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FIST OF THE NORTH STAR

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound format: Ultra-Stereo

Low-budget Americanization of the Japanese manga 'Hokuto no Ken' - already the subject of an earlier anime feature and TV series - in which a mystical warrior (British-born martial arts expert Gary Daniels) defends the survivors of an unspecified global holocaust from an evil warlord (Costas Mandylor) who intends to rebuild the planet in his own image. Photographed by A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET's Jacques Haitkin through layers of murk designed to conceal a multitude of budgetary deficiencies, and 'distinguished' by flashy editing and gymnastic camera-work designed to conceal the lack of a comprehensible plot, Tony Randel's unconvincing future noir trades the visionary outlook of the original graphic novel for the same lumbering, humorless approach which typified this particular subgenre before US producers *finally* learned how to imitate their Asian counterparts. Though brutal in places, particularly during the final confrontation between Daniels and Mandylor, the film actually *downplays* the gory carnage of its source material, which will disappoint those expecting a more faithful adaptation.

A popular figure in this kind of DTV potboiler, Daniels was clearly hired for his fighting skills rather than his acting, and he's upstaged throughout by many of his co-stars (including Chris Penn, Melvin Van Peebles and Malcolm McDowell). Thankfully, Randel makes a virtue of Daniels' handsome face and muscular torso, and there's an unmistakable whiff of homoerotic tension in the aggressive relationship between Daniels and his equally handsome nemesis.

Fist of the North Star is one of your typical, small budget action flicks which seem to appear from no where without any specific reason. I actually liked it during the first couple of minutes during the time, when the main character, Kenshiro (Gary Daniels) hadn't opened his mouth yet, but after he spoke and revealed, that besides the looks he hadn't slightest bit of acting talent I quickly stopped liking it.

My favourite scene of the film is when a Finnish ex-WWF wrestler and a (yes sad but true) member of parliament Tony Halme gets the smirk kicked out of his face. Literally. Small scene, I know, but I found it hilarious.

FOTNS is total waste of Malcolm McDowell's abilities, and as such as it is, it can only be seen as a curiosity for his fans. Maybe the fans of original graphical novel will get something else out of this film.

Anyone who's read the original manga or, er, 'witnessed' the anime may question the wisdom of a live-action remake, what with all the slightly extravagant fisticuffs involved. But don't worry: it hasn't been turned into a blood-free pacifism-fest with Kenshiro strutting around in sandals and a tweed waistcoat preaching the ways of non-violent protest to the post-holocaust plebs. Oh no. There's plenty of fights in here, mate. And some of them are even quite entertaining.

There have been concessions to your average action film punter who's probably never even heard of the original, however. The storyline has been simplified (in the sense of at least one major character being dropped and a couple of others rolled into one) and a more familiar Hollywood flavour given to the future wasteland scenario, so that the whole thing occasionally teeters on the brink of suddenly turning into Mad Max II. But it doesn't, so that's alright. It manages to stick to the basic story thread of one bloke being the Fist of the North Star, another bloke being the Master of Southern Cross and 'the teachings' apparently dictating that the two must never fight... for a while, anyway, then it happily bins this ridiculous idea and gets everyone in to have a good old-fashioned scrap. So it's all pretty straightforward at the end of the day.

Straight-to-video martial arts ponce Gary Daniels does somehow look the part as Kenshiro, and as his Aussie twang isn't called into play too frequently you don't keep expecting Home And Away's Alf Stewart to turn up with chins retracted and demand that "You get out of my store, young Ken." His nemesis, Shin, is played by some other even less famous bloke, while Reservoir Dogs' Chris Penn gets to be another nutter and the unavoidable Malcolm McDowell chips in a deeply strenuous performance as a bloke who gets killed in the first five minutes. Apart from that it's a cast of nobodies. Spot the irony.

But despite offering nothing spectacular or stunningly innovative to the world, Fist isn't as bad as it could have been. It's definitely a bit shaky all round, yes, but the exploding heads and bursting arteries are fairly well done and that's all any version of the story ever had going for it really, so at least you can't complain about the budget being spent in all the wrong places.

I love the anime version. I knew this one would be a train wreck, but had to check it out. The fights bored me to tears. The guy playing Kenshiro looked too much like Kevin Nealon in a bad wig for me to take seriously. The fact that Downtown Julie Brown was the best actor in the mess should be enough to warn you away. Kenshiro's head-exploding move looked like something out of hot shots part deux. A for effort, but they just weren't up the task.

