builds a rapport with Jake, and their exchanges end up being a highlight
of the movie. Prang’s alcoholism is revealed as a façade to make
him appear less threatening to Khan following their close fight. He
agrees to train Jake, and as tends to be the case in martial arts movies, these
scenes are a blast to watch. Prang’s methods are a combination of novelty and
brute force: instead of teaching Jake new fighting techniques, he primarily
assaults him with a club and tortures him with rope & pulley contraptions.
Prang claims that the point of the training is to prepare Jake for Khan’s
fearsome triple kick attack, and to simulate this, he swings whole logs at him.
It’s refreshingly human to see Jake lose patience at times, but it’s sort of amazing
that he survives the ordeal.

I wish that the screenplay focused more on Prang and his quest. While
Jake’s journey is a direct parallel to the mythical hero’s, Prang is in the
unique situation of having downplayed his own heroic qualities. He assumes the
role of the mentor, though the interactions between Jake and him (not to
mention the closeness between the actors’ ages) make them seem like equals. Most
unconventionally, Prang has very little moral high ground: though he claims that
he won’t train a murderer, that’s largely what he ends up doing, and despite
his attempts at emotional detachment, it’s not a stretch to assume that he
resents his predicament and wouldn’t mind seeing Khan dead. Prang’s
story is probably more interesting than it’s given credit for, and it’d be neat
if he had more time in the spotlight.

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Having recently evaded another kidnapping attempt, Molly ventures to Prang’s
place, and Prang arranges for her to spend the night with Jake. There’s a scene
wherein Molly joins Jake in the bathtub, and the story behind it is worth a
tangent… According to writer Keith Strandberg, an actress who had previously
been cast for the role pulled out due to the required nudity. Sherrie Rose objected as well once filming had begun, being unwilling to
film the part where Molly bares her breasts. Shooting was halted as the
filmmakers tried to persuade her, going so far as to argue that someone who
had posed for Playboy shouldn’t
object to onscreen nakedness. Eventually, the nudity takes a condensed
form, with Rose’s breasts visible for only about two seconds. Rose’s protest – and especially her
successful compromise – is a rarity within the B-movie world, where catering
to male demographics could result in a demanding environment for actresses
and where a refusal to perform nude could end a career. (For a more complete take on
the state of sexuality within B-movies during the ‘90s, see Odette Springer’s
documentary Some Nudity Required.)

With his training complete, Jake engages in a series of underground fights and
successfully catches the eye of one of the snuff producers (David Michael
Sterling). He’s recruited with promises of starring in an action movie, and
despite the protests of his police superiors, he’s determined to risk death in
order to stop the crime ring. Following one more night with Molly and a
final exchange with Prang, Jake rows off to the shooting location. The set is an
enormous bamboo cage built in a river, with platforms to fight on rising out of
the water. Dozens of extras dressed in aboriginal garb watch as he enters the
cage, wearing an ornate mask and costume. It’s an impressive sight.

Jake takes on a number of spear-wielding assailants, but these guys are a mere warm-up for his true opponent. Khan appears, likewise
garbed in costume, and to Jake’s horror, he’s carrying the unconscious
Molly under his arm. He’s also carrying a sack, which he throws into the water
to reveal the body of the murdered Prang. With Molly now held in a rope net
and the filmmakers’ desired pathos achieved, Jake and Khan commence fighting. The
match is one of my all-time favorites, filled with back-and-forth action, and
both performers are at their best. Particularly Billy Blanks looks extremely powerful and more than capable of
hanging with the Hong Kong-style choreography.

TRIVIA: The outfits worn by Jake and
Khan are costumes from Thailand’s khon theater. Jake’s outfit
appears to represent Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god, while Khan’s probably represents the demon lord
Ravana. In Hindu mythology, Hanuman was instrumental in the vanquishing of
Ravana by the avatar Rama.

Jake eventually defeats his opponent, and Khan is mortally wounded when he’s
thrown under the spiked gate of the entryway. His last act is an attempt to
kill Molly by loosening the rope holding her up, but Jake catches her.
As the filmmakers revel in excitement, thinking they’ll be able to replace Khan
with Jake, the Thai police and Jake’s superiors arrive to chase everyone into
the jungle. As the cage is incinerated with a rocket launcher – presumably
destroying the bodies of Khan and Prang inside – Jake and Molly embrace in
front of the flames. Richard Yuen’s pleasant
soundtrack ushers us into the end credits.

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The King of the Kickboxers was
released a year after Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Kickboxer,
and while strong parallels between their screenplays are apparent, the former
manages to stand out for its style. Whereas Kickboxer
is clearly an American movie, The King of
the Kickboxers has a much stronger Hong Kong flavor. Personally, I think it has the more believable and stronger
characters. But like
Kickboxer, I’m disappointed by the
lack of actual Thai performers among the prominent cast. Ong Soo Han is Malaysian, but Thai actors are uniformly relegated to bit parts. Billy Blanks doesn’t pass as Oriental at all,
despite the use of eyeliner.

Speaking of Blanks, I was so curious about his casting that I contacted Keith
Strandberg and asked about the character. I wanted to know whether Khan was in
fact anything other than a “pure” Thai, and I speculated that he may be
half-Thai or even a foreign expatriate. Strandberg – who was very pleasant and
can be contacted through his website – affirmed my former suggestion and
explained the basis for Khan’s antagonism. He said that Khan is the son of a
Thai mother and a U.S. serviceman who abandoned them while Khan was young,
thereby sparking his hatred of Americans. This is illuminating, but makes me
wonder about Khan’s relationship to the snuff filmmakers. They
certainly appear to be American, yet seem to have such control over Khan that
the Marlon Brando lookalike (William Long, Jr.) is able to make fun of
him without repercussion. There’s probably a lot more to this than I’m privy to, but despite being a
murderer and a sadist, Khan comes across as someone controlled by anger but who’s also been taken advantage of by other people.

The action content is really darn good, thanks in large part to the innovation
of fight choreographer Tony Leung. Leung would later work on the martial arts epic Ip Man, and you can definitely see a lot of his skill here in how he directs so many diverse performers to grand
results. I truly love the martial cast in this one, but the only real
drawbacks are the shortness of some of the fights and the fact that most of the
fighters only have one or two brawls apiece. Fans of Hong Kong regulars Steve
Tartalia and Vincent Lyn will be disappointed how uninvolved they are in Loren
Avedon’s first fight.

Speaking of Avedon, you have to love his enthusiasm. Loren would grow into a more
skillful actor as time went on, but at this point, all he had going for him was
fervor and the kind of natural charisma that most successful B-movie stars
have. Most of the acting in the film is along these lines, so if you can’t
stand extra raw drama, this isn’t for you. Of course, there’s some skillful
acting in here too, and while some viewers may name Richard Jaeckel or Don Stroud
the best performer, I give the title to Sherrie Rose. Jaeckel and Stroud play
stock characters they probably could have done in their sleep, while
the onus to create an original persona is on Rose. While she isn’t
given the opportunity to excel, she definitely gets her personality through and
is noticeably more nuanced than everyone she interacts with.

