L.A. Streetfighters (1985) User Reviews

A new genre is born: "Fork-fighting"!

[tarbosh22000 · 5/10 · 25 May 2010]

"Forced to become deadly warriors...Just to survive" L.A. Streetfighters is a ridiculous piece of hokum that any fan of video-store action should be familiar with.

The plot such as it is, involves two 30-year old high school students Young and Tony and they get mixed up with gangs who only fight with sticks and the mob. Tony is trying to live a decent life and go to random toga parties, but is pulled into the criminal underworld.

Tony and Young fight a gang named "The Spikes". They consist of 4 drunken frat guys. The leader has a blond bowl haircut and is wearing a half-shirt. The Spikes have their own chant: "Spike Them...Kill. Spike Them...Kill." This gang is no laughing matter. Also there is a Latino gang that chants "Chino Chino Chino". One day Tony, who only wears a gray sweater with his favorite shape, triangles, goes into a liquor store. Not only does he see a random gang playing a wooden flute, Tony pays for his $3.00 beer with a hundred dollar bill.

Let's not forget the mob is after Tony and Young and they hire their best hit-man the so-called "Kruger from New York." Not to be confused with the Kroog-Warrior of "Dangerously Close" fame.

Technical Info: The movie has horrendous dubbing and words like "security" sound "scaredy" The dialogue that is being dubbed is highly hilarious and features such lines as: "You Stupid.", "Listen Chinos!", "Fat Chink equals Big Chump". (Remember we didn't write that!) and "See you later, Good friend." In the final battle, pitchforks as well as sticks are used. So not only is this a "stick-fighting" flick, we stumbled upon a new genre entirely: "Fork-fighting".

The fight choreography is okay, but lacks fluidity. The highlight is when Young chops off a man's arm with a stick. In the end, the main reason to watch "L.A. Streetfighters" is the sheer silliness of it all.

Note: "L.A. Streetfighters" was re-titled "Ninja Turf" to coincide with the 80's ninja boom. There are no ninjas in the movie. For more on "Ninja Boom" movies please see the reviews for "Ninja Enforcer" and "Ninja Assassins".

Protect your "turf" tonight with this classic! For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

100 dollars.....97 dollars change...

[FlashCallahan · 5/10 · 4 December 2011]

Tony is the new kid at school. He befriend gang leader Young, whose top rival is Chan.

Tony is also dating Chan's sister, Lily. When Young and Tony are hired as personal security, they head to a private party run by a drug dealer.

When Young steals the money from the dealer, two hit men arrive and torture his gang.

Young must fight them off but also face the wrath of Chan. Tony must help his new friend before it's too late...

This is the sort of film you would rent out on a Friday night and watch with your dad. Nowadays, this sort of film is reduced to late night TV screenings and watching this, it's deserved of it's place.

Firstly, the acting isn't just bad, it's the funniest thing about the movie. and remember the cool karate you would re-enact at school? It's all here, but with that bit where the bad guy would get hit once, and then wait for no reason to get knocked out.

But it's still fun to watch and to point out the bad acting and choreography. The story is your usual guff, and it's fun to watch nearly forty year old people playing high school kids.

LA to Miami

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 1 June 2023]

Also known as Ninja Turf, this was directed by Woo-sang Park, who we all know directed Miami Connection. It's about new kid at school Tony (Phillip Rhee, who created and starred in the Best of the Best series of movies) and how he instantly vibes with a gang leader named Young (Jun Chong, whose company Action Brothers Productions made this movie happen; he's a celebrity martial arts trainer who taught Sam J. Jones, Lorenzo Lamas and Phillip Rhee). Their friendship is enough to get him threatened by another gangster, Chan (James Lew). In the middle of Young saving Tony, they get offered a job as security guards. Yes, that can happen.

In between their security gigs, they rumble with the Blades and Spike's Gang, which has Biff Tannen as a member. Seriously, it's him. But when they're not fighting, Tony hooks up with Chan's sister Lily. This enrages his enemy and his friend too, as all Young can think about is feeling alone. And oh yeah, his mom, who lives to drink and sleep with men.

