New York Ninja (2021)

 

New York Ninja (2021)- * * *1\2

Directed by: John Liu and Kurtis Spieler 

Starring: John Liu and the voice cast of Don 'The Dragon Wilson', Cynthia Rothrock, Michael Berryman, Leon Isaac Kennedy, Vince Murdocco, Linnea Quigley, and Ginger Lynn Allen

                

                                                    ****1400th Review!!******                                        


John Liu (Liu; voiced by Don the Dragon) is a humble soundman working for a New York City news network. His wife Nita (voiced by Ginger Lynn Allen) tells him she's pregnant and Liu is elated. The problem: New York is overrun by punks, thugs, and goons of all stripes, and they're running rampant. After Nita is attacked, a despondent and frustrated Liu first tries all the typical red tape-infested channels, such as going to Det. Jimmy Williams (voiced by Leon Isaac Kennedy). 

Getting nowhere, Liu does the only natural thing: he dons his ninja outfit and hits the streets, dispensing justice as the NEW YORK NINJA! But he'll face his ultimate nemesis in The Plutonium Killer (voiced by Michael Berryman), a light-sensitive, burn-happy baddie. His underling Rattail is no slouch either. These are tough challenges, but the New York Ninja begins gaining a legion of fans and supporters. Will he bring safety and justice back to New York? You have to find out!




The story behind New York Ninja is almost as amazing as the movie itself. In fact, its resurrection is downright miraculous. For those that may not know, what happened was this: the film was shot in 1984, but ended up not being completed due to production problems. The film reels languished in a vault until they were discovered in the archives of Vinegar Syndrome. All the visuals were intact, but no sound elements were able to be tracked down. 

So, the team at VS, headed by a very clever and intrepid guy named Kurtis Spieler, edited the film back to health, and re-created anything auditory. Spieler had no script to work with, so he re-wrote any dialogue he couldn't figure out by reading the lips of the silent original film. He then cast an excellent bunch of our favorite actors to do the voice parts, and got a killer, synthy score by a band called Voyag3r to do the music. The result is tremendous. A lot of work went into this project, and Spieler along with Vinegar Syndrome should win some sort of film preservation or editing award for what is, in our opinion, an important and even monumental project.

Importantly, as Spieler writes in his liner notes, he didn't want to make fun of the movie in a What's Up Tiger Lily (1966) style While he realized that New York Ninja is a film in the vein of a Miami Connection (1987) (which it played theatrically on a double bill with) or a Samurai Cop (1991), he - very wisely - took the project seriously and didn't try to be "above" the movie. While there is plenty of humor, he treated it as if he was editing (and, presently, re-directing) the film in the 80's. That decision made all the difference in the end.




As the first-ever Vinegar Syndrome Pictures release, they went all-out with not just the aforementioned screenings, but they released it in a deluxe hard box with a magnetic door, and a black ribbon, not to mention the book. They must be proud of this release, and they should be. Even if it was nothing more than a document of New York City in 1984 - which it wonderfully is - the film would be more than worth your time. There's even a clear shot of a movie marquee, likely on 42nd Street, for Ninja 3: The Domination (1984). On top of this priceless and now preserved footage, the movie itself has a Tenement (1985) meets Death Promise (1977) meets The Instructor (1981) vibe - but it's even funnier and weirder than those three gems.




Let's talk about the (new) cast: While, at first, it may seem odd to hear the unmistakable voice of Don The Dragon coming out of John Liu, the audience quickly warms to it, and the film as a whole. It's all so lovable and quirky, you just have to love it. Besides, as Spieler noted, to have dialogue not exactly match the mouths of the actors onscreen is nothing new for Martial Arts film fans. 

It even adds a bit of charm, although the film is pretty darn charming on its own. Spieler and VS's intention was to re-cast the movie with Vinegar Syndrome-related actors - i.e., genre favorites that fans like us would love - and who they got is genuinely cool. Michael Berryman is great as The Plutonium Killer, Leon Isaac Kennedy is wonderfully welcome as Detective Jimmy Williams, and Ginger Lynn Allen and our beloved Cynthia Rothrock have small but important roles. Matt Mitler and Vince Murdocco are here too, and Linnea Quigley as Randi Rydell is the icing on the cake.