The King of the Kickboxers is
predictable and thematically unambitious, but no one can say that the
filmmakers didn’t put a lot of effort into it. As one of the most colorful
entries of the Seasonal Film series, it’s worth owning for both established
fans and general karate lovers alike. It’s definitely required viewing for
serious followers of the martial arts B-movie subgenre. Check it out!

image

The
King of the Kickboxers (1990)
Directed by Lucas Lowe (American
Shaolin)
Written by Keith W. Strandberg (screenplay, original story), Ng See-Yuen
(original story), John Kay (uncredited)
Starring Loren Avedon, Billy Blanks
(Tough and Deadly), Keith Cooke (Mortal Kombat), Sherrie Rose (Me and Will)
Cool costars: Hans Ong (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story), Jerry
Trimble (The Master), Bruce Fontaine
(Outlaw Brothers), Michael
DePasquale, Jr. (China Heat), Steve
Tartalia (Death Cage), Vincent Lyn (Operation Condor). Hong Kong regular Mark King (Once Upon a Time in China) plays an uncredited police officer.
Title refers to: It’s written on a film slate visible after Khan’s death. Presumably, this is the name of the snuff film being shot and therefore would refer to Jake.
Potential triggers: Extreme violence, child abuse, violence against women
Copyright Seasonal Film Corporation

“What do I watch first?” – A DTV Martial Arts Film Primer

If you’re like me, then around the same
time that you realized your yen for direct-to-video karate flicks, you found
out that you faced a mountain of material. Many of the movies of this label
aren’t very good, and while I had the opportunity to slog my way through
several decades’ worth of schlock, I realize that a few bad initial experiences
may be enough to dishearten a prospective fan – after all, movies cost money,
and why bother when all you’re coming up with is trash? To help orient newcomers,
I’ve put together a list of some of the most essential features in this
subgenre. Not all of these movies are necessarily great, but they’re among the
most-referenced and/or valued ones. They’ll give you some perspective of the subgenre as a
whole, and they’re probably the ones other fans will hope you have seen.

1. China
O’Brien (1990)

image

Why: Cynthia Rothrock is one of the most
consistent contributors to the DTV realm, and her movies are unavoidable. You’ll
have a sizable library to dig into if you enjoy her work, and the best way to
find out if you do is via this Robert Clouse-directed cult vehicle.

If you like this, check out: China O’Brien 2 (1990), Sworn to Justice (1996)

2. The
King of the Kickboxers (1990)

image

Why: A stylistic continuation of the
mostly-theatrical No Retreat, No Surrender
series, this movie mixes an exotic location with a standout cast of fighters
and stellar action. Like several other entries on the list, its lack of Region
1 DVD availability merely enhances its gem status.

If you like this, check out: No
Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers (1990), Bloodmoon (1997)

3. Martial
Law II: Undercover (1991)

image

Why: Enter Jeff Wincott, the DTV
realm’s most fondly-remembered action star of the ‘90s. This is his first martial arts movie,
and it catches his best side. Add some strong characters and arguably the best
cast of supporting villains ever assembled, and this one’s hard not to like.

If you like this, check out: Mission of Justice (1992), Martial Outlaw (1993)

4. Shootfighter:
Fight to the Death (1993)

image

Why: Here’s a fight flick with an
edge. This brawl-packed tournament film is great for viewers who like their matches
gory; it will expose them to a slew of lesser-known performers. Fans of Bolo
Yeung will appreciate his sizable role.

If you like this, check out: Firepower (1993), Ring of Steel (1994)


5. Drive (1997)

image

Why: Some of the best American
indies are powered by international talent, and such was the case when Japan’s
Alpha Stunts group got the means to make a feature with actual production values.
The great action is complemented by a fun screenplay and excellent chemistry
between Mark Dacascos and Kadeem Hardison.

If you like this, check out: Extreme
Heist (2002), Contour (2006)


6. Undisputed II: Last Man Standing
(2006) & Undisputed III: Redemption
(2010)

image

Why: The Undisputed sequels are milestones. Last Man Standing saw director Isaac Florentine turn up his game as
an action director and flaunted the realized potential of Michael Jai White and
Scott Adkins as leading men. Redemption
made Adkins the “it” performer of the martial arts scene and set the bar for
fight choreography worldwide.

If you like these, check out: Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear (2013), Falcon Rising (2014)


7. Broken Path (2008)

image

Why: If you value brutal karate
action over all other aspects, this Alpha Stunts rarity will be a dream come
true. It’s an intense adventure that focuses all its production power on fight
scenes.

If you like this, check out: Kill ‘Em
All (2014), Die Fighting (2014)


8. Blood and Bone (2009)

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Why: Aside from being a good fight
flick and the premier vehicle of Michael Jai White, this film uses a great cast
and excellent production values to attain the elusive status of being just as
palatable to viewers outside of the martial arts fan base.

If you like this, check out: Never
Back Down 2: The Beatdown (2011), The
Girl from the Naked Eye (2012)


9. Universal Soldier: Regeneration
(2009) & Universal Soldier: Day of
Reckoning (2012)

image

Why: With its decidedly dark
presentation and gritty action, Regeneration
proved that a low-budget sequel could outclass its mainstream predecessors. Day of Reckoning demonstrated a new potential
for style and ambitious storytelling on the DTV circuit. Many people seem to
prefer the first to the second, but you’d do well to regard the two as a set.

If you like these, check out: Angel
of Death (2009), Dragon Eyes
(2012)

[Trigger potential: I recommend you investigate the IMDb page of any given film and review the “Plot Keywords” and “Parents Guide” sections for possible triggers.]

Think you don’t like direct-to-video martial arts films? Try these!

Inspired by a post from GORE IS FOR GIRLS, I wanted to put together a similar bill for my subgenre
of expertise: low-budget and direct-to-video martial arts movies. Now, some
people just don’t like violence in their movies, but I think there are a
significant number of folks who steer clear of kick flicks produced outside the
mainstream despite enjoying action and martial arts movies in general. This
post is for the latter, and I’ll address some of the most prominent reasons why
these movies tend to get passed over.

Q: Why don’t you like DTV martial arts films?

A:
“They have poor production values and look cheap.”

Try:

  • Timecop 2: The Berlin
    Decision     (2003)
  • Tekken
    (2010)
  • Kung Fu Killer
    (2008)
  • Blood and Bone
    (2009)
  • Into the Sun
    (2005)

A:
“They feature no real stars.”

Try:

  • Sworn to Justice
    (1996) – Brad Dourif, Walter Koenig, Tony Lo Bianco
  • Sabotage
    (1996) – Carrie-Anne Moss, Tony Todd, Graham Greene
  • Skin Traffik
    (2015) – Mickey Rourke, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen
  • Mercenaries (2014) – Kristanna Loken, Vivica A. Fox, Brigitte
    Nielsen
  • Red Sun Rising
    (1994) – Terry Farrell, Michael Ironside, Edward Albert

A:
“They’re mundane and feature no interesting premises.”

Try:

  • Ninja Apocalypse
    (2014)
  • Hellbinders
    (2009)
  • Knights
    (1993)
  • Samurai Avenger: The
    Blind Wolf     (2009)
  • The Swordsman
    (1992)

A:
“They address no relevant issues.”

