Produced by Roger Corman and shot in the Philippines, BLOODFIST screams 'cheap' from the outset. It's an obvious rip-off of KICKBOXER and BLOODSPORT, detailing the story of a young man forced to take part in a violent martial arts tournament while seeking his brother's murderer. There the similarities end. Although this film is notable for launching the screen career of fight champion Don 'The Dragon' Wilson, it's a complete mess, and frequently unwatchable.
The lack of budget and talent is obvious in the poor, uninteresting settings and inadequate lighting. The script feels like it was written on the back of a beer mat and the characterisation is cardboard-thin. The worst aspect, for me, is the choreography, which is so poor that you barely see a blow hitting, only people punching the air and their opponents pretending to fall backwards. This makes the many fight sequences laughable, and wastes the genuine talents of the little-seen Billy Blanks and other martial arts competitors.
Wilson himself is a bore, never showing the charisma or skill that made Van Damme a star, and he's hardly a hero to root for. The supporting cast is limited to a Pat Morita-style teacher who shows Wilson how to kick glass bottles off a bench (sad to say that this scene is a 'highlight'). There's also a buxom blonde in a parade of tight-fitting leotards and t-shirts, but she doesn't do a lot to raise the interest of even the dedicated male viewer of this nonsense. Things culminate in a boring showdown where our hero tears his enemy's earring off in fury – yes, that really is the height of the drama here. BLOODFIST is definitely one of the worst movies Roger Corman has ever been involved with. Incredibly, this spawned many sequels, so I guess somebody somewhere liked it!
The lack of budget and talent is obvious in the poor, uninteresting settings and inadequate lighting. The script feels like it was written on the back of a beer mat and the characterisation is cardboard-thin. The worst aspect, for me, is the choreography, which is so poor that you barely see a blow hitting, only people punching the air and their opponents pretending to fall backwards. This makes the many fight sequences laughable, and wastes the genuine talents of the little-seen Billy Blanks and other martial arts competitors.
Wilson himself is a bore, never showing the charisma or skill that made Van Damme a star, and he's hardly a hero to root for. The supporting cast is limited to a Pat Morita-style teacher who shows Wilson how to kick glass bottles off a bench (sad to say that this scene is a 'highlight'). There's also a buxom blonde in a parade of tight-fitting leotards and t-shirts, but she doesn't do a lot to raise the interest of even the dedicated male viewer of this nonsense. Things culminate in a boring showdown where our hero tears his enemy's earring off in fury – yes, that really is the height of the drama here. BLOODFIST is definitely one of the worst movies Roger Corman has ever been involved with. Incredibly, this spawned many sequels, so I guess somebody somewhere liked it!