New York Ninja is off-kilter and has a screw loose, which sets it apart from the pack, and is so colorful (just look at what all the goons are wearing), it's impossible not to love. But then Vinegar Syndrome comes along and breathes new life into the film, which was just magical. This project really shows the increasing strength, confidence, ingenuity, and creativity of Vinegar Syndrome. They were the perfect company to shepherd this lost sheep of a movie and add it to the rest of their flock. What they did here was truly special, and it gets our highest recommendation!




Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Diamond Cartel (2015)

Diamond Cartel (2015)- * * *1\2

Directed by: Salamat Mukhammed- Ali

Starring: Armand Assante, Don 'The Dragon' Wilson, Michael Madsen, Bolo Yeung, Olivier Gruner, Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa, Tiny Lister, and Peter O'Toole as Tugboat 

To the extent that it's possible for a human mind to comprehend it, Diamond Cartel appears to be about a gangster named Mussa (Assante) and another gangster named Khazar (Tagawa), who both want a large diamond. Somehow a boyfriend-girlfriend team in Kazakhstan get the diamond and go on the run. In the meantime, a parade of cameos appear before our eyes, which include such fan favorites as Michael Madsen, Tiny Lister, Bolo Yeung, Olivier Gruner, Don "The Dragon" Wilson, and, of course, Peter O'Toole as Tugboat. In his final film role, of course. Sure, it's an utterly confusing mess, but that's part of the fun...we think.


Get ready for a nutso trip to Kazakhstan if you dare to enter the kooky, wacky, and crazy world of Diamond Cartel. As if the fact that it makes no sense wasn't enough, there's also narration over the top of it, as if that clears anything up. In addition to that, just about everybody in the film is dubbed in a highly amusing manner, the two most noteworthy examples being Don "The Dragon" Wilson and Peter O'Toole. We're not sure why they dubbed The Dragon here. But, then again, we're not sure why they did anything they did.

As fans, we know Wilson's inimitable voice. You could say he has one of the most recognizable voices in DTV action. So when you see him on screen, and this odd, other voice comes out, you can't help but laugh. Same goes for Peter O'Toole. Just how they got O'Toole to be in this oddity is anybody's guess, but when they did, they used someone else's voice, and he sounds a bit like Darth Vader. Like many in the cast of fan favorites, his screen time is very limited.


Speaking of limited screen time, Madsen, Lister, and Gruner - who, by themselves, would make a great cast in their own right - get very minimal roles. All three together probably equal about a minute of screen time, if you can believe that. It's really mere seconds for the bunch. Bolo gets more, including a fight at the end, and he only says one word in the film - "Yo".

There's a section at roughly the halfway mark that runs for about 15-20 minutes where everyone's voices echo. Then it goes away. It makes about as much sense as anything else going on around here. There are ridiculous green screen and other CGI-type effects. People yell while shooting machine guns. Sometimes there are shootouts, blow-ups or fights. Out of all the stars of the film, we get to see Armand Assante the most. He wears several absurd outfits, including a suit with no shirt underneath the jacket. He screams and yells, just as you want him to. At least he dubs his own voice. It would be a real tragedy if he didn't.

What else can we say about Diamond Cartel? It's just one of those movies you have to see to believe. For the cast, plus the nonsense, we would actually recommend it. But just keep in mind you will be puzzled throughout the experience.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Whatever It Takes (1998)

 

Whatever It Takes (1998)- * * *

Directed by: Brady McKenzie 

Starring: Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Andrew "Dice" Clay, Michael Bailey Smith, and Fred "The Hammer" Williamson 

Neil DeMarco (Wilson) and Dave Menardi (Clay) are dedicated undercover officers on the L.A. beat. After their last mission goes wrong, Neil takes it hard and hits the bottle. But, thanks to Menardi's encouragement, and the urgency of the matter, DeMarco pulls himself together for their latest assignment. It finds them tackling one of the world's greatest evils: steroid use. 

Working with some DEA agents, our heroes must infiltrate the world of meatheads. The latest 'roids on the street are said to bulk you up three times faster than any product ever before. But it's not all gyms, fitness instructors, and muscleman contests for DeMarco and Menardi - the big boss of them all is evil gangster Paulie Salano (Williamson), and his hulking sidekick Kevin (Smith) is always ready to do his bidding. Will our heroes finally stop the flow of Human Growth Hormone once and for all?