Try:

  • In Hell
    (2003) – Exploitation and abuse of prisoners
  • Pistol Whipped
    (2008) – Gambling addiction, parenting
  • Death Grip
    (2012) – Autism in families
  • Skin Trade
    (2014) – Human trafficking

A:
“I prefer Hong Kong-style action scenes.”

Try:

  • Invincible
    (2001)
  • Bloodmoon
    (1997)
  • Belly of the Beast
    (2003)
  • Drive
    (1997)
  • Extreme Heist
    (2002)

A:
“I can’t watch them with my young children.”

Try:

  • Wendy Wu: Homecoming
    Warrior     (2006)
  • Magic Kid
    (1993)
  • Double Blast
    (1994)
  • Adventures of Johnny
    Tao     (2007)
  • Sci-Fighter
    (2004)

A:
“They’re full of bad acting.”

Quality of acting is relative, so I’m
going by critical acclaim. Try:

  • The Girl from the Naked
    Eye     (2012) – Multiple acting nominations,
    Hoboken Int. Film Festival
  • Replicant
    (2001) – “Best Actor” nomination, DVD Exclusive Awards
  • The Martial Arts Kid
    (2015) – “Best Supporting Actor,” Sunscreen Film Festival
  • Fighting with Anger
    (2007) – “Best Actor,” New York Int. Independent Film & Video Festival
  • Money Fight
    (2012) – “Best Supporting Actor,” Action on Film Int. Film Festival

[Trigger potential: I encourage investigating
any given movie’s page on IMDb
and checking out the “Parents Guide” and “Plot Keywords” sections for possible
triggers.]

Reviewnalysis: Breathing Fire (1991)

*SPOILERS
AHEAD*

Corey Yuen’s 1986 cult masterpiece No
Retreat, No Surrender had a lasting influence on western martial arts
movies. Not only did it give us Jean-Claude Van Damme, but it raised the bar
for fight choreography and provided us a taste of the Hong Kong style prior to the action
revolution of the late 90s. In some cases the influence was even greater than
that, as a couple filmmakers produced movies that for all the world appear to be NRNS’s spiritual successors. One
of these – Breathing Fire – seems
like a genuine attempt to replicate the unique recipe of American and Hong Kong
flavors, complete with odd writing, an upbeat tone, and superior action
scenes. This one’s a karate treasure – not great at
storytelling but utterly successful in holding a viewer’s attention.

image

TRIVIA: Breathing Fire and No
Retreat, No Surrender and indeed related, though only through personnel. Director
Brandon Pender is credited for “kick boxing direction” in NRNS, and producer Wayne Yee played a bit part in it.

The film opens with a surreal scene of antagonist Michael Moore (Jerry Trimble) siting at a table bedecked with artificial food. It’s completely
unexplained – possibly a dream sequence – but it
introduces us to one of the film’s most prominent themes: deception and false
fronts. The next scene is of Michael driving his two
teenage sons to a martial arts tournament; he seems
like a perfectly normal father, but right after dropping
the boys off, he leads a bank robbery wherein his
squad steals a fortune in gold bars. They stow these in the vault of an
abandoned metal refinery until they can be sold, and Michael comes up with a unique way of keeping everyone honest. He creates
a mold of the vault’s keys in a plastic pizza, then destroys the originals and
divides the pizza among his people. Mutual cooperation will be necessary to
recast the keys.

Michael’s gang is made up of the deceptive Jenny (Jacqueline Pulliam),
karate master Alan (Allen Tackett), the mighty Tank (Wendell C. Whitaker), and
the muscleman Thunder (Bolo Yeung). They’re the ones who actually rob the bank,
but another person who’s also in on the scheme is Peter Stern (Drake Diamond), an
employee who has second thoughts about the operation after the
sadistic Thunder shoves his face into a toilet. He tries to
get out of the deal, but the paranoid Michael follows him home and
murders him and his wife (Jackie O’Brien). They search for his slice of the pizza,
but Peter had already sent his teenage daughter Annie (Laura Hamilton) to mail it to a confidant. Annie witnesses the murder from afar and flees with her
puppy, heading for the address on the envelope. However, the villains
acquire the same lead from a trashed envelope.

Annie shows up at an auto garage and meets the addressee: David Moore (Ed Neil),
Michael’s brother. Shortly after Annie gives him the envelope and asks for
help, Alan and a couple thugs arrive to kidnap her. David is knocked around a
bit, but eventually reveals himself as a kung fu master and drives
the attackers away. He goes with Annie to what he believes is a safe haven –
Michael’s luxurious home. The danger is immediately apparent to us: though neither is at liberty
to reveal anything, Michael knows who Annie is while Annie recognizes him from before. Neither is able to do anything directly: Annie doesn’t dare
leave David’s vicinity and Michael can’t act while others are around – “others”
meaning David and his sons Charlie (Jonathan Ke Quan) and Tony (Eddie
Saavedra).

In addition to being the stars of the movie, Charlie and Tony are also my
favorite things about it. Quan and Saavedra aren’t master thespians, but they
have a lovable, dorky enthusiasm and excellent chemistry. Charlie is a
Vietnamese adoptee but the comradery
between his stepbrother and he is natural and heartfelt. Charlie doesn’t seem
as close with his father, though our only real hint of this for now is a moment
when he feels excluded from introductions with David. Nevertheless, the boys
take an immediate liking to Annie, and though they try to impress her, their
relationship ends up being pretty innocent as they try to keep her mind off her
troubles. The brothers know nothing about their father’s involvement in crime
and suspect nothing when Michael’s thugs show up to take Annie. Having
previously qualified for a national martial arts competition, the boys can hold
their own against these guys, but it takes the intervening David to beat back the attackers.

image

The boys take their roles as protectors seriously, and implore David to teach them
his style of fighting. However, they fail their very first test – an exercise wherein
they kneel on upturned bricks. Worse, David’s ability to protect the kids
himself is dashed after the boys and he trace their attackers to a dance club
owned by Alan. Michael is at the club, too, and shows an increased
level of ruthlessness by attacking his brother in the near-dark and injuring his
leg.

TRIVIA: Prior to acting, Jerry Trimble
was a professional kickboxer and 2-time world champion. Ironically, Trimble originally aspired to be an actor and learned martial arts to emulate Bruce Lee.

At the hospital, a doctor claims that David will never be whole again. David
doesn’t take his new disability well and hides himself away. When the boys visit, he lashes out at them. Eventually, they manage to rekindle his spirits and
earn his instructorship by kneeling on bricks all night. David commences their training, and in doing so realizes that his disability won’t keep him from exercising his
passion. It also illustrates another prominent theme: dealing with trauma. In addition to David’s and Annie’s traumatic experiences, the film
also indicates that Michael was adversely affected by his service in Vietnam.
Annie seems to take her ordeal unrealistically well, but note that the presence
of her new friends and her dog seems to provide outlets for
coping. Faced with the prospect of never fighting again, David channels
his frustrations into training the boys and making them stronger than he
was. Michael may have buried his trauma and embraced a secret lifestyle wherein
he can act out his aggression. In the near future, his
sons will be forced to confront trauma as well.

