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Reviews:
Young Dragons Breathe Small Flames
It's a shame that young action stars like Don Wilson get stuck with bad films like "Bloodfist" while the likes of Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme were already being handed blockbuster material at the same stage in their career. Don't get me wrong: I like Don Wilson and believe that he still has a lot of potential, but "Bloodfist" - his Hollywood debut - plainly sucks, and I'm sure that had he been given a stronger vehicle to introduce himself to the world with, more people would know his name nowadays.
In the film, Wilson plays Jake Raye, a retired boxer who travels to the Philippines to uncover the murderer of his brother. Taken under the wing of the elderly trainer Kwong (Joe Mari Avellana), Raye must learn the art of kickboxing to enter a deadly tournament in which he's sure to meet the killer one-on-one.
The film's plot immediately reminded me of titles like "Bloodsport" and "Kickboxer", but the rest of the movie retains none of their style or flair. Essentially, "Bloodsport" is a martial arts B-movie that looks as though it had been made in the `70s. Everything about it screams mediocrity, from a cast that can't act (inexperienced Don is only the tip of the iceberg - wait until you see Michael Shaner and Marilyn Bautista) to poor audio and lackluster fight choreography.
Yes, lackluster fights: even though the movie boasts real-life kickboxing and karate champions Rob Kaman, Billy Blanks, and Kris Aguilar, the action is largely disappointing. With the exception of the Wilson/Blanks encounter, neither the fighters nor the choreographer knew what they were doing: the fights have neither ebb nor flow to them, ending and beginning erratically and unevenly, while the performers play it safe to the point that it's clear that they're not actually hitting eachother, as you see very few punches or kicks actually connect while cheesy sound effects try to convince you otherwise.
This largely killed the film for me, but "Bloodfist" does have some redeeming qualities: Joe Avellana makes the most of his role as Jake's teacher, and displays a confidence among the corniness that's soothing to watch after seeing the other actors stumble around. Also, even though the fight scenes stink, the training scenes are more like it: all the fighters get to show off their legitimate abilities amidst a nice mountainside environment.
Alas, this was nowhere near enough to save the film, which made $13 million in 1989 but wouldn't earn ten bucks nowadays. If you're wanting to introduce yourself or a friend to "the Dragon", find another title; this one won't do the trick.
average martial arts movie
There is nothing special about Bloodfist, other than the fact that Don "The Dragon" Wilson likes to use real-life martial art champions in his movies. It makes little impact though, since most of the fight scenes are filled with punches and kicks that don't even make contact with the opponent. The story to Bloodfist is the typical avenge, this time, somone killed Don Wilson's character's (Jake Raye) brother. Jake sets out on a quest to find the killer, with the help of a man named Kwan. Kwan leads Jake to a gambling tournament in Manilla, where the killer is supposedly one of the fighters. The tournament is where most of the action takes place, but most of the fights are short and not too impressive. The ending of the movie has a nice little twist, when Jake does discover who the killer is. I don't want to give it away, but this has been done before in many movies before I'm sure. Overall, Bloodfist is just average. The biggest plus is that Don Wilson is actually one of the more decent martial art movie actors. Check out Bloodfist II, it has a simple story too, but a lot of action and a lot of much better fighting.
Hahahaha!
This movie had me laughing so hard that my side, head, stomach, and cheeks hurt. If you are looking for a cheesy good time or just love watching B movies with some buddies, Bloodfist is made for you. But if you are looking for a credible action flick, don't even go there with this movie. Don "The Dragon" Wilson stars in this "action packed" movie, with absolutely nil acting ability whatsoever. It is really pretty comical to watch. Not to mention that this movie has "legendary" Billy Blanks in it. What more could you ask for?? (For all you lame brains out there, Billy Blanks created the Tai Bo work out system.) The plot to this movie doens't really make any sense at all, but that is part of what makes it so awesome! Like for example: In the beginning it explains that Don's brother only had one kidney and therefor couldn't fight. So Don gave him one of his kidneys so that he could fight again. However, that would only give Don one kidney, and therefor he wouldn't be able to fight either, and yet he does anyway. There are a crap load of plot holes in this movie like that. But overall, it is just a fun B movie.
What I learned from Bloodfist: You do NOT have to be even remotely attractive to play the main "seductress" in low budget movies.
If you liked Bloodfist, I recommend: Go watch the American Ninja series, Blood Sport, and Street Fighter...talk about a bad movie.
No brain kickboxing fun
Going into to this film knowing it was a Roger Corman production, I really didn't expect much in the realm of really high quality film making. I expected a no brain action flick with a cheesy plot and and some good fights. That is exactly what I got. Bloodfist actually turned out even a better than I expected. We get Don "The Dragon" Wilson, who obviously can't act, entering a tournament to find his brothers killer. The fights are good and entertaining and Wilson shows off his kickboxing skills. If you like cheesy action films such as the American Ninja, Kickboxer, and Bloodsport series, then give Bloodfist a whirl as you will probably like it. I am still working on watching its 7 sequels!
IT'S JUST FUN TO WATCH THE FIGHTS
IN THE MOLD OF ''KICKBOXER'' AND ''BLOODSPORT'', THIS KICKBOXING MOVIE IS ABOUT A YOUNG RETIRED KICKBOXER [DON ''THE DRAGON'' WILSON] WHO DECIDES TO GET BACK INTO THE SPORT TO FIND OUT WHO KILLED HIS BROTHER. THE ACTING IS SUB-PAR AND THE STORY IS VERY CLICHED, BUT THE FIGHTS JUST HAPPEN TO BE FUN TO WATCH. FEATURES A LOT OF MARTIAL ARTS CHAMPIONS FROM BACK IN THE 80S, INCLUDING A YOUNGER BILLY BLANKS. HOWEVER, THE ENDING IS QUITE SHOCKING AND I DIDN'T REALLY SEE IT COMING. AS FAR AS HIS ACTING GOES, DON ''THE DRAGON'' WILSON WAS A VERY BLAND CHOICE FOR A LEADING MAN. AND HE STILL IS TODAY. FOLLOWED BY SEVEN SEQUELS, ALL OF THEM STARRING DON ''THE DRAGON'' WILSON.
