Tue et tue encore

Over-all this is one of my all time favorite karate films of all times. The story is good and the moves are even better. Worth the watch. Thanks Steve, Gorilla, Gypsy, The Fly and Hotdog. You made this watch worth while.

The title prepares you for a martial arts bloodbath, but you gradually realize this is actually a SPOOF of the genre; I think "potato fuel" is the first clue. The "bring-the-old-team-together-for-one-more-mission" story is cliched, and the film is overlong, but it is saved by the fact that it has its tonque firmly planted in its cheek. James Ryan is a terrible actor, but his hands and feet speak more eloquently than his mouth; luckily, the GORGEOUS Anneline Kriel gets her share of action as well. I was going with ** out of 4 for this movie, until the unexpected "bullet-time" sequence at the end, 18 years before "The Matrix" (!), which adds another 1/2 star. Undemanding entertainment.

For all you martial arts fans out there, if you haven't vide'd this one, put it on your list. James Ryan, a martial arts star in the eighties, came and went, his real only other main stream film being Kill Or Be Killed, which had much lesser action. Actually, at the end of the preview of the latter, underneath it's title, reads: The greatest martial film ever made. Absolute bologne. The action in this, comes thick and fast, we're literally thrown into it, at the beginning. This one will surprise you. It has a good story too. The likable Ryan plays a guy called Steve Chase, who rounds up a band of his old and deadly acquaintances, some real wild characters. Sounds like Kill Squad right, or may'be Sidaris's smart '79' hit, Seven. Not quite. A beautiful young girl (Kriel-Reason To Die) implores Chase and his selected few to snatch her father from a camp, where he has been brainwashed into performing experiments on a legion of other prisoners, who become programmed to kill. So Ryan and his boys have got their work, cut out for them. Love it. Meanwhile as the viewer, just indulge in huge chunks of action, but wait, we've got one hell of femme fatale with white spiked hair who's a hoot, thanks to some good punchy, dialogue, in a script you don't expect to be this good. You'll love the nickname she'll gives her master, to his utter loathing. Our hunky Ryan was something of a fascination to me, in a film here that stands alone. He was soon forgotten, but one wonders whatever happened to him.

MASTER PLAN: eliminate free will and create a new kung fu race! The follow-up to "Kill or Be Killed" of the previous year again follows the pattern of the famous "Enter the Dragon" picture, meaning a small group of elite fighters enters the private kingdom of a slightly-insane master villain, who has his own private army and seems preoccupied with the ancient city of Babylon. This one's a little more tongue-in-cheek than "Kill or Be Killed" but is also slightly more entertaining, as a result. This features the return of Steve Chase (the lithe, acrobatic Ryan), South Africa's answer to Bruce Lee, as the best martial arts combatant in the world (he's given some award at the start of the film). In the previous movie, Chase was just caught up in the weird plans of the villain, whereas here, he's on assignment as a special agent (but, for a lot of money, not a salary). Chase is approached for a special mission, a la a kung fu version of the James Bond style, and then gathers a quartet of specialized fighters, all of whom he knows from some previous missions. A female fighter also tags along, claiming to be the daughter of the scientist who is held captive by the villain. So what we have here, besides the "Enter the Dragon" and Bond parallel, is another "Magnificent Seven" or "Dirty Dozen" kung fu take-off, albeit with only half-a-dozen special fighters.

Much of the entertainment stems from the odd group that Chase puts together. One guy is known as 'The Fly' (a real-life martial arts master, apparently) who, besides the obvious abilities, is actually able to levitate (unless it's some trick - Chase copies him at one point). Another just seems like overweight comic relief, but can throw a punch when he has to. Then there's Gorilla, played by Gampu, whom I remember from way back to the incredible "The Naked Prey" from the mid-sixties. It's not a bad cast for this type of picture. Even more comedy is provided, however, by the villain, which does go a bit overboard. His paramour or moll, a severely-fake redhead, calls him a bunch of pet names, like 'popsickle,' and he keeps telling her to stop it, to no avail. This does not impress or awe the audience. Plotwise, it's out of a silly comic book: the villain plans to use a drug which enslaves the populace to his will - and he actually sounds like he's doing the world a favor when he explains this. As the heroic group approaches his stronghold, he sends groups of fighters against them which get quickly pulverized. Then the heroes infiltrate his domain. At one point, they're under suspicion by the guards and talk to each other about their plan to break free within the obvious hearing distance of the armed guards! It culminates in the standard arena-type fights - guess who prevail? Yes, it's dumb, inconsequential, but kind of fun. Heroes:6 Villain:4 Femme Fatales:5 Henchmen:6 Fights:7 Stunts/Chases:5 Gadgets:2 Auto:3 Locations:5 Pace:6 overall:5

When you watch a kung fu movie, are you expecting an intelligent plot, fine acting, and high production values? I hope not, because this movie has a very SILLY plot, lame acting, and it was made for about $100. But it's a lot of fun. The villain has a mind-control serum and a fake beard. Steve Chase assembles his team, Seven Samurai-style, to save the world. The rest of the movie is hilariously cheesy. I used to watch this flick on HBO in the middle of the night when I was a kid, around 1980. It was on all the time. When I founjd it on sale on DVD, I took a chance (these things don't always age so well, ya know?). But it's still GREAT. When it's deadly serious, I laugh, and when the characters crack a joke, it falls flat. KILL AND KILL AGAIN is the Plan 9 of martial arts movies. All humans must see it at least once! Marduk commands it!