The boys commence a fairly unorthodox training regimen that
includes punching phonebooks, kneeling on beer bottles, mastering the tai chi
(bowling) ball, and chopping a watermelon. We see during these scenes that
Charlie is curious about his origins and frustrated that neither David nor Michael
gives him honest answers about the identity of his mother. In truth, Michael
killed her and was subsequently urged by his comrades
to raise the orphaned infant in penance. This questionably-advised act connects
both the best and worst aspects of Michael’s character. While Charlie seems to
have had a luxurious life under Michael, his stepfather probably never
thought much of the idea (note that the boys’ actual supervision is handled by an employee). By reaching a little, one may even suggest that Michael’s need to mask his feelings around Charlie may have indirectly
led him to robbery – an outlet for exercising his aggression.

After their training, Charlie and Tony feel empowered enough to
go on the counteroffensive. While David relocates Annie, the
brothers pursue Tank. They follow him to a
poor neighborhood where he lives with his blind mother (Pamela Maxton)
and best him in a fight. Afterwards, Tank tearfully confesses to his mother about his involvement in crime. He allies himself with Charlie and Tony when they promise to help
him break away from the gang, and his information leads them to form a more
cohesive plan: to bring the robbers into the open, they’ll need to hand over the pizza slice.

image

Tank directs the brothers to Alan’s second locale: an oceanfront bar. It’s staffed
by three little people who attack Charlie and Tony. What ensues is an odd fight, but a genuine fight scene nonetheless. It’s played for laughs,
but I want to believe that this is a statement about the accessibility
of the martial arts. It’s a lesson that David should take to heart – that disability needn’t hinder one from being a fighter. Whatever the
case, the fight spurs Alan to chase the brothers up a mountain outside the bar,
and at the peak, he takes his turn to fight them. Prior to relinquishing the pizza,
the boys test out David’s moves with great success – preparing them for the
final confrontations.

TRIVIA: The mountaintop fight is a nod
to kung fu movies of the 70s. These were often low-budget productions filmed on
tight schedules, and mountaintops were ideal settings for battles: the bare
terrain allowed the filmmakers to bypass continuity between shots and film from
any angle.

With all pieces of the mold together, Michael’s gang gathers in the evening
to prepare for a morning retrieval mission. However, not only does Alan
witness Tank making a secret telephone call, but Michael offers an anonymous
tip to the police about the upcoming operation. When morning comes, the
reassembled keys are used to unlock the vault. To everyone’s outrage, the
police arrive in the middle of it. Alan blames Tank, and Michael is happy to shoot him. After
Michael commands his remaining gang to split up, Alan and Thunder discover that Michael has already taken the gold from the vault. As far as I can
figure, Michael visited the refinery in the night to steal it, and his
plan is to hide in a subarea of the refinery with Jenny while the rest
of his gang is arrested. It wasn’t his design to shoot Tank, but one less
witness probably suits him fine. His growing nonchalance to murder foreshadows
what’s to come.

Alan and Thunder evade the police, but are so angry that they take
the time to engage Tony and Charlie when they arrive on the scene. The boys manage to defeat them, but when they see David entering
the refinery, Charlie goes after his uncle while Tony remains behind to ensure
that Thunder is arrested (Alan attempts an escape but is also apprehended). Charlie
follows David into the bowels of the facility and is surprised to come upon him
arguing with his father. Having realized what’s going
on, David implores Michael to turn himself in. (It’s never revealed how David
puts the pieces together, but it’s possible that he recognized Michael’s fighting
style at the club. That would help explain his subsequent moving out of Michael’s
house.) Fearing that David plans to incriminate them, Jenny points a gun but is knocked out when Charlie intervenes. Michael – already on edge – snaps and strikes Charlie, accusing him of
betrayal. David finally reveals the truth about Charlie’s mother, and as the
boy is overcome by sorrow, we see the final moments of Michael trying
to maintain the façade. He’s clearly uncomfortable with having been compromised,
and for a few seconds, he says nothing. When he finally confirms the story, it’s clear that he’s held it in for a long time and is defiant about
the fact. What’s more, he promises to kill anyone who
attempts to stop him as he leaves.

However, Michael proves to be better than his word: as Charlie and David emerge
from the basement, he attacks them with construction vehicles. When this fails,
he engages Charlie hand-to-hand. It seems as
though Michael intends to rid himself of both another witness and an unwanted
responsibility at the same time. He has the upper hand, but when he attempts to
beat David to death, Charlie kicks into overdrive…and Michael’s butt. Before a
decisive victor can emerge, though, the police arrive and arrest Michael. Tony is heartbroken at the realization that his
father is a criminal and blames the arrest on Charlie. Like
Michael, Tony invents an instance of betrayal to justify his frustration.

The bond between the brothers is in peril when, sometime later, both appear at
the national tournament. Tony tears his way through
opponents en route to meeting Charlie in the final match. (Notice that while the previous tournament was governed by point-fighting stipulations, this one
is full-contact with the competitors wearing no headgear.) Charlie is apprehensive about fighting his brother, but
following a penalty for passivity and a stern talking-to from the referee
(played by the late Grandmaster Kenneth Penland), Charlie’s fire is ignited and
he strikes back – leading to the best action scene of the film. It’s not clear
what spurs him, but I’d venture that it’s Michael’s influence: he feels he’s
been wronged and is tired of holding back. However, he eventually drops his guard – perhaps making a conscious decision to stem his stepfather’s sway – and allows Tony to finish him. As he realizes what he’s done,
Tony falls to Charlie’s side in despair, but Charlie awakens. As the two celebrate their mutual victory, their bond is restored.

image

The film leaves some questions unanswered. We can assume that Michael and his
gang will be imprisoned for a long time, but it’s never stated what’s to become
of the kids. It’s possible that the brothers will live with their uncle, but what
of Annie, who’s curiously absent from the final scenes? What of Tank’s blind
mother, who’s now seemingly living alone in a graffiti-covered house? We’re not
even aware of what becomes of Michael’s wealth. Will the boys go from having a
private gym and a pool to sleeping under newspapers like David was in the beginning?

Nevertheless, I’m pleased by the upbeat nature of the ending and of the film in
general. Though Breathing Fire has an
unfortunate tendency to be a little gratuitous with its violence, it’s still a predominantly
idealistic story that illustrates unlikely bonds between people. The scenes
between the four main heroes are comforting in their optimism. It’s something
of a coming-of-age tale, and fans of this particular subgenre – especially its 80s
incarnations – will probably enjoy it. What’s more, the fight scenes are pretty
darn good, with long takes filled with intricate exchanges. Everybody puts on a
good show, but the standout star is Jonathan Ke Quan, who graduates from his
quirky nostalgic roles in The Goonies
and the second Indiana Jones movie to a genuine kicking machine. Give me this guy over his more famous peers any
day.