I do not consider myself a die hard fan of the anime version of Fist of the North Star, although it does have its moments. This version, though, really shows that sometimes anime needs to stay anime. The acting is terrible. The guy who plays the main character does not capture the essence of Ken from either the animated movie or the manga. The fight scenes are weak, even for a b-movie like this. I do not expect a live-action version to capture the graphic brutality of the anime, but this movie does no justice to the original idea of these super-human martial artists. In the end what really kills the movie is that is too buried in cheap, live-action reality. Where the anime and manga transport you to a post-apocalyptic world that is both disturbing and fantastic, this movie always feels tied into shoddy sets and lame costumes. Save yourself any money you might waste on this movie (which is not much considering the movie can be found for a few bucks in bargain bins everywhere) and dig up the anime for a real treat, as well as an attack on the senses.

This was so bad... so typical Hollywood low-budget, post-apocalyptic tripe, that I aborted it after about 20 minutes. Nowhere close to as entertaining as the original anime series.

The sets were cheesy. The acting was horrible. The fights were on the verge of comical... comical in the bad way, not the good way as the original was. I mean the fights were downright hilarious in the original anime. But in a GREAT way!

The manga/anime went on for a LONG time. So much of the plot has to be crammed into a short amount of time that much of the detail has to be dropped on the floor never to be seen. That's one of the main issues with ANY live action version of a manga/anime.

As far as character development... forgetaboutit! Again, there is only so much time in a movie. I'm sorry, but to be honest with you, I have simply lost interest in the short Hollywood movie format since having discovered the joy of long-term anime!

There is nothing to recommend this interpretation. Save your time.

In a post apocalyptic world where the mullet is the hairdo of choice, Kenshirô (Gary Daniels) of the North Star school of martial arts fights to free the people of Paradise Valley from the rule of the evil Lord Shin (Costas Mandylor), leader of the Southern Cross school.

Most films I finish in one sitting. Some take me two, if they're a bit slow or extremely long. Very rarely does a film take me three successive evenings to complete, and when they do, they're usually the worst kind of garbage. Fist of The North Star is one such film.

Directed (and I use that term loosely) by Tony Randel, who also helmed the disappointing sequel to Hellraiser, this live-action anime/manga is a terrible mess from start to finish, with a muddled narrative, a pitiful performance from lead Gary Daniels (who has just the one expression throughout: mildly miffed), hammy acting from the supporting cast (which includes Chris Penn, Malcolm McDowell and Clint Howard), irritating kids, and unexciting martial arts scenes.

About the only thing going for this crap is the occasional spot of graphic violence (both Kenshirô and Shin can cause their opponents' bodies to erupt in a spray of gore) and a bit of welcome eye candy for fans of Asian beauties in the form of Julia (Isako Washio), Kenshirô's love interest.

As with any movie adaptation based upon any much cherished cartoon (or for those choosing to be pernickety in this instance, anime) and/or comic book, one thing is guaranteed and that is a subsequent sharp divide between those fans who will embrace the new envisioning and those of a more purist persuasion who will generally loath it. Certainly, as a huge fan of the original animated series (and the subsequent animated movie) that this is inspired by I am initially sad to report that this isn't an entirely faithful adaption of its source material......in fact, quite far from it.......bad news there then. Having said this however, what we do have is an entirely admirable and indeed commendable attempt nonetheless for a great number of reasons.

For a start, production values are absolutely top notch with some truly wonderful set designs, some great (and joyously gory!) special fx and a tremendous musical score. The combination of aforementioned aspects lends the film a truly epic feel - far, far greater than one could conceivably imagine given the relatively small budget this was made with.

So to must I commend the casting; Gary Daniels especially has never looked better (and his moves have never looked finer) in the role of Kenshiro (even if perhaps he is far too softly spoken in the role). Costas Mandaylor gives a suitably cold performance as Shin and despite no former martial arts training looks rather good (thanks to the wonderful fight choreography of Winston Omega). Christopher Penn to is clearly having a ball with his character and hogs all the best lines in the film including such gems as, 'It's not easy being sleazy.'

As said previously, this is anything but a faithful adaptation of the anime yet if one can overlook this fact and judge it on its own merits then it is a hugely entertaining effort with much going for it. My advice....give it a chance and you may well be (as I was) very pleasantly surprised.

This movie isn't bad. Very high production values, good camera angles,good set/costumes, cool special effects and visual style as well as decent acting. To be honest I was quite surprised to see this level of quality for a straight to video release.

It tries to be faithful to the original manga without completely ripping it off which was great and presented something which was familiar, yet original.

One negative comment is that the american film makers still don't really know how to shoot martial arts fight scenes. Gary daniels has skills that are far better than what the film showcases.( just watch jackie chan's city hunter)

Overall I gave it a 7/10.

