Bloodfist V: Human Target

Given the nature of the Bloodfist series, it's easy to write them off before even reading the blurb on the back of the box, however, doing so with the fifth entry into this 'series' would be a big mistake for fans of action flicks.

Now, apart from the first two, all of the Bloodfist movies have nothing to do with one another, asides the presence of C-Grade action star Don 'The Dragon' Wilson. While this makes you wonder why they even bother calling the movies Bloodfist, it also means, on the plus side, that this has nothing to do with the 4, rather lame, movies that preceded it.

Here Wilson stars as a man who wakes up from a near fatal shooting, suffering from amnesia, when a hooker named Candy pretends to be his wife and checks him out of hospital. It then becomes clear that whoever he is, he is a wanted man, as Chinese black market goons and NSA agents are all pursuing him, in a plot involving some 'lost' plutonium missile cores.

Giving away much of the plot would be a damn shame, because this is easily one of the best written Direct-to-video action movies I've ever seen, and it's finally a flick Wilson can be proud of. He gets several chances to display his kick-boxing prowess, and the late Steve James shows up in a different, but well performed role.

If you like low budget action movies, I would greatly recommend giving this a chance, it may well be Wilson's best movie, and it's got a more exciting plot than most recent Hollywood attempts at an action flick.

Don Wilson and Steve James join forces to deliver one of the stupider entries of the series, this time Don has amnesia and so he has to find out who is trying to kill him and who is on his side, however being that he has mobsters and agents dogging him, he just beats them all up in the process. Bloodfist V is so amazingly awful it defies mere words. Literly this movie is so utterly brainless that you can actually feel your brain evaporate into a cloud of smoke. Well let's address the plot. Don Wilson is amnesiac in the first place due to being shot in the head, now i'm no expert on being shot in the head (Because i've never been shot in the head) but i'm guessing that memory loss from a gunshot would also include losing your coordination, ability to speak or walk and so on. Wilson is basically inhuman and for me it was dull to watch. Also for some reason the movie tries to provide twists that any viewer will see miles away, it is almost as if we too are one of the henchmen who know everything that Wilson doesn't but yet the movie goes on, as if we are clueless to the ridiculous approach. Worst of all is that it is never made clear whether Wilson was an undercover agent or if he was a bad guy. I for one didn't care after the 15 minute mark.

* out of 4-(Bad)

I took a peculiar interested in Don "The Dragon" Wilson a few years ago and sat down and rented all of his movies (although I still haven't seen Bloodfist VIII), and this is IMHO the best. OK, let's admit what we already know about the Bloodfist series: Don is not the greatest actor, the fighting is more conventional (I suppose some might say real) than in Hong Kong pics, and the plot's are pretty thin -- especially since none of the Bloodfist movies are related except that Don Wilson stars in all of them. It's just that there's something so easygoing and likeable about "the Dragon" that you keep coming back for more!

This one at least has a decent plot with some nice twists as Don must recover his memory before getting snuffed by the cops, the mob...or both! The final twist is far-fetched but fun. Overall, a solid effort.

Out of the first four Bloodfist movies, Part V is my favorite of them all. This one has plenty of twists and turns and the storyline gets very intense all the time. Don "The Dragon" Wilson plays an amnesiac fighter who seems to have a hard time trusting people. Someone he can trust, or someone to avoid. It hard to decide when your brain is like dice. He meets a young woman(Denice Duff) who helps him find out who not to trust and who he can trust. She has dual names, Candy and Michelle. And her character does get her into trouble when she was caught and tortured with some acupuncture needles. One to the cheek is minor, but the one under the left eye was too far! Jim(Wilson) rushes her to the hospital very frantic, and I liked the part where the doctor applied the pain-killer drops, and I know she'll be all right. Also this was one of the last films to actor Steve James(American Ninja 1,2,& 3). It was a shame that he played a heavy. Oh well, he did his part well. This movie has lots of action, twists and turns, and nothing was lost in the movie. Rating 4 out of 5 stars.

The fifth "Bloodfist" entry, and the second one I've watched so far (after part "IV"). Playing an amnesiac is something of an "acting stretch" for Don "The Dragon" Wilson, but he admittedly does a pretty solid job in the role. He also receives good support from Steve James, Denice Duff and Michael Yama. The plot is interesting, it never stops moving and has lots of twists and turns, and the fight scenes are good, filmed in the same close-quarters, hard-hitting style of the previous "Bloodfist" entry, a style that is refreshing to see every once in a while. Of course, you shouldn't get your hopes up too high: this is only a very low-budget martial arts film, after all. But within its field, it's certainly better than you'd expect. (**)