I recommend this movie to fun-loving fu fans, but exercise care when purchasing
it on disc. Breathing Fire has
received so many releases under different distributors that I think it might
be in the public domain, and at least one of these – the Echo Bridge version –
features very muddy video quality. I recommend the Westlake Home Entertainment release
for a sharper picture and brighter colors.

image

Breathing
Fire (1991)
Directed by Brandon Pender (second
unit director of Death Match),
Brandon De-Wilde, Lou Kennedy
Written by Tao-Liang Tan (Last Breath), Raymond Mahoney, Wayne Yee
Starring Jonathan Ke Quan, Eddie
Saavedra, Ed Neil (Mighty Morphin Power
Rangers), Jerry Trimble (The Master)
Cool costars: Bolo Yeung (Bloodsport), Allen Tackett (They Still Call Me Bruce), T.J. Storm (Black Cobra). The tournaments feature
many brief cameos of accomplished martial artists, but the one I’d like to
highlight is the late Master William Holland, playing the muscular competitor
who tries to intimidate Charlie and Tony before the fights.
Title refers to: There’s only metaphorical fire being breathed here, when the Moore family allows rage to control their actions.
Potential triggers: Group violence, violence against women, domestic violence, child abuse
Copyright Golden Pacific and Art
Studios

Reviewnalysis: Kill ‘Em All (2013)

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

If I were a martial arts filmmaker, I think
I’d be Raimund Huber. I don’t know much about the guy, but having seen the
three films he’s directed, I think we share many values when it comes to
action. (We also have a tendency to film stuff that sounds a lot better in our
heads than it looks onscreen.) Foremost among his traits that I admire are his
willingness to try to create stars and the fact that none of his films
feature a lot of well-known performers. This probably doesn’t help his movies
at the video store, but it delights me to see new, overlooked, and
almost-forgotten performers take prominent roles in his productions. The cast
of Kill ‘Em All is predominantly a
collection of folks who have shown promise in a few movies and now gather to put on one heck of a show. It’s not as good of a movie as it could be
and definitely isn’t a film for all occasions, but I’m happy that it exists.

image

The story commences in Thailand, where four assassins are plying their trade. Little do they know that they’re about to become the hunted
parties. A suicidal bomber (Johnny Messner) loses consciousness after taking a
sip of drugged tea. A boxer (Ice Chongko) is ambushed by a kidnapper posing as
a monk in a Buddhist temple. A martial artist (Tim Man) is taken by a
mysterious bodybuilder (Roongtawan Jindasing) after she kills his
girlfriend (Fer Thaniya). And a favorer of knives and guns (Ammara Siripong) is
drugged in her apartment by a giant (Eoin O’Brien). These killers – Gabriel,
Black Scorpion, The Kid, and Som – awaken alongside four other professional
assassins in a locked room, where they are addressed by a mysterious entity over
a speaker.

Does anybody notice the similarities to Saw
yet?

The male voice introduces the assassins to each other, describing their
backgrounds and informing them of their location. They’re in
the Killing Chamber – a place of urban legend, “where hitmen are taken to die.”
They’re told that only one of them will leave, and only after all others have
been killed in combat. One particularly aggressive assassin, Schmidt (Erik
Markus Schuetz), displays excitement at the idea and immediately picks a fight
with The Kid. Schmidt persists in brawling despite the voice’s command to stop,
and the group is rendered unconscious by gas pouring out of an
overhead pipe. When they reawaken, they find Schmidt sitting bloodied against a
wall; his throat has been cut. The voice issues the remaining assassins with an
ultimatum: obey all orders or suffer the same fate.

The tone of the movie has now been set. Whereas Huber’s previous film – Bangkok Adrenaline – was a comedic
adventure, Kill ‘Em All is going to
be a pessimistic thriller. We know next to nothing about the characters, but what we do know isn’t heartening. Those of us who have seen a lot of movies realize
that these characters probably won’t live long. Not unlike the
aforementioned Saw series, this is a film
where characters come to be disposed of. Luckily for the squeamish among us, this
is much more of an escapist vehicle than what I’m comparing it to, and to a
substantial degree, the story will bring out the best in a few of these
unlikely heroes.

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Seven numbered balls are rolled into the Chamber, and after everyone picks one
up, the voice commands those with the lowest numbers to do battle. The two
combatants are Som and a young fellow called Mickey (Rashid Phoenix). Mickey is
strongly hinted at having some kind of developmental disability, but repeat viewings make
me wonder whether this guy is for real. The voice merely describes him as not
knowing right from wrong, and while our knee-jerk reaction is to assume that
Mickey has Down syndrome or something similar, it seems more likely that he’s a
psychopath who’s adopted a specific mind game against his opponents. At any rate, he doesn’t
match the symptomology of any particular conditions I can think of. Whatever the
case, Mickey puts up a strong fight against Som, but she eventually
gains the upper hand and kills him with a strike to the heart. Her prize is
to enter the nicely-stocked “Weapon Chamber” and select a single weapon with
which to engage in future fights. She chooses a pair of three-foot pipes.

The assassins are then given a meal, during which The Kid accepts a conversation
from the eldest of the fighters, Carpenter (Joe Lewis). Even though they talk
about potentially killing each other, Carpenter comes across as fatherly, and
we see that a degree of camaraderie is possible between the characters.
Meanwhile, Gabriel approaches Som and suggests they team up. Som refuses, but
the importance of teamwork will be a theme throughout the film.

The next two combatants are chosen by the numbers on the backs of their lunch
boxes; it’s Gabriel and Loomis Cartier (Brahim Achabbakhe), a former Legionnaire
who betrayed his comrades. Gabriel’s street-fighting style wins out over
Cartier’s kickboxing, and in victory, he claims a short sword. The voice then bids
them all to sleep and ceases monitoring them for the night. The assassins call
a truce, but Black Scorpion has different plans. Breaking the truce,
he rises in the night and targets Carpenter, who he’d been kindling a feud with. Black Scorpion stabs
Carpenter’s sleeping bag with a piece of glass he discovered by the toilet, only to find that the old man anticipated him and
was hiding in the shadows. They fight, and Joe Lewis – a real-life karate
grandmaster – is utterly believable in staging a defensive match against an
armed opponent. When Carpenter is injured, Gabriel evens the odds by throwing
him his weapon, and Carpenter impales Black Scorpion with the
blade. As Carpenter honorably returns the weapon, Gabriel makes clear the
unlikelihood of any of them being allowed to leave the Chamber alive. He makes
a bid for the remaining assassins to help each other, but again, nobody
accepts.

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In the morning, the voice admonishes them for Black Scorpion’s death. He demands
the next match, for which the combatants are selected by the numbers on the
bottom of their sleeping bags. The Kid and Carpenter are matched against each
other, and it’s worth noting that unlike the last two times, the voice waits
until the numbers are announced before declaring who will fight – giving the
impression that he’s specifically punishing Carpenter. As the brawl commences,
it’s clear that the injured Carpenter is no match for his nimbler opponent, but
before The Kid is forced to finish him off, Som takes action. She attacks
Gabriel, and when he resists, she demands he keep fighting her despite the
voice’s objections. The gas is activated but, amazingly, doesn’t enter the
room. Why? While everyone was sleeping, Som used the ball she received for the
first challenge to plug the pipe. With no more means of controlling the assassins,
the door is unlocked and jumpsuit-clad thugs flood into the room to kill the
remaining fighters. The warriors strike back, killing the ninjas, but Carpenter
is fatally wounded in the process of saving The Kid. “Now we’re even” are his
final words, referring to The Kid’s decision to not kill him when he was down.

