Shootfighter: Fight to the Death

Okay, well I have had the 1993 movie "Shootfighter: Fight to the Death" on DVD laying around for several years before I actually got around to watching it. Having picked it up at a cost of next to nothing in the local thrift shop, I only got around to watching it after a friend said it was actually a good movie.

I had always put off the movie on two accounts, first and foremost because of the lousy title. I mean, "Shootfighter", come on. What does that even mean? It is just hands down one of the worst and most laughable titles I have seen to a movie. And I can't claim that I have been much of a fan of Bolo Yeung neither.

However, I must admit that "Shootfighter: Fight to the Death" was actually a good movie, it was somewhat reminiscent of the "Blood Sport" movie in many way, yet mixing in elements from other martial arts movies. But still, writers Judd Lynn, Larry Felix Jr., Peter Shaner and Robert Ginty managed to put together an enjoyable enough script for director Patrick Alan to bring to life on the screen. Sure, the storyline was pretty straight forward and somewhat generic for an early 1990s martial arts action movie, but isn't that what makes it all the more enjoyable?

Something that definitely surprised me about "Shootfighter: Fight to the Death" was the cast ensemble. They definitely had a lot of familiar faces on the cast list, with the likes of Bolo Yeung, William Zabka, Martin Kove, George Cheung and Gerald Okamura. I have to admit that "Shootfighter: Fight to the Death" was actually one of the better movies that I have seen Bolo Yeung in, aside from "Blood Sport". And it definitely was fun to have Martin Kove and William Zabka back on the screen together after having seen them in the movie "Karate Kid" and later again in the "Cobra Kai" series.

There was a good amount of display of martial arts in the movie, and let's just be honest here, that is why we watch these movies, isn't it? To see impressive martial arts and fight sequences. And "Shootfighter: Fight to the Death" definitely has that. Sure, some of the martial arts performers weren't really great actors, but they definitely knew their fighting well enough.

I found "Shootfighter: Fight to the Death" to be genuinely entertaining and enjoyable. It was a trip down memory lane and back to when I was a teenager, growing up with these martial arts movies. Just look beyond the laughably bad title, and you have a rather enjoyable movie on your hands.

My rating of "Shootfighter: Fight to the Death" lands on a six out of ten stars.

This is one of those movies which is for karate, tae kwon do, kung fu and kick boxing fans, and of course, practitioners. This low budget martial arts movie, which is, as most of them very simple when it comes to the story, characters, directing and other stuff. There is simply no real complex stuff, no real dilemma between characters and no development. It's a typical good VS evil story with the haunting past element. A fighter Nick (Michael Bernardo) returns to his good friend Ruben (William Zabka), and upon their reunion they decide to sign in on the underground fighting tournament, held by Mr. Lee (Martin Kove). Nick founds out that the fights are brutal and sometimes to the death. But, Ruben is persistent and wants to fight. So, Nick asks for help from Ruben's teacher Shingo (Bolo Yeung), to save Ruben's life.

So, the movie is actually nothing special. Pretty bad when it comes to some stuff… For example, actors can't act. Well, most of them are martial artists. The real actors are maybe Edward Albert, Richard Eden and Maryam D'Abo (and I still don't understand how did she get here?). Edward Albert and Richard Eden are not bad actors, but they really appeared in much of the low budget films. Martin Kove is also not a bad actor, but his villain Mr. Lee is just evil and that's it. He is evil and he looks kind of deadly. Nothing more. Though Kove posses some kind of charisma. Michael Bernardo didn't do much with his character, he just under played it. William Zabka was not that bad, I think he was decent. Though his character is somewhat irritating. Just wouldn't listen and he is too prideful. And not in an interesting, complex way… he is just a jerk. Zabka did not move from these kind of films, he remained well known for being martial artist on the film, or rather a bully, just like in "Karate Kid". And for the last… I saved Bolo Yeung. What can I say? This man cannot act… and… he doesn't have to. This man has such a powerful appearance on the film, such a powerful charisma and character that he simply doesn't need to act. He played himself basically, but this time… he was the good guy. Go, Bolo, go! He is the main man.

The other things in the movie are nothing special, OK, the most important – fighting scenes. They were good, plausible. Well done filmed. Though, there are some that were ridiculous. And I think that music score is pretty interesting, especially in training montage. I recommend this film to all martial arts movie fans.

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.

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.

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.