Ring of Fire

If there was any point in history when Romeo & Juliet could have been transposed into a Los Angeles setting, with added kickboxing, it was the early 1990s, and thankfully Don 'The Dragon' Wilson was at hand to provide it to us. I suppose it makes a change from movies based on better movies starring Jean Claude Van Damme!

The movie follows retired Kickboxer-come-doctor Johnny Woo (Wilson) whose cousin Terry (Steven Vincent Leigh) is part of an all Chinese Kickboxing gang. Terry's gang are embroiled in a bitter feud with 'The Surfers' an all white (though not strictly all American) rival Kickboxing gang. Who knew it was such a popular pastime? Things take a turn for the complicated when Johnny falls for Julie (B-Movie Queen Maria Ford) blonde, beautiful and the American Dream. Only slight hiccup is Julie's brother Brad (Dale Jacoby) happens to be leader of The Surfers. Oh and her fiancée Chuck (Vince Murdocco) is his main sidekick.

As Johnny and Julie go for romantic walks on Venice Beach, the gangs decide to settle their differences 'the way of the Ancients' with their gloves dipped in broken glass (Wilson couldn't make ONE FILM without a Van Damme 'homage') the devastating result of this leads Johnny to question his peaceful life and consider stepping back into the ring...

Ring of Fire is somewhat unique for its time and genre in that it seems to give its plot and love story precedence over the action sequences. It also pulls no punches with regards to the racial tension between the two gangs, which is perhaps almost too mature a subject to embrace in a movie like this. Unique isn't always better and perhaps given the calibre of the talent involved, it would have made more sense to stick to the high kicks as opposed to high drama. It's interesting to note that our leading pair are actually morally questionable, with their romance a full blown affair behind her fiancées back, and the tragic incident the film's final battle revolves around is actually Wilson's idea.

The movie features a veritable ensemble cast of early 90s fighters turned actors, with Gary Daniels and Eric Lee in there as well as the aforementioned stars. Needless to say these gents were hired for their fighting prowess more so than their acting. Wilson himself is...well, Don 'The Dragon' Wilson. This is an unusually 'meaty' role for The Dragon, with his kickboxing skills relatively restrained. I'd love to say he nails it, but I'd be lying. There are flashes of a performance in there, but almost as many flashes of solid wood. On the flipside Jacoby delves far into the depths of over-acting, making him hard to take seriously. By large I've always found Vince Murdocco a somewhat likeable presence, so seeing him as a racist villain takes some getting used to.

This isn't to say that the action sequences are perfect either. Considering the lack of them, when they do come along, results vary. The in-ring fights are, by large, of a passable-to-good standard, but the Chinatown gang war is one of the most unintentionally hilarious scenes I've seen in a while. Neither full blown, fantastic Hong Kong style choreography not realistic scrapping, we're treated to the sight of grown men performing roundhouse kicks and flipping off benches to evade attacks. The final fight, where we finally get to see Wilson in action, is also a strange one, starting as a fairly disappointingly scripted fight, it quickly degenerates into a hilarious pro-wrestling (and I mean like WCW at its worst) style farce you have to laugh at.

Indeed some of the movies best moments come from the comedy it provides. Some intentional, some...not so. Eric Lee as the Chinese gangs 'Drunken Master' actually works surprisingly well for a character of this type, and one scene, where Ford's character mistakes Wilson for a waiter, is made funnier than it should be thanks to his reaction. Sadly some of the scenes the pair share that are meant to show their romance blossoming are actually as funny, which I don't believe was the plan.

Ring of Fire is neither the best nor the worst Don 'The Dragon' Wilson movie (albeit I'm not strictly sure what either of those are off hand) It was made with a target audience in mind, and if you are a fan of this type of Direct-To-Video Martial Arts movie there is a high chance you've seen it, and if you haven't I wouldn't go as far as recommending it, it's a bit too thin on action for that, but if TV channels that still show this type of movie still exist, there are worse ways to pass your time. Remarkably, this spawned 2 sequels, which, even more remarkably, I also subjected myself to.