TRIVIA: Joe Lewis died of a brain tumor
approximately four months before the film’s release, at age 68. Lewis was a
pioneer of competitive martial arts in the U.S., being credited by his peers as
an originator of full-contact karate and having fought in the country’s first
official kickboxing match. He won five world and national championships in kickboxing,
another seven in karate, and is recognized by the STAR System Records service
as an undisputed world champion.

The owner of the mysterious voice – identified in the credits as Snakehead
(Gordon Liu) – watches as the three survivors wander through a maze-like complex called the “Psycho Sector.” He unleashes a seemingly endless gang of armed warriors, and despite being able to cut
through them, the assassins do not encounter an exit. In a moment of peace, The
Kid and Som enlighten Gabriel as to what is going on: they’re prisoners of
the Sharan Cabal – an organization that kills hitmen. Before they can
elaborate, an opportunity for escape presents itself, and to Gabriel’s chagrin,
his cohorts opt to remain behind. It’s clear that The Kid wants to avenge his
girlfriend (and, potentially, Carpenter), but Som’s motivation is a mystery. A
frustrated Gabriel makes a break for it, but even though he reaches the
roof, he chooses to return – just in time to save Som and The Kid. However,
Gabriel is fatally wounded in the process.

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Gabriel is an interesting character who represents the theme of
vulnerability in dangerous people. He’s depressed and suicidal, but this very
thing that Snakehead considers his weakness ends up being what gives the
assassins a chance for survival. In the Killing Chamber, Snakehead taunts
Gabriel about his suicide attempts and suggests they’re inspired by loneliness,
and as it happens, Gabriel spends most of his time trying to forge bonds
between the assassins. As the film goes on, this ceases being a mere tactic and
seems like something he intimately desires. He’s the most talkative character in
the movie, sometimes speaking just to keep his nerve up but otherwise trying to
coax conversation out of others. He’s a nice guy by the film’s standards,
giving The Kid a new nickname and referring to himself and the other survivors
as a team. He actively seeks their approval. Upon actually attaining his
freedom, he reenters the chamber because he has no desire for a life void of companionship. I really think his goal is to be pals with Som and The
Kid once they’re all out. Gabriel’s experiences provide gravity to a story so
preoccupied with killing that it’s easy to think there’s nothing else to it. Take note that the most long-lived assassins are those who eschew the solitary nature of their profession and embrace teamwork.

The Kid and Som press deeper into the complex, meeting and
defeating the bodybuilder and the giant who kidnapped them. These are fairly
brutal intergender fights, and as they conclude with The Kid beating his
girlfriend’s killer to a bloody pulp and Som smashing the giant’s head with
cinder blocks, I think that the filmmakers were trying to
create a gender-blind field of combat. It’s not entirely successful – earlier, Schmidt
indicates that he intends to rape Som – but while I can do without the extreme
violence, I appreciate the notion. The general dearth of B-movie actresses
known for their action scenes is doubtlessly influenced by filmmakers’
unwillingness to feature women in these roles, and I’m happy whenever that’s subverted. I’m not for the senseless beating of women in movies, but I do
consider gender an arbitrary reason to keep an able performer from shining in
fight flicks. Ammara Siripong and Roongtawan Jindasing definitely shine in this
one.

Som finally meets Snakehead – whose voice has seemingly been vocoded before now
– and drops an exposition bomb. She is here seeking revenge for her brother, a
fellow assassin who previously was the only one to escape the Killing Chamber.
She’d purposely strove to become one of the best killers, thereby attracting the
Cabal’s attention so she could be taken and have the opportunity for vengeance.
In turn, Snakehead reveals his masterplan: through the Killing Chamber, he seeks
to create a monopoly of assassins, controlled by his organization. They
commence fighting, with Snakehead mockingly wielding a tie worn by Som’s
brother. The Kid arrives to join the fight, and together, Som and he are slowly
able to wrest Snakehead out of his reserve and overpower him. Eventually, Snakehead
is killed by a double submission maneuver; with him dead, the Cabal will
presumably dissolve. Som reclaims the tie, shares a glance with The Kid,
and they move to leave the room. Abruptly, the film cuts to the end credits.

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I have to admit, the poorest aspect of Kill
‘Em All is its story. The first half of the movie primes the viewer to
expect a significant conclusion – an enlightening “ohhh” moment to explain everything – but the eventual revelation probably isn’t any more impressive
onscreen than as I wrote it. Perhaps the filmmakers realized how impersonal of
a climax they had and for that reason shoehorned in the bit
about Som’s brother, which received no buildup at all. For all his grandiose
planning and penetrating insight, Snakehead is
nothing more than a greedy sadist. Also, I’m not sure how I feel about the
ending: I’m glad that Snakehead was stopped, but not only have Som and The Kid failed to forge a significant connection, but the world now has two more
deadly assassins back on the streets. Perhaps with her mission complete, Som
will stop trying to be the best killer she can be, and maybe The Kid will take
some time off to mourn, but neither character’s received much inclination to
quit their job.

The real triumph of the film is in its utilization of its cast. In many ways,
Raimund Huber really did a lot with this group. Ammara Siripong went from playing
a disabled mother in Chocolate four
years prior to an all-out action hero here. Gordon Liu’s unique voice –
pitched or not – makes him an excellent choice as a character that spends most
of the time off-screen. Johnny Messner perfectly conveys the intricacies of
his character and does well as the protagonists’ spokesperson. Most impressive,
though, is how well these performers are utilized in fight scenes.
Choreographer Tim Man deserves particular recognition for his work, as he
crafts very specific fighting styles based on the strengths of his costars.
This may have been easy enough for those with backgrounds in stunts and action,
but particularly Johnny Messner benefits from some resourceful blocking. Joe
Lewis was presumably recovering from brain surgery at the time of filming, but
looks mighty as ever. There are 14 full-length fight scenes in this movie, and
while not all of them are great, most are pretty good and I think none of them feature any doubling.

Kill ‘Em All isn’t the type of movie
you watch for intellectual stimulation or to feel particularly happy, but it is
one you watch to get adrenalized. Its purpose is to excite, and it triumphs.
It’s the type of movie that its stars will use to point to as proof of their
physical abilities, and I would be happy to see all of them cast again in
fighting roles. I recommend this one to all martial arts fans.

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Kill ‘Em All (2013)
Directed by Raimund Huber
Written by Ken Miller
Starring Ammara Siripong, Tim Man (Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear), Johnny
Messner (Tears of the Sun), Gordon
Liu (The 36th Chamber of
Shaolin)
Cool costars: Joe Lewis (Death Cage), Brahim Achabbakhe (Man of Tai Chi), Eoin O’Brien (Tekken: Kazuya’s Revenge), Roongtawan
Jindasing (Raging Phoenix), Erik
Markus Schuetz (Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior),
Ice Chongko. Rashid Phoenix hasn’t had any other standout film roles, but he’s
a successful stuntman who’s won an ensemble award for his work on Game of Thrones.
Title refers to: A phrase uttered by Snakehead.
Potential triggers: Kidnapping, drugging, extreme violence, violence towards women
Copyright Epic Pictures Group, Inc.

