Fist of Honor (1993)

Just what I expected

Disturbing yet enthralling

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

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

Around this point of time, PM Entertainment heads Richard Pepin and Joseph Merhi were starting to make movies that were a definite improvement over the movies they made just a few years earlier. The positive attributes of "Fist of Honor" are pretty evident from the start. The movie looks like some expense had been put into it, with some good production values, including some striking photography. Unfortunately, when it comes to entertaining the audience, the movie is still lacking. The story, if it can be called a "story", is very slow moving - the hero does not find himself in a real crisis until more than AN HOUR of the running time has passed! Yes, there are plenty of fist fights along the way, but they not only come across as all alike, they are also equally unexciting. And fans of Abe Vigoda or Bubba Smith will be disappointed that their roles are pretty brief and have little impact to the rest of the movie. Skip this movie and watch a PM Entertainment movie made a few years later - by then they had learned how to make a good action movie.

Sam Jones as the lead in a martial arts movie? Well it actually works, because Jones doesn't really do much martial arts: he's mostly just a street brawler who uses his size and strength to counter the attacks of his opponents (he takes a lot of hits, but it's like hitting a brick wall). Not 5 minutes pass in this flick without him getting into a fight; in between, there are car explosions and bloody shootings to fill up the space. The rest of the movie, full of with stereotypical mafioso characters, is not really worth discussing, though Ali Humiston, who plays the young girl, is a promising actress. One element that really falls short is the hero's "revenge" at the end: ridiculously inadequate for what the other guy had done. ** out of 4.

....for drinking to! This movie is one hell of a mess, the acting is so bad, its good. The fight scene between the character Fist (Sam Jones) and a black guy whose name is 'Jackson Spikes' is the best part of the film- blatantly 'Spikes' is no actor, he's probably Fist's mate from down the gym such is the acing! Ravishing Rick Rude/Tom Selleck lookalike makes an appearance near the end and so does Bubba 'Hightower' Smith from Police Academy- his name in the movie is 'Mike Johnson', typical name given to any black male in the early 90's just like 'Jackson Spikes'. This movie is a bargain and a certain guarantee for complete laughter with the beers and mates- GET THE DVD! The blooming DVD cover is even spelt wrong compared to the main title when it appears on the screen! Please someone tell me who 'Jackson Spikes' is played by- he's not even on the credits, just for that Spikes must of walloped Fist in the gym the day after the film was released! Jackson Spikes is my hero!!!

Before reading anymore of this review there is one thing that you must know.Sam Jones plays a character called Fist. There I've said it. If you don't find the prospect of watching a movie with a hero called Fist even remotely entertaining then for the love of god do not watch this film. Don't even think about it.However if like me you are a connoisseur of bad action movies read on. Sam Jones plays Colm "Fist" Sullivan, an Irish mob enforcer working for the thoroughly unpleasant Dino Diamond, an ambitious mob boss who controls half of this any-town America. An uneasy truce exists between the Diamond family and the Malucci family. To continue explaining the plot would be a waste of my time and yours. It is merely a flimsy excuse to showcase Sam Jones' impressive and very unorthodox "pub drunk" fighting style. And what a showcase it is. The writers have deftly avoided any sense of believability or realism in favour of a series of hilariously random and pointless fights where fist demonstrates an almost Rocky like ability to take a savage beating(even with a lead pipe) only to bounce back and beat his opponent.Sam Jones effortlessly embodies the character of Fist with giant square jawed monosyllabic retard quality that is reminiscent of Dolph Lundgren in his prime. The fights come thick and fast and don't disappoint, unless of course you are expecting decent choreography, or some degree of realism. Highlights include a fight between fist and three burly muggers right outside the mafia HQ. The fight is unremarkable and devoid of any technical merit though it stands out in the memory because of the scruffy tramp sitting right behind the combatants. This tramp is definitely one of the highlights of the whole show. Another is a fight between Fist and a rival mob enforcer where both men have opted to wear flat soled dress shoes for a fight on carpet causing them both to slide gingerly around each other. A cinematic first I'm sure.Special note must also go to Fist's vest which he seems to wear for the entire duration of the show. Buy this film in a bargain bin if you see it. Go to the pub with your mates, go home crack open a few tins and put on Fist of Honour. If you don't laugh your ass of then I'm afraid part of you is dead. Don't forget - Vengeance knows no honour.