Ring of Fire (1991) is just another bad action film starring Don "the dragon" Wilson. Somebody must have thought highly of him because he cranked out so many bad movies during the late 80's through the early 90's. Well this one is just like the others and it's pretty bad. The action is boring, the acting is like one of Bruce Lee's kung-fu dummies (wooden and stiff). Even Maria Ford isn't enough to recommend this dreadful action "movie".

Unlike N.G.'s Seasonal Films productions (which was a big competitor of the producers of this video dreg). They knew what they had to work with an didn't even try to take their productions seriously. These folks should have watched and learned.

Not recommend for the faint of heart.

F

Despite the fact that this is just yet another mindless kung-fu action movie, isn't that part of the culture of the late 80s early 90s? It is a snapshot of American culture and dreams in that time era. The movie centers around two kick boxing gangs, what more do you want? Cheesy plot outline, mindless action that makes you wish you could fight like that, and a predictable ending with a cool training sequence. All of the ingredients that made us love movies like Rocky.

I think movie goers should lighten up and enjoy these kind of films more. Even though they aren't through provoking, not every movie can be, it still entertains you if you have a light heart going in.

I remember watching the 1991 martial arts action movie "Ring of Fire" on VHS a couple of times back in the early and mid-1990s. Back then I had purchased the movie because I was a fan of Maria Ford. And then I stumbled upon "Ring of Fire" again here in 2023, needless to say that of course I opted to revisit the movie.

The movie is actually still as good, watchable, enjoyable and entertaining as I remembered it to be. So writers Jake Jacobs, Richard W. Munchkin and Steve Tymon definitely managed to put together a good script and storyline for the movie. Sure, it was full of early 1990s martial arts cheese, but that is what makes the movie so enjoyable.

The acting performances in the movie are fair enough. You know when you sit down to watch a movie such as "Ring of Fire" then you're not exactly in for Academy Award winning performances. But Don "The Dragon" Wilson actually carries the movie well enough with his combination of acting and martial arts skills. And of course it is a pleasure to see Maria Ford on the screen. I had actually totally forgotten about Eric Lee being in the movie, and he adds a wonderful element to the movie with his performance and character.

The martial arts sequences in "Ring of Fire" are fairly good. And the movie does have sufficient enough fights throughout the 100 minute runtime to keep it entertaining and action-packed.

If you enjoy the 1990s martial arts movie, then "Ring of Fire" from directors Richard W. Munchkin and Rick Jacobson is definitely well-worth watching.

My rating of "Ring of Fire" lands on a six out of ten stars.

'Ring of Fire' set me up to think it might be a cheesy fun b-movie. An oiled up guy working out then two quick matches in the ring within the first 5 minutes. Don 'The Dragon' Wilson is backed up by a few familiar faces in this PM Group flick from the 90's that features an underground fight tourney common for this genre. Dated racism fuels the story, but also bouts of boredom and not enough of the good stuff.

Johnny Woo (Wilson) is an ex fighter, doctor who's cousin Terry (Steven Vincent Leigh) is involved in unsanctioned bouts. Racial tenses flair between them and white meatheads led by Chuck (Vince Murdocco) & Brad (Dale Jacoby). Not helping matters is Chuck's fiancé Julie (Maria Ford) obvious attraction to Johnny. Per the title, a battle in the streets leads to the final confrontation.

Some of the camera work isn't up to the mark, but that fits with the low budget. A "masquerade ball" held in what looks like a high school gym with people hardly dressed the part is case in point. If a routine story - mixing cultures, training montages, dick cop - wasn't enough it's also slow to get to any real action. Only at the tail end does Wilson himself get down to fisticuffs. Watching a girl decide which guy she wants wastes time as it's obvious which way that's gonna go.

The positive word of mouth for 'Ring of Fire' isn't deserved. It doesn't even do any of the basics right. A lack of quality fighting is a deadly sin in a title like this. The romance subplot is a bore and the ending is a joke. I like a good dtv flick from time to time when it rises above or delivers the goods, 'Ring of Fire' simply does neither.