Bloodfight (1989)

An Exercise In Nonsense

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

As a kid, we considered this movie as one of the funniest things ever, and it was a neighborhood sensation for about half a Summer. Essentially a direct (and abysmal) clone of "Bloodsport," "Bloodfight" was made the same year, and features the same bad guy: Bolo Yeung. (Who, strangely enough, plays the same CHARACTER as he did in "Bloodsport"). I hadn't seen this movie in 15-years and was pleased to discover that it remains as cheesetastic as my memories....Anyway, the movie is dreadful, almost continuously incoherent rubbish, but has its moments as an unintentional comedy. The acting is TERRIBLE, and some of the film's more dramatic sequences are laugh out loud funny. (Some segments had me questioning whether the lameness was intentional, but I don't think it is). There are some definite pacing problems, and the editing is so bad that the story is essentially broken and unnavigable, but there are a few pretty classic parts. If you appreciate the sublime comfort of late-vintage, bottom-of-the-barrel Hong Kong actioners, and need an easy one to laugh at, this one's OK. You'll have to fast-forward through some parts, but just know there is funny in here, friends. LONG LIVE THE KUMATE! ---|--- Reviews by Flak Magnet

The only possible source of entertainment in a movie like "Bloodfight" is the fighting, but even that is spoiled here by terrible direction, bad camera angles and sloppy editing. The plot rambles on for about an hour, then turns into a tenth-rate "Rocky". The Oriental actors, burdened with someone's idiotic decision that they should all speak exclusively in English (in a misconceived attempt to help the film break more easily into the American market, perhaps?), recite their lines robotically, without any feeling. On the other hand, the white actors, who can speak English more fluently, can't act (only Cristina Lawson comes close to doing both of those things simultaneously). "Bloodfight" is only for those who'll watch Bolo Yeung in any film, no matter how atrocious it may be. (*)

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*At first, BLOODFIGHT seems like your typical tournament kung-fu film. There are interestingly strange fights at the beginning, and two competitors stand out as the best. Soon, however, the movie turns into a prolonged flashback with several fresh additions to the genre.After winning the World Fighting Championship, Masahiro Kai has retired from the deadly sport to maintain his gym. Seeking a new protege, he finds an a**hole of a white guy, who is always seen with his Japanese posse in a "F*** YOU" Jeep. Kai wants to focus the punk's energy into fighting spirit, but all the punk wants to do is beat the crap out of people. Soon, Kai takes on a different student (one who is at odds with the group of punks), Ryu Tenmei. Torn between his dedication to the martial arts and his feelings for his girlfriend, Ryu finally makes it to the World Championship about halfway through the movie."But what's this?" you ask. "The movie can't be over yet!" That's when things take a turn for the grisly...the villain of the tournament, played intimidatingly as always by Bolo Yeung, kills Ryu. Yes, that's right, I didn't see it coming either. From this point on, the movie turns into a vengeance tale, with Kai seeking to retrain himself and enter into the tournament to make peace with Ryu and himself.Several elements make this movie a good one. First, the unique plot and characters make it a memorable '80s movie. The movie is shot entirely in English, so the white-guy punk has a decidedly bitchy edge to him that instantly makes the viewer hate him. Also, Bolo Yeung's character doesn't appear on screen much, thus making him less the villain and more the supreme obstacle for Ryu and Kai to overcome. As noted before, the movie is shot in English (no dubbing or anything), which can cause some confusion with the female actors (Kai's wife, Ryu's girlfriend) due to their THICK accents. This is easily overcome by the emotion and depth in Ryu and Kai's characters, and how they play off each other quite ingeniously.Overall, BLOODFIGHT may seem to be a vehicle for Bolo Yeung, having just finished the similar BLOODSPORT. In my opinion, however, BLOODFIGHT stands on its own as an interesting '80s martial arts movie. My rating: 7.5/10

For some strange reason, I like this movie. I's partly a spoof of _Bloodsport_ and partly your typical Hong Kong movie. The martial arts tournament is named the "Free Fighting Tournament," and Bolo Yeung plays basically the same character that he did in _Bloodsport_ (the name is spelled Chang Lee here). The fights are downright weird: a sumo wrestler smothers his opponent by squatting on his face; an Indian fighter who must be seven feet tall and who wears high-top sneakers accidentally breaks a floodlight with a high kick and tells the stage people, "Up, up, up"; a monkey-style kung fu fighter rolls around on the mat without making much attempt at fighting, then rips a tuft of hair off the Indian fighter's chest (as Bruce Lee did to Chuck Norris in _Return of the Dragon_). As if that wasn't bizarre enough, the master wanders around Hong Kong, tangling with some American punks (who have a very familiar obscene phrase spray-painted on their jeep). Even though _Bloodfight_ is really just your typical Hong Kong chopsocky flick, I am fascinated by it, maybe because I have an interest in anything Asian. Fans of Jackie Chan should give it a shot, as well as anyone who likes Simon Yam (who has worked with John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat in other films).