Young has some issues.

He also screws up when those issues get to him as he and Tony do security for a mob boss and he steals a briefcase filled with money from a drug deal. That boss sends a swordsman named Yoshida (Ken Nagayama) and a fighter called Kruger (Bill "Superfoot" Wallace). They meet up with Chan, who eagerly tells them where to find his enemies and they even torture a whole bunch of Tony and Young's school buddies. They catch up with Young, who kills Yoshida and breaks Kruger's knee, all while Tony is studying.

On the way to the hospital with his injured friends, Young is stopped by Chan and his entire gang. His mother comes out into the street and tells him that she's sorry for everything she's ever done and, wow, Chan beats her into oblivion while her son watches. Then, the gang brutalizes him and Tony gets there too late. Grabbing his friend's wooden sword, he chases away the gang and probably kills Chan. But again, it's pointless, because Young dies in his arms.

Jaime Mendoza-Nava, who wrote this movie with Ji-woon Hong, was mostly known for composing music for films and TV shows. Some of the 300 works he contributed to include music for The Witchmaker, The Stewardesses, Dream No Evil, Grave of the Vampire, The Town That Dreaded Sundown, Mausoleum and Death Wish Club, which is really "The Case of Gretta Connors" from Night Train to Terror.

This isn't as amazing as Miami Connection but it's the dark opposite coast version of friendship in the middle of street fights. It's a lot of fun, even if the ending is nihilistic pain.

A wicked action ride

[chumcitymark · 29 March 2002]

Ninja turf (AKA Los Angeles Streetfighter) stands as one of my all time fav b-movies. It's got everything you're looking for. Really bad lighting. 30 year old guys playing high school kids. Totally awesome action. Drugs. a horrible script and Philip Rhee! Only few stand this high on my b movie list. Check out Rock N roll nightmare, Let me die a woman, The Garbage Pail Kids movie and anything from the ninja kids series.

Utter garbage

[sharky0820 · 1/10 · 18 April 2001]

When I began to watch the movie, I had to try not to laugh...and nothing funny was going on! The bad lip synch of the entire movie made me want to vomit. God. The acting was crap, some martial artists have some acting skill (ie Jackie Chan), but if you think these guys will give you a good show, you'll be sadly mistaken. The fight sequences seem so planned. Very little seems to set off the characters. The camera is wobbly and...God, just for the love of all that is holy, DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE (unless you want to laugh at one of the worst movies of all time).

Unbelievably awful- why isn't this better known?

[dbborroughs · 2/10 · 30 July 2010]

35 year old high school students get involved in the drug trade and have to fight their way out.

I think.

Actually this movie is so out there I have no idea what the plot is. Its out there - just out there. I think it burned away from parts of my brain. They showed this at midnight during the NYAFF this year and all I can say that this is more of a mind bender than House or almost any other whacked out film from the past few decades. Its not good by any standard but its so uniquely psychotronic that its clear that the taste makers who pick the weird wacky and bad films that get praise are lazy and aren't looking hard enough since they never found this "gem" . As friend said you can't rate it on any level but WTF and on that scale it blows the rating into orbit

Near Dark 2

[saint_brett · 1/10 · 14 November 2021]

Wow look at the Betamax quality of this DVD.

This is amazing, I'm sitting here watching this giggling out loud - all these pupils at this unknown high school are middle aged adults. I think most of them went on to become Low Pan's henchmen in "Big Trouble in little China." The new kid in school, who looks about 38 years old, has already bumped into the Cobra Kai and they're extorting protection money out of him, or else. (Five bucks.)

Can we get some lightning on set, please? For no reason 'Loo Can' and 'Shang Soong' duel after dark and bash each other senseless, while elsewhere a bunch of mental patients in an asylum throw a shindig and dance around like lunatics?

The sound on this is awesome and the score is award-winning.

Um, what looks like the Village People just got bashed up. By whom? I'm not sure as it's so dark. Why were they bashed up? Again, I am not sure as the movie has no direction.

