Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight (1992)

Admirable film.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

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

Jimmy Boland (Wilson) is in prison after a barfight gone wrong. Now in prison, he fights a guy named Luther because he raped his friend and Luther dies because of it. Now the Black gangs on the inside want to kill Jimmy. The White racists welcome him into their camp, but Jimmy refuses. Now he's got two prison gangs out for his blood, and, being the loner that he is, Jimmy Boland is...forced to fight! Jimmy is put in a cell with the intellectual and respected (by most) Stark (Roundtree) and they become buddies. Also, the pedophile Diddler (Cardone) is portrayed as sympathetic and he and Jimmy also forge an uneasy friendship. Seeing as Wingate State Penitentiary is considered to be a state-of-the-art facility, the higher-ups are hushing up a lot of the corruption and misdoings. As alliances on both the inside and outside are constantly shifting, will Jimmy be able to expose the truth and fight his way to freedom? Bloodfist 3: Forced to Fight was the first in the Bloodfist series not to be connected to the first two. It really should have been called simply Forced to Fight, but the ever-crafty Roger Corman must have thought they should unnecessarily slap the Bloodfist moniker on it just to be safe. Seeing as how this movie actually went to the theater but tanked, it was the final theatrically-released Bloodfist film. The fact that three made it to the theater is still impressive.Truly this is Don the Dragon's Death Warrant, and he carries it off in his own inimitable way. The filmmakers seemingly really tried to make him look like Lou Diamond Phillips this time around. Much like how Frank Zagarino was meant to resemble Dolph Lundgren in Armstrong. But it's really not needed, The Dragon stands on his own. For this movie, they actually got another name, Richard Roundtree. His role is substantial and he acquits himself well in what is really an ensemble film. Then again, he was competing directly against French Fry (Callahan) and Weird Willy (Schott) so all bets are off. But he took the role seriously, which is good. Peter "Sugarfoot" Cunningham of Above the Law (1986) fame is here as an inmate named Champ. Though he's not credited in the film, we strongly believe Ian Jacklin is on board as well, as one of the Aryans, or, as they call themselves, "Scooter Trash". I know, I don't get it either.The movie is entertaining, and, for its kind, surprisingly well-written. There was an attempt to be serious here and deal with real issues. We felt that was done well and an interesting change of pace. The pace was to be changed once again with the fourth Bloodfist film, whose tone is much lighter. The tradition of the actor/fighter's championship titles appearing along with their credit is maintained, Eric Lee helped with the fight coordination, and the Michael Elliott score is worth pointing out as well. Also, for movie night, the prisoners all watch TNT Jackson (1974). That probably wouldn't occur today. In actuality, a lot of the prison scenarios here aren't completely realistic. But hey, Wingate is a new kind of prison.This Don the Dragon prison film under the Bloodfist banner is worth seeing.for more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

This is just hilariously bad. Richard Roundtree is the only actor who can even remotely act in this film. The film begins with a guy raping another guy, and a kung fu action scene where the protagonist avenges the rape. This is in no way dramatic, but everything looks is so ridiculous I was in tears laughing. Thats what earned this film a 4 where it otherwise would have received a one or a two. The action sequences are few and sub-par, and the film really seems to think it has a captivating story worth telling. If you like ridiculously dumb lines, by guys who shouldn't be acting, race war ridiculousness, and tons of silly hairstyles, this ones for you. If you are interested in a story thats actually worth watching avoid this one. Also one of the main characters is a sympathetic child molester! Also I could have sworn one of the characters with with no lines who gets killed appears again in a later scene.

The third installment of "Bloddfist" was about like the first one but slightly better than the second. This time instead of the fighting ring of a arena, it's the ultimate fighting ring: Prison! Just watching a juvenile get raped and killed in prison would make any man's blood boil. Then Wilson's character avenges the kid when he let that rapist meet the end of his own knife he used to kill the kid. And it was interesting to see Richard Roundtree play in the movie. Having Wilson's character get switched around form group to group can get confusing, especially when all the prisoners are black and white. Roundtree's character helps him out despite what he sees. And the fight scenes are never-ending. It's a shame that Roundtree's character got hurt, he was tough as nails all the way. He fought for his freedom, now he's going to fight for his friend who was wrongly put there. That maybe fictional, but it gets a glimpse of prison life that will scare the delinquent straight out of his skin. The marital arts is a way of protection, and it can be a lifesaver. I enjoyed it pretty much. 2 out of 5 stars.

Bloodfist III is a credible movie on many levels. It is an excellent prison movie, a legitimate hand-to-hand combat movie, and even a good message movie. It's far better than Stallone's Lock-Up. The fight scenes are much closer to being real than most of Don "The Dragon" Wilson's movies. Most people wind up hurt severely and unconscious after just one of two blows (just like real life). I'd give this one a solid 8.