Much like the color wheel, there are many gradations of stupid. We've tackled this subject many times before, but it always seems to keep cropping up again and again. Thankfully for any and all viewers of Whatever it Takes, it's a very fun, funny, ridiculous shade of stupid that will entertain you thoroughly.

With the opening credits over close-ups of muscles as people work out, then leading into a classic 'drug shipment gone wrong' scenario - in a warehouse, no less - you know Whatever it Takes is going to deliver the goods, in that mindlessly 90's sort of way that we all love and enjoy.

Andrew "Dice" Clay doesn't exactly look the part of a cop, which is all part of the fun. Also Andrew "Dice" Clay gets to shoot guns and kill people. If that's not worth the price of admission, what would be? Oddly, Nils Allen Stewart, here in a cameo, plays a guy named "Andrew Clay". Coincidence? Clay makes his wisecracking cop role seem completely effortless, and he even includes a bizarre rant about farmers, of all people, at the tail end of the movie, as if it were an outtake from one of his comedy specials. Of course, he's no stranger to contests, as he was in No Contest (1995), of course.


Matching The Diceman's charisma is Fred Williamson, here in a rare badguy role. He has a great speech in the garden at his home towards the end of the movie. His sidekick Kevin looks like a 'roided up Shep Smith.

As far as The Dragon is concerned, he's involved in a very silly barfight, and has two dialogue scenes that include people flexing in the background. As if what they were saying wasn't interesting enough, and every possible frame of film had to be filled with meatheads at all times. We get to see a fight between The Dragon and The Hammer, and clearly director Brady MacKenzie (in his one and only credit) must have realized this was something fans have wanted to see, so he doesn't skimp. The fight is long and dragged-out, in a good way.

Whatever it Takes was ahead of its time. Not only did this pre-date the "juicing" scandals of Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire, it also beat The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All (1999), which had a steroid sub-plot, to the punch. Not to mention the James Franco comedy Whatever It Takes (2000). The existence of that film made it even trickier to procure this one from online retailers. Adding to that frustration, the tape was put out on the Pioneer label, which didn't get a lot of distribution here.

With our three favorite nicknames all together in one movie - The Dragon, The Diceman, and The Hammer, how could we refuse Whatever it Takes?

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty 

Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero (1995)

Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero (1995)-* *1\2

Directed by: Rick Jacobson

Starring: Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Jonathan Fuller, Michael Blanks, Art Camacho, Catya Sassoon, and Wynn Irwin 



 “See ya on the surface, gramps.”








It’s “Die Hard in a missile silo” as U.S. Air Force courier Nick Corrigan (The Dragon) is inadvertently pulled into a hostage scenario. When the “Brethren of the Party of Allah”, a terrorist sect led by Fawkes (Fuller), commandeers said silo and threatens to release the nukes if they don’t receive 100 million dollars in gold, it’s up to Corrigan alone to stop them. Luckily, Corrigan is a former Special Forces soldier. On the outside, General Carmichael (Irwin, in a career-making performance), doesn’t trust Corrigan and wants to launch an air strike on the whole compound. Now in a race against time with not just the baddies, but the Air Force itself, will Corrigan use his wits - and his fighting abilities - to save the world?

For a low-budget Corman movie with minimal locations, Bloodfist 6: Ground Zero (again, it probably should have just been called “Ground Zero” as it has no connection to the first two Bloodfist movies), is a reasonably entertaining and fast-paced “Diehardina” movie. We coined another term! It’s no use pointing out ALL the similarities to Die Hard, but it even features a main villain with a sinister accent.

Many cliches are out in force: dudes screaming while shooting machine guns, dialogue you’ve heard thousands of times before, including Comeuppance Reviews classic “we’ve got company”, and a multi-ethnic team of evil terrorists. The band of anti-Western Islamic jihadists you could never do today, so it’s always nice to see things you couldn’t get away with in the modern, PC age. Another movie highlight is the great Wynn Irwin as Carmichael. His super-disgruntled attitude and amusing, old-timey racism gives a window as to what it might look like if Archie Bunker commanded the U.S. Air Force. For a man with the word (or at least the sound) “win” in his name TWICE, he really...well...gives a winning performance. Irwin actually appeared in Die Hard 2, so perhaps this all felt a little...familiar...to him. Or maybe that’s why he was originally cast, to give the proceedings as much of a “Die Hard”-y feel as possible. Nevertheless, the man’s clearly a national treasure.