Reviewnalysis: Belly of the Beast (2003)

*SPOILERS
AHEAD*

Steven Seagal’s residence in direct-to-video
fare is something of an economic coincidence. Seagal’s bankability was
always tied to what his movies earned on video, but eventually,
three events over a short period of time facilitated his slide into relative obscurity. These were: (1) the crash of the home video
market and his subsequent reduced profitability, (2) the Hong Kong revolution
in Hollywood which outdated his personal style of action, and (3) the events of
9/11 which temporarily made Hollywood sensitive to violence in the media and lowered the demand for action features. By
late 2002, Seagal was no longer a top-tier actor, but having been one of the
two biggest martial arts stars of the western hemisphere allowed him to settle comfortably
into the B-movie realm. Many fans lament Seagal’s state as DTV lord, but I’m pleased
with it. Working outside the mainstream has allowed him to interact with more
interesting and eclectic filmmakers than ever before, and of all his films,
none is more interesting, eclectic, or weirder than Belly of the Beast.

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The movie opens in “Thailand, 1994,” where CIA agent Jake Hopper (Seagal) and
his partner Sunti (Byron Mann) are discussing business with two underworld
figures. Things aren’t going well: the gangsters’ armed thugs are closing
in on the meeting, and when Jake sees one of the villains go for a weapon, Sunti
and he have to shoot their way to freedom. They get separated, and in the heat of
things, Sunti mistakenly shoots a woman holding a child. A horrified Sunti is then
hit by one of the gunmen, but before the shooter can finish him off, Jake comes
to his rescue. As the opening credits leave Sunti lying on the ground, little does the audience realize that his journey will end up being more relevant than Jake’s.

Ten years later, Jake’s retired from the CIA and makes his living as a
professional thief. We’re treated to a pretty unique heist wherein he breaks
into a wealthy residence, cracks a safe’s security code, casually steals a bottle
of water from the fridge, and partakes in some gratuitous sliding across
the floor. The sliding is our first glance of the film’s stylistic flair,
courtesy of Hong Kong director Siu-Tung Ching (AKA Tony Ching) making his debut
in American features. Later, when Jake gives the stolen data disc to his old
Agency friend and buyer (Martin McDougall), he’s told that his daughter Jessica
(Sara Malakul Lane) has been kidnapped while vacationing in Thailand.
She and her friend Sarah (Elidh MacQueen) – the daughter of a U.S. senator – are
apparently being held by the Abu Karaf militant group, who demand the release
of prisoners in U.S. custody. Not trusting the government to save his daughter,
Hopper heads to Thailand himself.

He isn’t in Thailand for but a few minutes before an attempt is made on his
life. We don’t know how the villains anticipated his arrival, but we see that
they’re no match for him, as he demolishes his attackers in the middle of a
market. We also don’t know the identity of the creepy old man who
watches Hopper from a distance, but the sight of him terrifies the one
remaining assailant so much that he flees and accidentally fillets himself on a
meat cleaver. As the stranger disappears, Jake probably realizes how vulnerable
he is on his own, and will soon move to change that.

The market brawl is another demonstration of director Ching’s influence. Simply, it’s a grand departure from Seagal’s typical fight scenes.
Whereas Seagal’s characters usually dispatch opponents with throws and
bone-breaking maneuvers, Jake Hopper employs kung fu of the showiest variety,
complete with pose-striking and spin kicks. However, it’s clearly not
actually Seagal performing the more athletic moves, but a double (Dian Hristov). Seagal’s
reliance on a stunt double in this and many other DTV movies has led to
criticism from viewers who call his ability and commitment into question.
While the doubling can be jarring, I’m personally impressed by the presentation and how it spices up Seagal’s repertoire. Hong Kong choreographers
have worked on his movies before, but Belly
of the Beast is the only one of his films to feature full-blown Hong
Kong-style fight scenes.

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TRIVA: Siu-Tung Ching opted to shoot as
much of the action as possible without Seagal’s involvement, bringing his star
onto the set only to film specific shots. Trouble arose when Seagal wanted to
shoot his performance in ways that wouldn’t correspond with the existing
footage, and eventually Ching and his stunt crew left the set until
producers assured them that Seagal would cooperate.

After checking into a hotel, Jake visits a go-go club to meet up with his
friend Fitch McQuoid (Vincent Riotta), who he hopes will be able to give him
information. In the process, he rescues one of the club’s
employees – Lulu (Monica Lo) – from a group of men out to rape
her. Jake doesn’t acquire any useful information, but he gains Lulu as a
shadow. Their relationship ends up being…interesting at best and disconcerting
at worst. I’ll get into it later, but for now, Jake is too preoccupied to accept
the woman’s offer for dinner. After a sleepless night, he takes a boat ride to
a Buddhist monastery where he finds his old partner Sunti living the life of a
monk. Jake’s there to receive the blessing of the abbot, but tells Sunti why
he’s in Thailand. He says that he wants Sunti to stay where he is
and continue tending to his psychological wounds, but doesn’t seem particularly
surprised when Sunti shows up at his hotel soon after, back in civilian clothes
and pledging to help him rescue Jessica.

In the book Seagalogy: A Study of the
Ass-Kicking Films of Steven Seagal, the film critic Vern notes Jake’s
manipulative behavior: regardless what he says, it’s unlikely that Jake didn’t
foresee his faithful ex-partner dropping everything to come to his aide. This
is one of a few actions on the character’s behalf that unintentionally make him
unlikable. In a world where mysticism and spirituality are more than concepts, Sunti risks both physical and spiritual well-being for a partner
who’s not even upfront about recruiting him. Make no mistake, Sunti is an
extremely useful partner – finding Jake important information and holding his
own in fights – but the level of devotion between the characters is rather
one-sided.

Following some intrigue wherein Fitch is revealed to have been giving Jake
false information, Jake and Sunti follow a lead to an abandoned train yard
where a shady deal is taking place between the Abu Karaf and some unknown forces
represented by a mysterious woman. When Jake spots a sniper preparing to take
out Mongkol (Pongpat Wachirabunjong) – the Abu Karaf leader, who he needs alive
for information – he initiates an enormous shootout, but not before a quick
exchange with Sunti. This is probably Jake’s best character moment: he warns
Sunti of the maelstrom they’re about to unleash, but also indicates that
this is his last chance to back out. Sunti doesn’t, but it’s a rare acknowledgement
by Jake of the sacrifice that Sunti is making.

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The police arrive and Jake is arrested, but even though he’s sprung from jail, his
time away allows a mysterious figure to enter his hotel room and steal one of
his shirts. What’s more, Lulu returns to her home to find her roommate murdered
– presumably by the same mysterious forces at the train yard, which Jake is
growing more convinced are the actual kidnappers. Lulu
takes refuge with Jake, and they have sex. It’s an awkward scene, with Jake coming across as cold and distant. The relationship between
these two seems fairly unhealthy, with Lulu repeatedly trying to appease a man
who seems annoyed by her presence. Lulu herself seems obsessive – trying to
follow Jake on outings and entering his hotel room while he’s away to bring him
food he didn’t ask for. (How did she get in, with the door locked and the window on the second story??) While others have accused Seagal of vanity for
frequently having onscreen girlfriends much younger than him (i.e. there’s a 25-year
age difference between the performers), I’m merely troubled by the film’s
portrayal of Jake as a man worth pursuing.

