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It's easy to see why "Fight For Your Life" would provoke certain viewers into a fury. The chief bad guy of the movie is an extreme racist, and over and over he subjects the black family that he holds hostage to various kinds of humiliation and degradation.

However, while the movie does have some shocking moments, I wasn't as offended as I thought I would be. There is a touch of an absurd (and comic) tone in the background of the movie throughout. This has the movie frequently going over the top, and thus it's often hard to take things completely seriously. Also, the performance of William Sanderson is one that's of the right note. Although you'll hate his character's guts, he is so energetic and playful that at the same time you'll find him entertaining.

But this movie is DEFINITELY not for everyone. If you haven't been offended by other notorious extreme exploitation movies like "Last House On The Left" and "I Spit On Your Grave", then it's probably safe to give this movie a look. If you are very politically correct and/or easily offended, stay away.

FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE is a mediocre and mean-spirited rape/revenge film that's full of more colorful derogatory epithets than a KKK vs. Black Panthers street fight. I personally don't get offended by this type of dialogue...but FIGHT relies so heavily on the racist aspect of the characters that it's hard to see the actually semi-decent performances that are going on...

FIGHT is about three inmates, a white guy (the "leader" of the group who is also the guy that played "Larry" on the NEWHART TV show (!?!)), a Hispanic guy, and an Asian guy (sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, huh???), who break out of jail during a botched prison transfer. The three go on a short robbery and murder spree before kidnapping a black woman at a liquor store, and deciding to hole-up at her home until dark. At the home are also the woman's little brother, mother, father, and grandmother. "Larry" is a racist piece of white-trash sh!t and does nothing but hurl racial insults and make the family members say and do degrading things for his own entertainment (although I gotta admit, the "dance" scene IS kinda funny...). This goes on for about 80% of the films run-time, until the three convicts decide to rape the daughter. After that, the balance of power is shifted back and forth between the family and the convicts in a few uneven scenes where the lone gun that was initially handled by "Larry" changes hands a few times during some goofy fight scenes. The conclusion comes between "Larry" and the father of the family, in a "tense" stand-off in front of the cops.

First off...FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE is a very mediocre rape/revenge film to begin with. I like this genre as a whole - but this one doesn't bring anything new to the genre, other than an uninteresting racist angle that wears itself thin after the first few amusing insults are hurled. The performances are pretty believable and the "action" is tense at moments - but my other big problem with FIGHT is that the revenge pay-off is way too quick and unfulfilling. Half of the reason to watch these films is to see the victims exact brutal and bloody revenge on their assailants - and this one doesn't deliver. Worth a look to the hardcore exploit fan - others will find FIGHT boring and/or offensive. 6/10

This is a pretty nasty piece of work that is nevertheless well made and effective. Race, rape and revenge but much more too when a modest God fearing black family are set upon by three escaped convicts who don't seem to like each other much more than do their captives. Much racist abuse and humiliation, though this all gets reversed as the family regain the upper hand and the 'by the book' cop makes an exception and allows the revenge to run it's course. Vile, exciting, hateful and touching by turns this is a very unusual, though non the more likable piece of exploitation cinema. Absolutely no way this film would be even considered today let alone be made and yet, in its own way it draws attention to that unspeakable prejudice within us all.

Fight For Your Life (FFYL) is a hugely misunderstood film. Pretty much every low budget film with any kind of violent content was labelled a "video nasty" in the 80s but FFYL's notoriety even stands out from the rest of the "video nasty" crowd.

FFYL's bad reputation mostly stems from the film's rape/revenge scenario, which has resulted in comparisons with films like "I Spit On Your Grave" and "The Last House On The Left". While I greatly admire both of those films, they really have little in common with FFYL as far as tone and context are concerned. They all share a rape/revenge plot twist but the sexual assault in FFYL plays a relatively minor role in the film and is less graphically presented than rape scenes in mainstream fare such as "The Accused", let alone "Irreversible".

The other main aspect of FFYL's notoriety is the accusation of racism. The use of racist terminology is confronting and the scene in which Kane makes Ted dance and sing is, in my opinion, more shocking than any of the violence. However, the film is never less than sympathetic with the plight of the Turner family and the way in which their revenge is presented excludes the presence of any kind of racist agenda as far as I'm concerned.

Overlooking the controversy, what remains is a tightly constructed and expertly paced thriller. The film is quite brilliantly scripted. The characters ring true and the dialogue is sharp and often funny. The actors, with the exception of the ham who plays Lt. Reilly, all give great performances. William Sanderson, in particular, is magnificently vile as Kane.

Don't let this film's unjust reputation put you off. FFYL is a very good movie that deserves a wider audience.

Fight for Your Life (1977)

*** (out of 4)

Downright insane exploitation film has three convicts (a white, Asian and a Hispanic) breaking free from a van carrying them to prison where they're about to serve life sentences. They end up at the house of a black preacher and his family who they take hostage and abuse.

FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE is the type of exploitation film that certainly wouldn't be made today and when you really think about it it's actually hard to believe that anyone would have produced this even in 1977. This film has a rather notorious reputation and this is one rare case where the film actually lives up to the hype. Many people have called this another cash-in on Wes Craven's THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and while there are a few minor connections there's no question that this thing takes on a life of its own.

This is without question one of the most racist movies that you're ever going to see. The white leader Kane (William Sanderson) is quite evil from start to finish but he gets a sadistic kick out of picking on the black family and making them feel less than human. There are countless racist names being thrown at the family but some of the harshest things to watch in the film isn't the violence but instead it's the father (Robert Judd) being humiliated in front of his family. Being forced to dance and call Kane "master" are just a few of the racist scenes that play out in front of your eyes. In all honesty, I'm really surprised that they were able to find actors willing to put up with this.

The performance are pretty much split down the line but none of them are horrible enough to take you out of the picture. Sanderson easily steals the picture as the racist nut who is constantly shouting and humiliating people at every move. There's not a single second where you feel like you're not watching a real wacko and this certainly helps sell the movie. Judd is also good in the movie and manages to present a very stern performance. Lela Small has some unintentional hilarious moments as the grandma in the wheelchair who is constantly getting fed up with the comments.

Is FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE a good movie? I guess that will depend on your definition of what a good movie is. It's certainly not an Oscar-caliber picture but it wasn't meant to be. If you're looking for something trashy, downright dirty and sleazy then the film certainly succeeds at that. FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE is one bizarre exploitation film that manages to entertain and shock.