Back to the baddies, familiar faces Art Camacho and Michael Blanks are on board, and the aforementioned Fuller looks like a cross between Steve Buscemi and Willem Dafoe, enhancing his evilness. One of the other antagonists has a hat that we think was Richard Roundtree’s hat from Bloodfist 3 (1992) Because, for whatever reason, the team of bad guys must resemble a Benetton ad, they included a man of Asian descent - but they picked one that happens to resemble Don “The Dragon” Wilson. We dubbed him Ron “The Wagon” Bilson. Maybe in bizarro world, he could be Out For Blood's(1992) infamous “Karate Man”. We may never know. Additionally, we have Cat Sassoon from Bloodfist 4 (1992) - where do her allegiances lie?

Director Rick Jacobson has worked with Don The Dragon a lot in his career, so surely he knows that his shirtlessness was integral to the plot. But there are a lot of (probably) unintentionally silly fight scenes, and Wilson’s moves are as good as always, but they’re not put to their best use here. This movie as a whole probably exclusively appealed to Don The Dragon’s fanbase back in the video store days. It’s hard to imagine a layperson deciding to rent Bloodfist 6: Ground Zero at their local video store when there are so many other options available. But now, thanks to DVD, action fans can make up their own mind. This movie most likely isn’t the best use of The Dragon’s talents, but he gives his all and his personality raises the level of the movie, which is okay, no more no less.

Bloodfist 6 is decent, thanks to The Dragon, but not really a rousing success.

Also check out a review from our buddy, DTVC!

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Bloodfist V: Human Target (1994)

Bloodfist V: Human Target (1994)-* *

Directed by: Jeff Yonis

Starring: Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Steve James, Don Stark, Denice Duff, and Joe Son












Jim Stanton (The Dragon) is a thug working for a crime syndicate...or is he? After a gunshot wound to the head, Stanton loses his memory. While trying to put back the pieces of his life, he runs into Candy (Duff), a streetwise young woman who seems to share Stanton’s concerns about what his past life may have been. Soon they go on the run, trying to figure out why people like Marcus (James) and Agent Blake (Stark) are inserting themselves in, and disrupting, their lives. After many twists and turns, Stanton gets to the truth...but will it be too late?

We love Don “The Dragon” Wilson and Steve James, so naturally we were excited to see this movie. Unfortunately, in our opinion, it’s one of the weakest in the Bloodfist series. The plot is so disjointed, it’s impossible to have any investment in the characters and their plight. It just adds layer upon layer of dumb, unwarranted plot twists, like some nonsense about plutonium once we’re already deep into the movie. It falls into the same traps many movies fall into, with an annoying kid/woman, this time the Denice Duff character. From a visual perspective, it’s way too dark and pseudo-stylish. We’re glad you were trying to dazzle us with your style, but we can’t SEE anything, so what’s the point? The low budget is plainly obvious in threadbare set design of just blank walls with no decoration.

We’re truly sorry to be so harsh, that’s not normally “us”, but we’re disappointed. There are some positives, however: Joe Son yelling and shooting a machine gun, the Steve James/Don The Dragon fight which was nice to see, the musical theme which sounds exactly like the MASH theme song “Suicide is Painless”, and the fact that this is an ideal role for Don - because of his amnesiac status, he can look as confused, stunned and out-of-it as he wants, and it actually works towards the plot. But sadly, there’s no escaping the fact that this movie is a waste of Steve James’ talent (and heartbreakingly, his last movie role before his untimely death) - and even Don’s awesome long hair doesn’t last and he gets a haircut.

Although Don forgets everything, thankfully he doesn’t forget how to do Martial Arts. That part of his brain remained intact. And while Joe Son is credited as “Beefy”, no one ever calls him that on screen. So many wasted opportunities. Well, except for the time-honored opportunity Don takes to get unnecessarily shirtless, an opportunity he seems to take as often as he can. But either because this movie has a conscience, or because it was Corman policy, the movie doesn’t go on too long, it’s around 80 minutes. So there’s some mercy there.

Bloodfist V: Human Target sadly goes in the “disappointment” column. We recommend spending your time elsewhere.

Also check reviews from our buddies The Video Vacuum and DTVC! 