Even the actors are telegraphing their lines - they sound like robots.

Whoops, the Village People are back and this time they're swinging Louisville Sluggers. "The Spikes?" Man, "The Warriors" ain't got nothing on this lot.

The filmmakers of this masterpiece must have been so broke they were praying that the street lights in the background would illuminate the movie. Even of a day time you can hardly make out their faces. And this movie's so dark I can't even hear what they're saying.

Some random thug is presented a birthday cake and he gets all emotional and makes a history lesson about taking candy from strangers. Movie turns into "Beat Street" but that doesn't suit the direction, so we then go shopping for lot lizards and that too is a bust, so Turbo from "Breakin'" plays an oversized bamboo flute then gets smoked while trying to rob Shang Soong. Cypress Hill then show up, being rock stars, and put a hit out on someone? But because the movie's so dark I don't know who?

Wasn't this guy in "Best of the Best?" I'm still deciding if I'll give this 1/10 or 10/10.

Because the movie's so dark I can't make out one distinguishing feature that this was filmed in LA. It could be Taiwan for all I know?

Is that Brink Stevens? She lowered herself to be in this?

Stealing a briefcase full of money, Shang Soong paints a target on his back, and has hit men come from far and wide for his head. He then arms himself with a ninja turtle weapon and mows down henchmen like in a video game. One even looks like The Duck from "Convoy." He defeats all the big bosses and wins the girl in the end - his mother.

"Best of the Best" comes along and swears like a drunken sailor then proceeds to slaughter all the Cobra Kai.

The end.

Sort of like Saturday Night Fever sans dancing but with martial arts!

[HaemovoreRex · 7/10 · 16 April 2006]

Now here is an unusual film.....

Where to begin?.....Well intrinsically what we have here is a tale of high school student angst and gang related tribulations....well....sort of anyway.

What we actually have is some hilariously poor directing, actors who have no idea of the concept of timing their lines correctly or of any remote cognisance of acting ability in general for that matter and a tacked on 'plot' that doesn't really kick in until almost an hour into the films running time!

Basically the story involves Young, a pupil at high school (and an hilariously inappropriate name as the actor playing him is at least in his forties!!!) who befriends Tony and introduces him into his gang (although note that this is in fact a 'good guy' gang as opposed to the various stereotypical 'bad guy' gangs prevalent throughout the movie) In honourable capitalist style, the gang in question actually earns honest cash by taking on various security assignments.

On one such assignment however, Young decides to indulge in a bit of theft and high tales it with some drugs money, thus prompting the dealer to send a Ninja and another sadistic character played by legendary kickboxing champion Bill 'Superfoot' Wallace after him.....Okaaayy......

Actually as previously said, this actual story doesn't occur until almost an hour into the proceedings. Up until this point we are subjected to lots of impromptu gang fights and some hilariously woeful attempts at serious interpersonal drama designed to make us sympathise with the various protagonists' plights. For example, in one such supposedly touching scene we witness one of the 'good guy' gang members crying when he is presented with a birthday cake, the emotional gratitude just too much to bear....ahhhhh..... Far from wringing any empathy from me however, I found that such scenes curiously only induced uncontrollable laughter, certainly not what the makers would have wanted, for the film tries so hard to be taken seriously that it's just painful to behold.

Still credit where credit's due, at least the makers of this tried to do something different from the usual martial arts revenge plot (the staple of about 99.9% of ALL martial arts films!)

The ending is especially noteworthy in this movie in fact, and is surprisingly downbeat (and gory to boot!)

Another accolade must be awarded to the martial arts choreography on display throughout, which is admittedly top notch.

Overall then, whilst the disorganised and oddly structured nature of the film would ostensibly donate that the director was absent for most of the filming, this is actually against all odds, a rather entertaining movie with a particularly intriguing final half hour. Well worth a watch if you can track down a copy (note: The movie also goes under the alternative title of 'Ninja Turf')

This, my friends, is the greatest movie ever made!!!!

[janitorclyde · 10/10 · 25 June 2005]

And to think I kinda saw this movie on accident... This movie was included in one of those crappy 4 movie DVD packs called "Kung Fu Wars." I bought it because it had "The Crippled Masters," a heartwarming film that shows that one should not be chained down by disabilities. Anyway, on the first side of the disc was this Ninja Turf, which I figured would be funny because 80s Martial Arts + the word "Turf" = an always unforgettable experience. My God, this movie is amazing! How can you not love rival high school gangs who are all in their 40s, talking about teen life and how their mommy doesn't understand them, and beating the crap out of each other! Also, the 80s action movie homo-eroticism is in full swing in this baby! In one scene, one of the guys from the good gang is naked, taking a shower, and Young (played by the bad ass Jun Chong!!!) approaches the naked guy, hands him a banana, and in crappy dubbing says, "Hey Tony! Bring you something to eat!!" If that's not gay, I don't know what is. In another scene, Bill "Superfoot" Wallace is fighting Jun Chong, and after a few minutes of grab-assy martial arts fighting, they break apart, and the camera zooms to Wallace's face, who looks down towards Chong's groin region, smiles real big, and proceeds to fight some more. By the way, I'm in no way against the GLBT community, I just know that 80s movies are notorious for such scenes, and I love to point them out. Anyway, another great thing about this flick is the memorable characters. Young (Chong), even though he was like 45 when he made this film, somehow manages to play the part of a swaggering, yet troubled teen very well. It's kinda funny to note that his mother in this film looks younger than him!! Another character worth mentioning is Belly Shirt Guy, leader of the Spikes Gang. This man has to be seen to be believed... And let's not forget the leader of the Blade Gang (who looks a lot like Panama Jack)! I could go on and on about this movie, because there is so much about this movie that is wonderful. The only bad thing about this film is the lack of lighting, and it doesn't help any that most of the scenes take place at night. In the Wallace Vs. Chong scene, apparently Wallace is using a whip at one point, but if it weren't for the sound effects, you'd have no idea that he was using a whip. This film is truly amazing, a brilliant yet mostly unheard of film. I encourage everyone out there to check this movie out. It will change your life!!

"And for starters, you pay me five bucks!"

[udar55 · 7/10 · 23 March 2010]

Young (Jun Chong), Tony (Phillip Rhee) and three friends start up a security business and this results in them getting in fights a lot. The main plot doesn't kick in until an hour has passed when Young steals a ton of drug money from a client who hired them ("It was bad money and I would put it to a good cause"). Naturally, the dealer wants it back so he hires two assassins - Japan's Yoshida (Ken Nagayama) and New York's Kruger (Bill "Superfoot" Wallace) - to retrieve it and teach the boys a lesson.

This is an odd, yet enjoyable 80s action flick. Odd in the sense that it has no plot for the first hour and that lead tough guy Jun Chong spends a lot of time crying about his drunk mom not loving him. Oh, and there isn't a single ninja in NINJA TURF (its original title was LOS ANGELES STREETFIGHTER). I'm not sure if it hit theaters or not, but RCA/Columbia did release it on VHS. Director Woo-sang Park (under the name Richard Park) directs the action scenes well with an emphasis on the marital arts talents of the leads. This was Rhee's first lead role and he went on to star in the popular BEST OF THE BEST series. Brinke Stevens shows up as a drug dealer's girlfriend and supplies the film's only nudity. I was surprised when I looked up Chong's filmography to see I own 5 of the 6 films he's made, with 2 of them unwatched now. Why I was surprised is beyond me.

Looking up the supporting cast, it seems they have a real superstar in their midst. Mark Hicks is a member of Young's crew (aptly named Mark) and he achieved internet superstar notoriety as the famous Afro Ninja, the guy who attempts to do a flip with some nunchaku and falls on his head. I'm sure you've seen it.

Acting-0, Fights-9

[AlbertV79 · 25 April 2001]

The acting in the film is beyond dumb. I'll admit that. I mean, how do you have Jun Chong, who was in his 40's when the film was made, play a high school student? Anyway, IMHO, the fights truly made up for the film. Kwon Young Moon (the 70's chop socky star) truly had the stars of the film display taekwondo & hapkido beautifully. Jun and Phillip Rhee really were great in terms of the fights. Look for action stars Loren Avedon (as one of James Lew's gang), Thomas Wilson of Back to the Future (as one of the redneck gang - he fights Phillip using a mallet or something), and Mark Hicks of Gen-Y Cops (as one of Jun Chong's crew) in the film.

L.A. Streetfighter

[Scarecrow-88 · 6/10 · 5 September 2010]

Rival gangs in Los Angeles are always at odds with each other. Tony(Phillip Rhee) is in love with nemesis Chan's(James Lew) sister, Lily(Rosanna King). Tony's pal, Young(Jun Chong), came from China along with his mother who married a white man. Young is skilled at martial arts and equips himself quite well against street punks and gangs who wish to cause him harm. Young gets his boys mixed up with rich drug dealers as well(hired as "security" to make sure no problems interrupt a drug deal involving cocaine). Drug dealers aren't exactly happy campers when their coke money is stolen(which is what Young unwisely does in the heat of the moment)so two separate hit men, Yoshida Kim(Ken Nagayama;an assassin with a kitana sword from Osaka, Japan)and intense brute Kruger(Bill Wallace) from New York are hired to teach these kids a lesson. There's a sequence which reminded me of GAME OF DEATH where Young must go up floors in a building, combating hired thugs(including Kim and Kruger)on each loft, trying to find and save his friends, captured and beaten by Kruger who wants to know the location of the drug money. And after enduring this, poor Young still has to worry with Chan and his army! While Young doesn't fare so well against Chan(mommy is in the line of fire), Tony gets a chance to dual with his enemy to the death. The minor plot, what little there is, plays second fiddle to kung fu between numerous LA gangs, mostly against Young, Tony, and their group. The fight choreography can be a bit clumsy and rough-around-the-edges mainly due to the fact that Tony and Young are often in battles against inferior foes who mostly take a beating. No matter where Tony and Young go, it seems trouble follows them. And that's the point, isn't it? Put these two in as many combat situations as possible to provide the movie with excuses to have them duking it out with street scum to beat the crap out of. There are melodramatic moments a die hard action fan might cringe through(in particular, Tony's problems with his alcoholic mom), but the final twenty minutes delivers plenty of fisticuffs and bludgeoning with weapons. Brinke Stevens shows up in a cameo(unclothed, of course) as a drug-lord's plaything.

simple...The GREATEST movie ever made!

[aneeljan · 10/10 · 20 February 2007]

Every millenia an event occurs that can change a persons life.This happened to me on a stormy December evening in 1994.That was when I was first introduced to La Streetfighter.I just don't know where to begin....The basic plot involves a youth named Young(played by a forty-something) who joins an inner-city gang which in turn leads to the usual high school japes(gang-fighting,stealing from drug barons,working as doormen,urinating on triad gangs car,etc).I wont go into detail with the plot because it is irrelevant along with the acting,directing,sound editing,fight choreography et al.

In one one memorable scene the gang decides to plan an intricate drugs robbery.This highly complicated heist basically involves one gang member to open a door,run in,pick up the drugs and run out like sewer rat who's just found a slice of pizza with extra cheese.Ocean's 11 can't match these uber-criminal masterminds.The victim of this crime of the century decides to bring in a couple of professional assassins to help him gain revenge.One of them is a Japanese samurai who proceeds to hunt them throughout LA while dressed in a 14th century samurai outfit complete with huge sword.

Inevitably, one of the gang member is captured by the assassins and ends up being strung up from the ceiling.The other assassin declares to him the immortal words..."i'm gonna break your balls".He then goes and does exactly that! He punches and kicks the poor guy exclusively in the nether region.Apparently this assassin is played by a former dick,sorry,kick-boxing champ called Bill'Superfoot'Wallace.

This film contains a heart rendering moment too when one of the gang member has a birthday cake presented to him amongst all the chaos. He solemnly declares, "nobody ever give me anything before" and proceeds to wipe a tear.Even as I write this I have lump in my throat...I too had a tough upbringing as I was growing up in the mean streets of Welwyn Garden City.

This film has changed my life.I suggest you watch this masterpiece so you too will have an accurate insight into life as a forty year old schoolboy who gets involved in stealing drugs,hunted by a Japanese in a samurai costume with a sword,kick boxed by a man with a groin fetish while having just eaten a birthday cake.

I only wish I could have directed this film!!!!

[The_Copper_Dragon · 7/10 · 24 February 2003]

DANIEL MANIA! COMMENT

I thought that Ninja Turf could have been done alot better. Personally I would have worked on the cinematics because you could barely see the fight scenes and I also would have done the entire ending to this film differently. For one thing I would have had the rival gangs join forces with the drug dealers and have the main characters fight them all in the same building floor by floor. I also would have made it a lot more bloodier and made the choreography a lot more furious,complicated,wild and sophisticated. I gave this film a 7/10 because it could have been so much better and it was poorly written.

FOB's Attack!

[Elbow · 10/10 · 1 June 2003]

What a movie! It's no wonder that martial arts movies have for years been stereotyped as crap, this movie is the archetypal example. Still, it's great fun. If you want to see a movie where the heroes have thick accents to accompany their less-than-stellar acting, this is the one. Very little plot-wise makes sense, but this may be one of the few films that deals with the predicaments of Asian-American youth in any way, not that it does so realistically. Jun Chong is great as FOB leader Young and Phillip Rhee is amusing in an early performance. The sequence in the liquor store featuring the thug with the giant flute is simply classic! How did these people think to include such things?!? To the film's credit, the fight sequences are actually well done, and karate legend Bill Wallace adds a touch of class with his presence, though I wonder what he was doing in this movie. If you can find this movie anywhere, do watch it. It will encourage you to make a film of your own.

So bad that its good!!

[blayzer_trayl · 10/10 · 15 May 2005]

Am i glad i was recommended this film by a pal...i found it in the neglected bottom corner shelf at my local video rental store gathering dust...it cost me £1 to rent out and now that £1 investment is worth a million dollars in laughs.

Ever since watching it ..it has stayed wedged in my brain as a inspirational movie experience on par with the likes of Braveheart and Gladiator - but for different reasons.

I have to admit it may be one of the most talked about movies amongst my friends. When we talk about it we reminisce about it like a long lost funny fat friend ..with hilarious memories! The film is good for the same reasons why Barry White or Abba are now considered greats. Naff, untrendy and old skool but now has a cult following amongst fans.

It is so bad that it comes round in a full circle to become absolutely brilliant. Awful acting, mediocre effects, awful acting, simplistic plot, funny fight scenes, poor production value and oh, awful acting!

I could swear, in a scene, rather than do slow motion action playback the fighters fight really s...l...o...w! Cannnot recommend it enough ...the ultimate classic in Z grade movie experiences!

No ninjas here!

[Wizard-8 · 11 November 2015]

In recent years, South Korean cinema has improved greatly in quality and has become pretty popular. However, when this particular effort was made (with some U.S. involvement), South Korean cinema was often struggling - and a look at this film illustrates some of the reasons why. It's barely a movie - the first half of the movie doesn't seem to have a real story, instead consisting more of a series of boring and barely connected vignettes. The second half of the movie kicks in a little story and conflict, but it's too little too late. All that might not matter had the rest of the movie been well made, but it isn't. It's really cheaply made, with rock bottom production values (especially with the lighting of scenes). As for the action, while the martial arts occasionally have (a little) life, ultimately it's nothing you haven't seen before (and better.) There is some interest seeing martial art actors Phillip Rhee and Bill "Superfoot" Wallace early in their acting careers, but they're so wasted I'm sure they don't list this movie on their resume. By the way, it's obvious from watching the movie that seeing billboards and theater marquees in the background for movies from 1982 and 1983 that "Ninja Turf" (released in 1985) took a lengthy time to complete and find a distributor. No wonder.