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Lou Ferrigno will always be best known for playing the title character in the 1977 – 1982 TV series The Incredible Hulk and its TV movie follow-ups, but he has continued working steadily over the decades. He doesn’t have as many cool action movies to his name as he should, but he has a few – and now that we know about it, we have our fingers crossed that the upcoming martial arts thriller Hard Redemption is going to be one of his best.

Deadline broke the news that Hard Redemption, which is directed and produced by Jino Kang and Christine Lam, is in post-production and will be released by Fairway Films Alliance sometime in 2025.

Here’s the film’s quite lengthy and informative synopsis: Bryan, a Korean American teenager who wants out of his ruthless gang the Goblins, setting the stage for gang retribution against him. On his first day of Ged summer school for at-risk students,...

Stars: Paul Marlon, Aaron Sidwell, Charlene Aldridge, May Jones, Stanley Clarke, Tia Owomoyela, Jake Canuso, Alana Wallace, Jay James, Sam Anthony, Otto Jäger, Dan Richardson, Cynthia Rothrock, Eric Roberts, Joseph Millson | Written and Directed by Paul Knight

Fyre Rises is the story of Richard Fyre who was once a killer in the employ of a clandestine agency of some kind. But after a mission against Russian sex traffickers went badly wrong, he turned pacifist. So much so that when Priest offers him a job that would get him out of debt, he turns it down. And when several of his goons turn up to get him to reconsider, he refuses to defend himself.

But since Priest, like everyone else, has seen a few action films, he knows what to do. He threatens Fyre’s family. His wife Maddie, daughter Abbey (May Jones), and son Connor (Stanley Clarke) instead. That gets results,...

Stars: Cynthia Rothrock, Caitlin Dechelle, Sofia O’Brien, Jose Manuel, Jeff Fahey | Written by Bruce Del Castillo, Stephen Carolan | Directed by Bruce Del Castillo

The good news is that Cynthia Rothrock has a new film, Lady Scorpions. The bad news is that it’s from Tiger Style Media, the same production company that gave us the underwhelming Art of Eight Limbs and The Lockdown. The good news for you is that I’m willing to risk taking a bullet, or a kick to the head, to tell you if the third time is a charm for them.

On her way to her car, Lacy gets jumped by a pair of attackers whom she makes quick work of. Not that she was in any danger, it was a demonstration for her self-defence class. She’s less successful at getting her mother Alena (Cynthia Rothrock) to pick up the phone when she calls...

Stars: Mathis Landwehr, Kira Kortenbach, Matthias Hues, Billy Blanks, Mike Derudder, Mike Möller, Cynthia Rothrock, Kurt McKinney, David “Bolo Jr” Yeung | Written by Ross W. Clarkson, Sean David Lowe | Directed by Ross W. Clarkson

As you can probably tell just from the title, The Last Kumite was inspired by 80s action films, the iconic Bloodsport in particular. And it opens like it stepped out of a time warp from the 1980s with an old-school pop song playing over a montage of scenes shot on the streets of New York City before taking us to the dojo where Michael Rivers is teaching his daughter Bree (Kira Kortenbach).

After an inspirational speech at the end of her training, it’s time to go see Mom. If you guessed that means a trip to the cemetery, you’ve seen as many of these films as I have.

The next day, Michael fights in...

Before watching The Last Kumite by Ross W. Clarkson, I didn’t have any prior knowledge about kumite, but as I got to know about it, it seemed very interesting. Just to give you an idea, it’s a kind of karate technique. The story revolves around a father-daughter duo who are forcibly trapped in the world of Kumite by a vile person named Ron Hall. The father, Michael Rivers, is a renowned fighter, and to get him into the kumite game, Ron Hall literally abducted his daughter, Bree Rivers, so he had to participate in the tournament. But as he went there, he realized he was not alone. There are many others who suffered the same fate as Michael and have been prey to Ron’s tactics. And it’s not a joke; they are really going to be prey to none other than Dracko, the all-time champion, because...

If you love action classics like Kickboxer and Bloodsport, a whole host of 80s and 90s martial arts superstars return to the screen in the action thriller The Last Kumite, coming to Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Uhd/Bd Steelbook, as well as digital platforms in the UK and Ireland from 13th May… And I’ve got my pre-order in already!

When Karate champion Michael Rivers (Mathis Landwehr) wins the last tournament of his career, shady businessman Ron Hall (Matthias Hues) offers him the opportunity to fight in an illegal, deadly Kumite in Bulgaria with the world’s best martial artists. Michael declines, only to find out later that his daughter Bree has been kidnapped and that in order to rescue her, he is left with no other option but to fight in the deadly tournament. When he finally gets to Bulgaria, he finds out that he is not the only...

Throwback martial arts action film The Last Kumite heads to streaming in 2024, and here’s the trailer.

There is no question that the 1980s was a vintage time for action films, particularly in Hong Kong. There was a fruitful period in the mid 1980s when Hong Kong directors would hire American martial artists to go toe to toe with onscreen, both to broaden the international appeal and show a wide range of styles.

From Cynthia Rothrock going up against Sammo Hung in Shanghai Express to Richard Norton’s multiple bust ups with Jackie Chan in the likes of City Hunter and Mr Nice Guy, these performers went on to headline a series of low budget American action films that have since gained a cult following, perhaps most notably the China O’Brien series and the numerous No Retreat, No Surrender sequels

The Last Kumite looks set to be a throwback to that style,...

"It's time!" Capelight Pictures has unveiled a first look teaser for an upcoming 80s / 90s throwback movie called The Last Kumite, directed by filmmaker Ross W. Clarkson. This indie project has been funded on both Kickstarter and Indiegogo, being readied for release in 2024. It's going direct-to-vod in the spring. The Last Kumite is a new spin on the great martial arts films of the 80s & 90s that are still loved amongst action film fans as much today as they were decades ago. The filmmakers describe it as "a new take on the tournament movie inspired by the likes of Bloodsport, Kickboxer and No Retreat No Surrender." Following a martial arts fighter who discovers other martial artists have also been "forced to fight to save their loved ones." Starring newcomer Mathis Landwehr as Michael in the lead role, with a massive throwback cast including Cynthia Rothrock, Michel Qissi, Matthias Hues, Richard Norton,...

Martial arts B-movie stars like Matthias Hues, Loren Avedon, and Richard Norton have gained notoriety through their roles in low-budget films. These underground heavy hitters have appeared in iconic martial arts movies like The King of Kickboxers, Cage, and City Hunter. While some stars, like Billy Blanks and Jeff Speakman, have had success outside of the genre, their careers as B-movie stars still deliver exhilarating action.

There are many martial arts B-movie stars whose work should not go unnoticed by those action films. In the long history of martial arts movies, many of the biggest stars of the genre have become household names, including Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. However, in the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s, many other martial artists have also cultivated sizable followings without making it quite as big as the genre's most well-known stars.

Some...