Bloodfist V: Human Target

Given the nature of the Bloodfist series, it's easy to write them off before even reading the blurb on the back of the box, however, doing so with the fifth entry into this 'series' would be a big mistake for fans of action flicks.

Now, apart from the first two, all of the Bloodfist movies have nothing to do with one another, asides the presence of C-Grade action star Don 'The Dragon' Wilson. While this makes you wonder why they even bother calling the movies Bloodfist, it also means, on the plus side, that this has nothing to do with the 4, rather lame, movies that preceded it.

Here Wilson stars as a man who wakes up from a near fatal shooting, suffering from amnesia, when a hooker named Candy pretends to be his wife and checks him out of hospital. It then becomes clear that whoever he is, he is a wanted man, as Chinese black market goons and NSA agents are all pursuing him, in a plot involving some 'lost' plutonium missile cores.

Giving away much of the plot would be a damn shame, because this is easily one of the best written Direct-to-video action movies I've ever seen, and it's finally a flick Wilson can be proud of. He gets several chances to display his kick-boxing prowess, and the late Steve James shows up in a different, but well performed role.

If you like low budget action movies, I would greatly recommend giving this a chance, it may well be Wilson's best movie, and it's got a more exciting plot than most recent Hollywood attempts at an action flick.

The fifth "Bloodfist" entry, and the second one I've watched so far (after part "IV"). Playing an amnesiac is something of an "acting stretch" for Don "The Dragon" Wilson, but he admittedly does a pretty solid job in the role. He also receives good support from Steve James, Denice Duff and Michael Yama. The plot is interesting, it never stops moving and has lots of twists and turns, and the fight scenes are good, filmed in the same close-quarters, hard-hitting style of the previous "Bloodfist" entry, a style that is refreshing to see every once in a while. Of course, you shouldn't get your hopes up too high: this is only a very low-budget martial arts film, after all. But within its field, it's certainly better than you'd expect. (**)

I have gone through and watched the first five BLOODFIST films and I must say this one might be my favourite of the bunch so far. If you have gotten this far in the series yourself you'll have guessed it; this movie has zippo to do with the others in the series. Other than it stars Don "The Dragon" Wilson.

Here you are thrown right into the action as you see Wilson with long hair being chased down by a group of thugs. He is shot while he tries to escape. He wakes up in the hospital with no memory of who he is. So the audience like Wilson learns about his past as we do. After he is told his name is Jim Stanton he pieces his life back together with a woman posing as his wife Candy (Denice Duff). Also starring Steve James in one of his last films before he passed away of cancer. Roger Corman executive produced and Wilson was associate producer.

Out of the first four Bloodfist movies, Part V is my favorite of them all. This one has plenty of twists and turns and the storyline gets very intense all the time. Don "The Dragon" Wilson plays an amnesiac fighter who seems to have a hard time trusting people. Someone he can trust, or someone to avoid. It hard to decide when your brain is like dice. He meets a young woman(Denice Duff) who helps him find out who not to trust and who he can trust. She has dual names, Candy and Michelle. And her character does get her into trouble when she was caught and tortured with some acupuncture needles. One to the cheek is minor, but the one under the left eye was too far! Jim(Wilson) rushes her to the hospital very frantic, and I liked the part where the doctor applied the pain-killer drops, and I know she'll be all right. Also this was one of the last films to actor Steve James(American Ninja 1,2,& 3). It was a shame that he played a heavy. Oh well, he did his part well. This movie has lots of action, twists and turns, and nothing was lost in the movie. Rating 4 out of 5 stars.

I just watched the new DVD version of "Bloodfist V" and was completely surprised. I usually cringe at the thought of kickboxing flicks but this one has such a cool story that I was riveted to the screen. The acting, writing, directing, and production value were top notch. This one did not disappoint. Check it out on DVD if you can.