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Blackbelt (1992)

Blackbelt (1992)-* * *

Directed by: Charles Phillip Moore and Rick Jacobson

Starring: Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Deirdre Imershein, Alan Blumenfeld, Richard Beymer, Ian Jacklin, and Matthias Hues

Jack Dillon (The Dragon) is an ex-cop turned martial arts instructor. He also does favors on the side for people that need help but can’t exactly go to the cops. When up-and-coming singing star Shanna (Imershein) receives a severed finger in a box, she turns to Dillon for help. Shanna has other problems as well, as her “backer” is mobster Eddie Deangelo (Beymer). He’s pressuring her to sign a new contract with him, and she doesn’t want to. Naturally Deangelo focuses all his rage (and goons) on Jack Dillon, her new protector. Amidst fighting his way through the underworld to protect Shanna, Jack discovers that insane, murderous, psychopathic ex-mercenary killer John Sweet (Hues) is behind all the mayhem. Only a confrontation between Dillon and Sweet will determine the fate of Shanna, among other people. Who will win?

As this is a Corman production, it seems he wanted to go with the Bloodfist formula of having real-life martial artists in the cast, and with their screen credit along with their name is their fighting title. Also it’s 80 minutes, so right there we see the formula. But Blackbelt is truly Don “The Dragon” Wilson at his best. His lovably wooden performances are here in full, but he gets a ton of great lines (pretty much all of them, and they’re almost all snappy one-liners). Wilson worked on the fight choreography, and in true early-90’s fashion, the violence is simultaneously brutal and, at times, very funny. Both his, as well as Matthias Hues’ entrances are both great and it’s a treat to see them together, and their final fight doesn’t disappoint.

Hues also puts in a career-best performance as the Psycho (1960)-inspired Oedipal bad guy. Sure, Hues is always the baddie, but here he shows some depth as the ironically-named Sweet. Also, according to the plot, his blows are powerful enough to kill people. And his yells and grunts are priceless.

Naturally, in a classic cliche, Dillon and Deangelo “go way back” - and it should be noted that even though Dillon isn’t officially on the force, he has a partner, Sturges (Blumenfeld). There really should have been a Dillon and Sturges TV show. It would have been a great cop drama - the classic, dedicated but pudgy cop and the Karate-fighting ex-cop solving crimes. What’s really criminal is that this was never made. But at least we have Blackbelt. (However, that title is somewhat misleading, as Dillon’s, nor anyone else’s) belt level is ever talked about, much less fought over.

Not to be insulting to Miss Imershein, but the role of Shanna should have gone to someone just a little bit hotter, perhaps Wilson’s Ring of Fire (1991) co-star and frequent Corman starlet Maria Ford. Then their relationship would have been more believable. But watch out for the posters of Shanna gracing the cover of “Rock” magazine (not meant to look like Spin, surely), along with Pearl Jam. Hey, it was 1992 after all. But all her accolades are certainly deserved once you see her perform the song “Love Rocket” - along with the background dancers who are so comatose they make Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love” girls look like a row of Rip Taylors on speed.

As for the VHS box: The story for the movie was co-written by Neva Friedenn (who also wrote for other Wilson vehicles) - and on the cover there is a quote: “The most action packed, sexiest kickboxing movie ever made!!” Note the two exclamation points. And guess who the quote is attributed to? Yes, Neva Friedenn! You can tout your own productions on their VHS boxes like that? Who knew? Additionally, they misspell “Matthias” when talking about the mighty Hues. Just shameful, really.

It should also be noted that Ian Jacklin is in this movie for about one second. Despite that, this movie is still worth seeing, as it is an entertaining romp from the golden age with two of the genre’s most beloved stars. What’s not to like?

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

CyberTracker (1994)

CyberTracker (1994)-* * *

Directed by: Richard Pepin

Starring: Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Richard Norton, John Aprea, Stacie Foster, Joseph Ruskin, and Steve Burton

In the Los Angeles of the future, crime is rampant. So to help clear up the overly clogged judicial system, Senator Dilly (Aprea) institutes the American Computerized Judicial System. This basically consists of a robot, or android, or cyborg, or whatever (actually called a Tracker), that metes out justice right there on the spot, which means he’s just going to shoot you. Dilly’s bodyguards are Phillips (Wilson) and Ross (Norton). An underground movement of anti-robot revolutionaries springs up named the Union for Human Rights, who protest all of Dilly’s ideas and plans. When Phillips falls in with this crew, Ross feels he knows too much and the former co-workers become mortal enemies on opposite sides of the issues. What will become the nature of justice in America? Find out by letting CyberTracker tell you today!