Eventually, Jake is granted a meeting with the man whose life he saved earlier and is vindicated in his belief that the Abu Karaf are innocent of
kidnapping. Mongkol reveals to him the identity of the mysterious woman – Lena –
and her connection to the deceitful McQuoid. Jake and Sunti return to Fitch’s
club, where Lena is lying in wait. Armed with a whip and razor-sharp nails,
Lena – revealed as a transwoman – fights and loses to Jake, who subsequently puts
together the masterplan before killing McQuoid in self-defense. It essentially
amounts to a rebel military faction having kidnapped the senator’s daughter and
framing the Abu Karaf – encouraging the U.S. to attack them and thereby
eliminating the rebels’ competition in drug distribution. Our heroes now know
where to go: to rescue the girls, they will need to storm the home of the rebel
leader – General Jantapan (Tom Wu).

At this point, this becomes a supernatural story. While Jake and Sunti return to
the monastery for a final blessing, Jantapan facilitates dark magic. He’s the
one who stole Jake’s shirt from the hotel, and has delivered it to the
mysterious old man from the market. This fellow is not only a demon-worshipping
mystic, but an actual wizard who creates an effigy of Jake from the shirt. As the heroes infiltrate Jantapan’s domain, Jake meets the general in combat
but is increasingly disabled by the wizard abusing the doll. Things seem
bleak until the effigy explodes in his hand, and as the camera zooms out
of the arachnid-infested temple, we see the entire Buddhist monastery praying and
chanting like mad. The wizard tries to rally, but eventually he’s overpowered by the supernatural forces and collapses. At the
same time, Jake overcomes Jantapan – defeating him with a blow that sends him
flying across the room. It’s been an exhilarating fight entirely in director
Ching’s style, featuring an absurdly cool instance wherein Jake bisects a flying arrow with a sword.

TRIVIA: Tom Wu is award-winning martial
artist, having medaled in international wushu tournaments.
Though Steven Seagal and Byron Mann are also martial artists, Wu is the only
one among the starring cast to have been active in competition.

During all of this, Sunti has been protecting the girls and
singlehandedly taking on an entire platoon of Jantapan’s men in a firefight.
Though both Jake and he are victorious, Sunti
collapses in Jake’s arms, his body riddled with bullet holes. As the movie
draws to a close, its final scene is of Sunti’s funeral, wherein Jake wades
into the river to distribute his ashes.

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While it’s tempting to think of Sunti’s rescuing the girls as his redemption,
it’s his manner of death that symbolizes atonement.
Buddhism – the religion of Sunti and the real-life Steven Seagal – does not
seem to include the concept of divine forgiveness seen in Abrahamic systems,
and Sunti’s decision to help Jake is an attempt at personally compensating for his
misdeeds. Sunti kills several people prior to the finale –
something he’s visibly distressed by – so I think that being struck
by so many bullets is his form of penitence. An act of
masochism, if you will, to assuage the guilt that he’s carried for so long.
Every bullet that he’s used to kill people, he tries to take back. It’s a
depressing thought, and as the film concludes, one can’t help but hope that
Sunti has better luck finding enlightenment in his next life.

Belly of the Beast is one of Seagal’s
most colorful and exciting movies. Disappointingly,
it’s also one of the most convoluted. I have tried to relate the story coherently,
but I’ve needed to gloss over and omit several characters, events, and details
to do so. According to Joe Halpin – a regular writer of Seagal’s post-theatrical
films – the stories of these films remain in an amorphous state throughout
production, with bits and pieces being added and removed and significant sections being lost in editing. Belly of the Beast isn’t hopelessly bad in this regard, as you can
still make general sense of events, but I’ve watched it many times and still don’t understand all of it. I’m also at a loss why the credits don’t list
at least three of the most important characters: the abbot, the evil wizard,
and Lena.

Speaking of Lena, her inclusion is surprising. It’s unheard of to
find a female character in Seagal’s films who can legitimately fight, and trans
characters have been absent altogether. Thailand is known for its transgender community, and with trans characters frequently appearing in Thai films, this
may just be a unique way of representing them as part of the environment. Disappointingly, Lena
isn’t that great of a character: while she does have a pretty good fight, she’s
a one-dimensional villain who is amused by violence and tortures a man to death
– in other words, she’s not a very flattering representative of her demographic.
Jake’s daughter Jessica is less exotic, though I’m pleased that she’s not strictly treated as a damsel: she remains reasonably calm throughout her
incarceration, mounts an escape attempt, and kills a guard with his own knife
when he attempts to rape her friend.

It’s also worth noting the story’s political twist. The Abu Karaf is an
Islamic militant group, but they’re innocent of the crime General Jantapan tries
to pin on them. Jantapan successfully diverts attention from his own activities by playing to America’s post-9/11 suspicions…and it’s not terribly unrealistic. It’s not
sufficiently explained how Jake figures out the truth, but having
this as part of the story feels like a warning against political tunnel vision
and the tendency to blame all terrorism on Islamic influences.

Despite the production’s shortcomings, Belly
of the Beast was a breath of fresh air for Seagal’s career when it was
released and can still be regarded as such. In the midst of many gloomy
vehicles shot in Eastern Europe, this one is more colorful and bombastic
than anything else Seagal’s starred in. Siu-Tung Ching is one of the most acclaimed
directors the star has ever worked under, and his lavishes exalt the film and
make me wish he’d helmed more American pictures. While I’m usually not a fan
of fight scenes incorporating a lot of wirework, I like seeing action stars
stepping out of their comfort zone, and in this regard, the fights are
exciting. I can’t see myself recommending the movie to people who don’t like
Seagal to begin with or viewers who hold Tony Ching to a higher standard, but
as far as exotic B-movies go, this is worth seeing.

TRIVIA: Production designer Trevor
Murray was found dead in his Bangkok apartment while the film was being shot, having
died of natural causes. Murray was a veteran of filmmaking and a jack of all
artistic trades, with previous credits in art direction, model-making, set
decoration, and puppetry. Belly of the
Beast is dedicated to his memory.

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Belly of the Beast (2003)
Directed by Siu-Tung Ching (The Sorcerer and the White Snake)
Written by James Townsend (Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing), Thomas
Fenton (uncredited), Steven Seagal (uncredited)
Starring Steven Seagal (Above the Law), Byron Mann (The Man with the Iron Fists), Monica Lo
(Legacy), Tom Wu (Marco Polo)
Cool costars: Sara Malakul Lane has
since become a B-movie star and appears in the cult classic Sharktopus. Kevork Malikyan – best known as Kazim from the third Indiana Jones movie – plays a doomed businessman killed by Lena. Don Ferguson and Erik Markus
Schuetz, who regularly appear in Thai movies as combatants, play uncredited bodyguards.
Title refers to: Possibly the dangerous mission undertaken by Jake and Sunti.
Potential triggers: Kidnapping, attempted rape, violence towards women, sexist dialogue
Copyright GFT Beast Films Inc.,
Studio Eight Beast Limited, Century Time (H.K.) Ltd.