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The Street Fighter

The Street Fighter

List Price: $6.99
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Authentic Okinawan Karate!
Review: Although some may find this film excessive and brutal (which is quite true), one must consider that it's an excellent showcase of Karate. Praise is of course due to Sonny Chiba, who holds impressive rank in several martial arts, but often overlooked is the formidable Milton Ishibashi. Ishibashi plays the enigmatic villain Junjo, "the last of the Okinawan fighters," and his power is devastating. There are some excellent demonstrations of classic Karate forms. You'll enjoy this movie if you're a fan of the "lone warrior" genre.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Back in the antihero heyday...
Review: As far as I know, this was the first kung fu movie whose main character was a jerk, a far far FAR from admirable guy who used his martial arts to help out crime synidcates and other thugs. Terry Tsurugi is most loyal to whoever has the biggest bank account. The movie opens with him helping a guy break out of prison because he was hired by the guy's brother and sister. When Terry kills the brother and sells the sister into a prostution ring, the convict comes after him for revenge. There are lots of other plots twists as this crazy movie throws in basically everything but the kitchen sink. Some of the fight scenes are really dumb and cheesy, but what do you expect??? REALISM??? GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!! This is a fun ride of a flick.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Almost based on a true story!
Review: Critiquing the plot of this movie is pointless,likewise the acting,writing,cinematography etc. It's just one great fight scene after another. All the extraneous elements,such as the aforementioned few, are boiled away,leaving the distilled, pure essence of martial arts movies. But a little known fact is that Chiba studied directly under MAS OYAMA, creator of kyokushinkai karate. This is one nasty art. It cultivates the spirit but also emphasizes raw destructive power. The teacher character in the movie is an homage to Oyama, a genuine Master in the world of martial arts. So, at least one of the characters is based on a real person. Pretty cool!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A classic bone-cruncher!
Review: I don't know if the studio who produced this DVD [cheated] me out of the original X-rated copy, but I was pleased when I noticed that the gore was in tact (and looked like an X for the 70s). This story is cliche riddled, but Sonny Chiba chops, kicks, hits, and blocks his way through a parade of well-staged and memorable ultraviolence. Good but not great, worth a look unless you are squeamish toward pain and misery. Rated X or not rated; both contain extreme violence.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sonny Chiba is the Man!
Review: I first became interested in this film years ago when I saw a clip from it in True Romance. And the praise given to Sonny Chiba in Quentin Tarantino's script is right on. Sonny China is a bad mother!

The plot of this film is typical to the martial arts genre. Basically Chiba, who plays Terry, is caught up in a Mafia situation that allows him to do a lot of fighting. What makes this film so much fun is how charismatic Chiba is. His character is very dark and very much the antihero. Director Shigehiro Ozawa does a fantanstic job conveying the action which makes the film that much more enjoyable.

When The Street Fighter was originally released in the United States it was given a "X" rating because of the graphic violent content. Today some of the bloody deaths are still hard to watch. This is a martial arts classic and anyone who is interested in the genre should see this movie. Sonny makes it worth it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great Film for a Small Price
Review: I won't go into too much detail about The Street Fighter as a film. I enjoyed it and feel that any fan of the martial arts should add this title to their collection. The fight scenes are -- in a word -- BRUTAL.

But instead of going on about the merits of the film, I will instead review The Street Fighter as a DVD. The picture quality is amazingly clear considering the film is so cheaply priced. There's even a Japanese language track in addition to the competent English dub. However, the DVD Audio Set-up menu incorrectly refers to it as Chinese. Also, the Japanese voices do not sync with the mouth movements and there are no subtitles, so watching the film in its original language is a chore even for those who do understand Japanese. There are some other extras on the DVD which seem out of place and irrelevant, but they do add to the "value" of such a budget priced disc. All in all, I recommend this particular DVD edition of The Street Fighter

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: move over bruce 'n' jackie
Review: IF TERRY TSURUGI THE STAR OF THIS BLOODBATH WAS HERE I WOULD WHIP HIS KARATE BEHIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A MUST SEE MOVIE!!!
Review: If you see no other movie you have got to see thus one!!! If yu love action then you will love this movie.bu the movie you won't be DISAPPOINTED!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: ONE OF THE GREATEST MARTIAL ARTISTS OF OUR TIME
Review: IN THIS EXTREMELY VIOLENT MARTIAL ARTS CLASSIC, A MAN REFUSES TO EXCEPT A JOB BY THE YAKUZA TO KIDNAP AN OIL HEIRESS, BUT WHEN HE FLEES WITH THE HEIRESS, SHE IS KIDNAPPED BY A GANG HIRED BY A RIVAL OIL COMPANY. WARNING; VERY VERY BRUTAL FIGHTS ARE IN THIS MOVIE, SO DON'T LET YOUR KIDS SEE IT. OTHER THAN THAT, A VERY ENJOYABLE MARTIAL ARTS CLASSIC THAT STARS, IN MY OPINION, THE MOST UNDERRATED MARTIAL ARTIST OF OUR TIME. THIS MOVIE PROVES THAT THERE'S MORE TO THE MARTIAL ARTS GENRE THAN JUST BRUCE LEE AND JACKIE CHAN. THIS MOVIE IS SO VIOLENT, THAT THIS WAS ACTUALLY RATED X WHEN IT WAS RELEASED. BUT, SCENES WERE TRIMMED FOR AN R RATED VERSION, WHICH IS ON VIDEO. THIS MOVIE WAS FOLLOWED BY 3 SEQUELS.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Action or Comedy Movie?
Review: Is this movie suppossed to be a martial arts movie or a comedy? The star (Sonny Chiba) seems as if he doesn't even know any martial arts, but is just faking it and the contortions of his face throughout the movie are ridiculous! I only gave it two stars as a comedy. Don't buy this movie unless you are looking for a comedic "cult classic" (read "dud").


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