I stayed up to watch this film thinking it was the incredible 1980's Japanese manga movie 'Hokuto no ken'. Little did I know there was a farcical 1990's low budget Hollywood version, and this indeed was it. This is surely the gayest film of all time, particularly in the final battle scene, in which one of the main protagonists is wearing a woman's blouse. It is all bronzed, shiny flesh and rippling muscles and plenty of 'smell the fart' acting. As I recall, the plot of the original version was quite hard to follow, but for this version it seems to have pretty much been given up on altogether. The best thing about this film is that it stars Downtown Julie Brown, who has the coolest name in showbiz.

I was exciting when this came out in 1995 and saw it in Tokyo. This was my favorite Japanese comic at the time. Unfortunately, this was one of the worst adaptations I could have never imagined. Although there were a few good fight effects, it did not make up for the poor screenwriting and plot. I want to remake this film with a big actors, and all the characters needed. This could be like a Lord of the Rings trilogy. The comic is tight, and the story is deep. So please don't watch this film. Read the comic and then let your imagination soar!!!

Probably one of the worst movies ever made. I was so excited to see this back in the day and left the theatre wanting my money back. Horrible writing, acting, action, etc.

First of all, I have to say to all of you that I haven't seen the anime. So if you're looking for a review that compares this with the anime, then just skip this. This movie came as a disappointment to me. I could easily see that this movie is influenced by Japanese cartoons. The main reason for that, is that the movie is really violent, bloody and brutal. The fights are really hardcore. Unfortunately, they are not very good. Daniels isn't anywhere near his best in this movie. The movie makes him act more than he usually does, and that's a failure since he can't act. It's the fighting that makes him so great, and when the fight scenes didn't deliver, there was so no hope for this movie. --An unintentional comedy because of a stupid story and lame characters.--

I thought I was gonna like it but unfortunately, it stunk like a pile of horse manure

Being a fan of Japanese Animation, or Anime to the initiated, and being a huge fan of "Hokuto no Ken" (Fist of the North Star), I was rather disappointed when I watched this feature. It is true that making a live-action feature out of animation is a challenge, but with the right resources, widely available today, you can pretty much achieve just about anything. Your limits with animation are almost endless. I've heard quite a few things as to why this feature fell short of being one of the greatest martial arts films out there. And, I take everything I hear with a 'grain of salt.' As an action star, I do enjoy Gary Daniels' performances, but I know that plenty of though put into this film was something that was at a premium! One thing I heard was that the director didn't like fighting or martial arts, and he focused more on the drama between Kenshiro and Julia. But I could tell that the extras acted like they didn't want to even be there! So much that could have gone into this film that was left out.

Ok... Here's the only way to describe this movie: "auuggghhh". When I saw this movie was on, I almost turned the channel, I didn't want to see the Anime ruined...but then I decided to just sit back and hope for the mediocre. And that's ALMOST what I got.

I have a few problems with this movie:

1. Why are 90% the guys with Japanese names British?

2. Why do the two "Masters" keep using the same moves?

3. Why can't Chris Penn ever play someone who ISN'T Psycho?

4. Why does Malcom Macdowell Always show up in these pictures?

5. I never thought I'd see a movie that had fight scenes that made American Ninja look like a Jackie Chan Flick.

Now, that's not to say that this picture doesn't have it's good points. There ARE actually a few things going for it. First of all, there is a High production value at work here. Every shot seems framed well, and the sets and costumes are extremely well done. Also, the score is quite complimentary (if not seeming ripped off at times). Acid rain. No, really, TRULY acid rain.

Sadly, it's the Acid rain that says it the best. *fizzle*

Fist of The North Star is a live action version of the Japaniese Anime Hokuto no ken, the film isn't a great adaptation of the Anime since they're are things that were slightly better in the series like Kenshirô's hundred crack Fist of the North Star technique but this film is a pretty good Martial arts movie. Tony Randel who directed Hellbound: Hellraiser II and Amyitivlle 1992: It's About Time directs this film and Peter Atkins who wrote Hellraiser II, III and IV wrote the screenplay for this film. Fist of the North Star does have some cool fight scenes, the acting is good and there is some gore in the film.

Fist of The North Star isn't has good as the Anime but it is a solid martial arts film, some fans of Hokuto no ken may be disappointed with the movie but for those that like post-apocalyptic movies then check this one out. 10/10

This movie is a must have... for people who like bad movies! It was an admirable attempt to capture Hokuto No Ken in live action , but it really REALLY sucked. It should be relegated to watching it whenever it comes on tv, not to own.

Saw this was on by accident on cable and decided to watch it (having already seen the anime film of the same name, which I enjoyed).

Mistake... BIG mistake.

The violent content probably would preclude younger viewers from seeing it and yet they would possibly be the only ones able to appreciate the simplicity of the plot. The people in the film (I refrain from calling them actors) should watch out for termites their acting is so wooden.

I didn't actually become ill so I gave it 2/10.