Ninja Death III (1987)

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Ninja Death III (1987)

This insane ninja opus comes to a fittingly bonkers conclusion. Tiger (Alexander Lo) learns the true identity of his mother, the Princess, who has remained incognito in order for the boy to learn the ‘royal style’ from a blind old master. He needs to up his game if he thinks he can defeat the cloak-wearing, gold-suited Grandmaster and his deadly ‘double sky hammer’. His personal life also gets a bit more complicated, as romance blossoms with servant girl and top fighter Sukura, before the finale explodes in a blur of fun and fury. Those who like their kung fu eccentric, …

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Re:Born (2016)

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Re:Born (2016)

Versus star Tak Sakaguchi is in fine form in this stabby mercenary flick, allegedly his final martial arts project. It doesn’t quite feel like a swan-song; the sheer glee and exuberance exhibited during the relentless, brutal, throat-slicing fight scenes show a great performer still at the top of his game. Tak (alongside long-time collaborator Yuji Shimomura and co-star Yoshitaka Inagawa) created a new martial arts concept for the film, called Zero Range Combat, which utilises military-based tactics and close-quarter knife work. Its what gives the fight scenes a signature style, and as much as the action is entertaining and well-choreographed …

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Profile: Taimak

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Profile: Taimak

Date of birth: June 27, 1964 (Los Angeles, US)

Full name: Taimak Guarriello

Other names: Taimak Guari

Occupation: Actor, martial artist, stunt performer, director, writer, producer.

Style: Aikido, Karate, taekwondo, kickboxing, kung fu, Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Biography: Taimak is an actor and martial artist famous for his role as ‘Bruce’ Leroy Green in the cult, Motown-produced martial arts film, The Last Dragon (1985). Taimak was born in Los Angeles to an Italian singing father, Cosmo Guarriello, and a New York mother, Laurita Guarriello, who had worked at the famous Apollo Theatre. The family had relocated to Hollywood in order for his father to pursue a professional …

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KFMG Podcast S03 Episode 24: Taimak / Daniel Lue

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KFMG Podcast S03 Episode 24: Taimak / Daniel Lue

“Martial arts should be something you learn on a spiritual basis – finding your inner passions and the spirit that can drive you to be the best person you can be in every area of your life.” Taimak

Star of the 1985 Motown-produced cult classic, The Last Dragon, we welcome Taimak to our first podcast of 2018. Taimak Guarriello was only 19 when he made his starring-role debut as the wise kung fu kid ‘Bruce’ Leroy Green – protector of ‘the Glow’ and arch-rival to the flamboyant Sho’nuff, the Shogun of Harlem – in Berry Gordy’s weird and wonderful action fantasy. It’s a …

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Black Panther (2018)

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Black Panther (2018)

A defining moment, not just in relation to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – often criticised for its lack of diversity – but also for its wider representation of Black culture. Disney (and by default, Hollywood in general) should be commended for taking such a forthright leap into the study of African-American identity, and equally lambasted for taking so long to make it. The film puts forth a hypothesis – the sort which has been prevalent in similar works of Afrofuturism – which is to imagine an African nation untouched by colonialism, where tribal traditions and culture have remained in tact …

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Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist (2014)

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Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist (2014)

The terms “fan-fiction”, “web series” and “based on a video game” would understandably make most people run a mile. But this epic, introspective origin story on the Ken and Ryu characters from Capcom’s Street Fighter is an excellent exception to the rule. This was originally commissioned as a 12-part YouTube series consisting of 10-15 minute episodes, but watched as a whole, it’s an engrossing, enveloping, novel-like experience. British fight choreographer turned writer-director, Joey Ansah, creates both a heartfelt homage to the original source material and an accomplished character study which stands up as a dramatic entity in its own right. …

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The Sensei (2008)

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The Sensei (2008)

This occasionally veers off into the type of histrionic melodrama you would find on The Hallmark Channel, but Diana Lee Inosanto’s directorial debut deserves credit for its subversion of traditional gender roles prevalent in martial arts movies. She places a female in the master role and a gay teenager at the heart of the story. Inosanto (herself a stunt performer and the daughter of Bruce Lee‘s buddy, Dan Inosanto) acts as writer, producer, director and star, and the film ultimately ends up feeling very personal. She places her central character, McClaine (Michael O’Laskey II) – a bullied gay high-school student …

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Acts of Vengeance (2017)

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Acts of Vengeance (2017)

Isaac Florentine‘s DTV work is always reliably crunchy, authentic, and touched by a sense of nuance, the like of which is absent from most B-movie punch-ups. This is one of his best – a simple slice of face-hitting vigilantism, but one with conceptual ideas on the nature of revenge and stoic philosophy. Florentine chapters the film with Marcus Aurelius quotations, as fast-talking defence attorney Frank (Banderas) decides to undergo a vow of silence until he finds the culprits behind the deaths of his wife and daughter. Florentine’s long-time fight collaborator Tim Man brings out the muscle in Banderas’ mostly silent …

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The Final Master (2015)

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The Final Master (2015)

An exemplary film from auteur director and writer Xu Haofeng (based on his own novel), who seems to be redefining the Mainland Chinese martial arts film. This may be his most extravagant production in terms of ravishing colonial set design and costume, but it is still a strikingly singular and taut vision. Xu’s knack for zingy dialogue and rounded characters extends to his signature fight scenes; realistic, organic, with stark sound effects, and grounded in humanity and authenticity. It’s a unique approach which weaves seamlessly into the film’s sharp narrative. The premise may seem familiar in terms of kung fu …

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Ultimate Justice (2017)

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Ultimate Justice (2017)

Following 2015’s One Million K(l)icks, this is the second feature from Germany-based production company Silent Partners. It’s an Expendables–style mercenary film, elevated by a good cast, some great fight scenes (led by pocket rocket, Mike Möller, who also works as choreographer), and a committed central performance from Mark Dacascos. He brings his A-game to this low-budget German indie, and retains his enigmatic charm despite a distracting ADR job in which most of the cast – not just the German speakers – have been quite crudely dubbed. Dacascos plays Gus, an ex-GI and part of a military-trained crack team of hired …

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