Here we have a cross between R.O.T.O.R (1988)., American Cyborg: Steel Warrior (1993), Abraxas (1990), and Future Force (1989), along with fellow PM vehicle Hologram Man (1995) and more mainstream fare such as Universal Soldier (1992), The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2 (1991) and Robocop (1987). But since it’s a PM, it has all the high-quality explosions and action/stunt setpieces they’re known for. And the movie as a whole is well-shot, in the PM style. So that prevents it from being your average sci-fi slog. But, falling into a common trap of low-budget future movies, everything is written in “future font”, so you KNOW you’re in the future. Just see David Heavener’s Twisted Justice (1990) for further proof.

That being said, the film drags once Phillips gets involved with the Union for Human Rights, but this is quickly corrected by the final fight between fan-favorites Richard Norton and Don the Dragon. Together at last, it’s really a fan’s dream to see them together. Their final fight is certainly worth seeing. Both Norton and Wilson show their prowess well in this movie, and it’s always fun to see that the many goons all think they can take down Don the Dragon.

As the bodyguard of Senator Silly...er...I mean DILLY, Wilson looks especially like Lou Diamond Phillips here. And his character’s name is Phillips? Could that possibly be a coincidence?

While the bald “judge jury and executioner” of the Tracker is a bit too ROTOR-y for its own good, it was played by Jim Maniaci of Timebomb (1991) and Cartel (1990) fame. Of the protestors, whose big gripe is that “Computers don’t have hearts”, Art Camacho appears. Wait until these people get a load of Apple. Hey-Oh! (to quote Ed McMahon). In another weird parallel, Phillips has a computerized companion in his apartment with a female voice named Agnes 1000. This is a lot like what Ed Marinaro has in The Protector (1999).

CyberTracker is a good chance to see two of the DTV genre’s leading lights in an offering by one of the top companies. Does it fulfill all the promise that description holds? Maybe not entirely, but you should probably see this anyway.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Bloodfist IV: Die Trying (1992)

Bloodfist IV: Die Trying (1992)-* *1\2

Directed by: Paul Ziller 

Starring: Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Catya Sassoon, Amanda Wyss, James Tolkan, and Gary Daniels

Danny Holt (Wilson) is a good, hard-working guy with a tough job. He’s a repo man, constantly having to deal with irate car buyers who’ve lapsed on their payments. One day he repo’s the car of evil gangsters Weiss  (Browne) and Scarface (Daniels). These dudes are so miffed about it, they go down to Danny’s place of employment and mow down the entire staff with their machine guns. Naturally, Danny was out getting lunch, and missed it all, so the cops think he did it. Seeing as how these gangsters are hiding some nuclear triggers inside a box of bunny-shaped Easter chocolate and Danny has it, he’s now on the run from the gangsters, the cops, the FBI, the CIA, and everyone in between. Weiss has also kidnapped his daughter and won’t release her until he gets the “box of chocolates”.  With no one to trust, can Danny use the help of Shannon (Wyss), a schoolteacher accidentally thrown into this mess? Will Danny get to the truth?

Perhaps as a reaction to the somber tone of the previous Bloodfist movie, this one has a much lighter, and at times even goofy feel. Just check out the opening scene between The Dragon and a man who looks like he could be the father of Wendy of fast-food chain Wendy’s fame. But the overall tone goes back and forth between silly and serious with relative ease.

James Tolkan appears as FBI agent Sterling, and it’s nice to see him, but what fans really want to see are the fights between Wilson and Gary Daniels. We’re treated to two of them, and that alone makes this movie worth checking out. Daniels plays a very amusing villain, with his long hair and snide attitude. But we think his strong suit is playing heroes. He’s just too likable to seem all that evil, though he does very well here. Also female baddie Lisa (Sassoon) adds further appeal because of her outfits and cult appreciation.

Apparently, this movie was remade, again with Wilson, as Moving Target (2000). I guess Don the Dragon had been in every type of movie ever made so the only option left was to redo THIS movie. Seems odd.  Of all the movies to potentially remake...Bloodfist 4: Die Trying?

Bloodfist 4 is a great choice for Don the Dragon fans. If you don’t consider yourself one, don’t “die trying” to pick this one up, but if you  see it somewhere, get it.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty