Toque de muerte

Shootfighter: Fight to the Death is a marital arts film at it's low budget best. But surpisingly the film does have some decent fight scenes. It was good to see William Zabka in another martial arts role and the always good Bolo Yeung. He final fight scene with Martin Kove is one of the best for both actors. If you get a chance check this one out cuz it's not half bad.

If nothing else is true, there is at least one thing that martial arts flicks rather reliably have in common, especially those developed in the United States (or at least outside Hong Kong). For the most part, plot is light or thin, and little more than a pretense to spotlight honored disciplines. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this; these titles have a clear intention and surely know exactly what they are. 'Shootfighter: Fight to the death' certainly fits into that same category. There's a narrative, yes, but it's broadly unremarkable, and bears definite similarities to those of other pictures - and just as much to the point, the length is filled with scenes that quickly shift into fights, accentuating the thrust of the title. And with that: so long as you have no expectations otherwise, this is pretty decent, if unremarkable in the long run.

It's easy enough to highlight the movie's faults, or at least where it could have used a little more attention. The characters are pretty flat and standard: the hothead, the one with the troubled past who's trying to be better, the wise teacher with A History, the bad guys, the girlfriends. Most of the cast show glimmers of nuance in their performances that would surely sprout under the right circumstances, but a hardnosed fighting movie isn't that, and the restrictions are evident of what acting abilities they may possess. It's also noteworthy that the plot is even lighter than one may assume upon starting to watch, and I'd be lying if I said the climax didn't feel a little forced. Perhaps more substantively - if to a lesser extent than some of its brethren, 'Shootfighter' makes use of overzealous camerawork and editing in depicting some of the action scenes. There are too many times when, instead of plainly showcasing the genuine impact of each blow, the rapidity of the fundamental filmmaking is intended to heighten the thrills instead. In some instances this is important from a very real safety standpoint, especially in the last act, but overuse dampens some of the visceral stimulation that the film might have to offer.

On the other hand, while the presentation of martial arts is imperfect, it's better than not. Between the unmistakable skills of many of those assembled, and excellent choreography, the fight scenes are outstanding - tense, violent, exciting, and highly invigorating. Weirdly, 'Shootfighter' seems to be the only directorial credit for Patrick Alan, but in my mind it appears as though he demonstrates sufficient capability that I'm surprised he didn't make more movies. The action sequences are the chief draw of this title, and they make the viewing experience worthwhile - but there are, actually, other bits that are done well, too. If not terrific and essential, the score composed by Joel Goldsmith is gratifyingly dynamic and grabbing in no few instances, lending to the drama of the matches. The basic arrangement of every scene, including the whole environs of the tournament, feel suitably slimy and real. And while the screenplay at large merely serves its purpose - the utmost potential isn't teased out - we get peeks of character depth, their backgrounds and mentalities, that even unfulfilled is softly enticing.

Of course, one could him and haw about qualities and critiques all day. When all is said and done the only point of inquiry 'Shootfighter' cares about is the value of the fighting, and by that measure, this is pretty swell. Again, the martial arts violence illustrates flaws in action film-making, but is generally tight, fluid, and energizing; the picture is well made overall, and I do like it. It's just that unless one is an utmost fan of someone involved, there's no particular reason to seek out this specific production over another, and others unquestionably stand out more. (Also, despite Bolo Yeung's top billing, and the supporting part of Maryam d'Abo, neither have all that much screen time, so don't get your hopes up on their accounts.) Still, if you've somehow stumbled across 'Fight to the death' in the first place, chances are it's something that's going to be up your alley one way or another. Don't go out of your way to see this, but if you chance upon it, 'Shootfighter' satisfactorily scratches the itch for fighting fun.

I watched this for the first time a few years ago to declare my fan-lust for Michael Bernardo, back then anything that came out his mouth sounded good. But I saw it again today and on closer inspection, this movie has some of the worst dialog ever. When viewed with the sound off the actors do a generally good job of presenting their feelings, so they cannot be blamed for the corniness of the final product.

As such the deepest soul searching moments are the ones that are presented through what some may call typical a training montage, and of course the tournament fights with a wide variety of styles and weapons.

"You-disgraced-the-art-of-shoot-fighting" This opening quote sets the tone for this lively beat-em-up starring the ever-lovable Bolo Yeung as Shingo.

The plot revolves around two buddies named Ruben and Nick played by Zabka and Michael Bernardo respectively. Yeung plays their mentor. There is the prerequisite montage where he teaches them to "shootfight" and also they play basketball with young black children and Shingo smiles in an oddly fatherly way. Before the shootfighting tournament, there is a fight in a grocery store a la "Cobra" (1986) where Bolo shows off both his fighting and his broken English skills.

You may remember Zabka as Johnny from "The Karate Kid" where he infamously swept his leg at Macchio. Apparently he couldn't get enough karate-chopping action, so he hooked up with director Patrick Allen to give birth to Allen's one and only cinematic baby.

Ruben and Nick get embroiled in an underground "Shootfighting" ring. They eventually have to shootfight each other...to the death, but not before battling an array of wacky baddies in the ring, such as "Boa", who acts like a snake (including the hisses) and Mongoose, who adopts a mongoose fighting style, whatever that means. Some fights have a surprising amount of gore (i.e. limbs and fingers being broken off in a bloody mess), and this provides unintentional laughter and it sustains the viewer's interest until the end.

Martin Kove plays the evil mastermind, inexplicably named "Mr. Lee", who is behind all the shootfighting, and in his villainous rage, slices a pineapple with a samurai sword.

What is "Shootfighting" you ask? Well, that question is never quite answered satisfactorily, but after doing some research we were able to determine (by reading the back of the VHS box) that it is a "forbidden sport so brutal it's banned from the civilized world".

Prepare to get uncivilized with this classic.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty & Brett

For more insanity, check out:comeuppancereviews.com

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Shootfighter; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 0.75 Direction: 1.25 Pace: 1.50 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.50

TOTAL: 6.25 out of 10.00

Once in a while, there comes a surprise in the Martial Arts movie genre. An original story. Shootfighter is not that surprise. The only astonishing thing about the story is that it required three writers to borrow the usual elements from other fight flicks.

We have a villain, Mr Lee, who makes an enemy out of Master Shingo when he kills one of his pupils and friend in the Shootfighting ring. Mr Lee believes shootfighting should ask for the ultimate sacrifice. Unluckily for him, nobody else believes people should die for the sport, so he is exiled from the country. It's not long before he opens the gates to his own Shootfighting arena in Mexico, where a fighter's death is commonplace. Enter Rubin (the angry one) and Nick (the normal one), martial arts experts looking to make a quick buck to pay off the shark's loan on their dojo. Being the champions they are, it doesn't take long for them to enter the arena of death. Except, they don't know the principal fights are fatal. Oh, and guess what - their Sensai is none other than Master Shingo. But hey, it's a good job that most audiences don't watch Martial Arts movies for the riveting storyline.

The fighting isn't the best you'll see in the genre. However, a few different styles are on offer, which will please most. Luckily for the viewer, director Patrick Alan does a respectable job filming the fight sequences. Every fight holds an element of tension and excitement, which is what you need, especially when the weapons come into play.

The reason I watched Shootfighter was purely for Bolo Yeung. The physic on this man is intimidating. But when he gets his game-face on, he's downright scary. His fighting style also comes across as one of the strongest. It was a shame that he was not in the film for long. Out of the two main characters, it's Michael Bernardo, as Nick, who comes across as the stronger fighter of the duo. However, his acting skills aren't as sharp as William Zabka's. Though it's Maryam D'Abo I felt sorry for her as, like Yeung, she has little to do in the film, which is a sin as she's a good actress.

All-in-all, Shootfighter is a passable fight flick to pass an hour and a half of your time enjoyably. The fights are well choreographed and engaging enough for genre fans and newbies alike to savour. Well worth a watch or two.

Please feel free to visit my Holding Out For A Hero list to see where I ranked Shootfighter.

Take Care & Stay Well.