T. Rigney (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} filmfiend) wrote,@ 2006-08-13 09:24:00 |
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The Street Fighter (1974)
Testicle removal ala Chiba.
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Shigehiro Ozawa's nasty little martial arts masterpiece The Street Fighter is probably my earliest experience with this particular genre. I remember watching it on WGN with my father a LOOOONG time ago, my mind forever scarred by Sonny Chiba's horrific "kung fu face" and his ability to cause maximum damage to anyone who crossed his path. My dad didn't care too much for it, obviously, but I remember being completely enamored with the karate exploits of one man killing machine Terry Tsurugi. Many years later, my wife would discover a Diamond double feature containing both The Street Fighter and its sequel Return of the Street Fighter on a budget DVD rack at a local retailer. I half-watched the movie once during a wonky period in my life, then stuffed it into my collection and eventually forgot all about it. Now that I've discovered the beauty -- and the hilarity -- of kung fu cinema, I decided it was high time I revisited this classic with a different set of eyes. Does this mean I don't want to vomit when Chiba starts with the heavy breathing and uncomfortable straining? Of course not. It still weirds me out. But, God help me, these bizarro moments just make me love this crazy flick that much more.
The legendary Sonny Chiba stars as Terry Tsurugi, a man who will do just about anything to fatten his wallet. The first ten minutes of the movie involves Terry's journey into the Japanese prison system, with our hero posing as a priest in order to get close to a very dangerous individual he's been hired to rescue. Using one of the many unusual techniques at his disposal, Terry is able to free his target before his scheduled execution. However, being both ruthless and unscrupulous, Terry viciously murders the prisoner's brother when he can't pay his dues. And the guy's sister? Well, to make up for the lost cash, he sells her into prostitution. Nice. The plot thickens when Terry turns down an offer by the yakuza to kidnap a deceased oil tycoon's lovely daughter, causing this organized crime syndicate much distress since they just blabbed their entire scheme to someone who could very easily use it again them. Terry, armed with this knowledge, persuades the tycoon's daughter's protectors to hire him as a bodyguard. All is well and good, that is, until the yakuza snatch the girl in hopes of getting her to sign over her father's company to them. Naturally, Terry isn't going to let his charge slip away so easily, embarking on a blood-soaked mission to rescue the girl and dispatch the bad guys before she signs on the dotted line.
The Street Fighter, like most martial arts films, isn't concerned with intricate plotting or in-depth characterization. The only one we really get to know is Terry, which is really all you need to carry you through till the film's action-packed finale. After all, he's the main attraction, the big bright star, the reason we're watching. Sonny Chiba, despite his goofy stances and exaggerated expressions, is a blast to watch. When he's not forcing himself on every woman he sees, the man is literally tearing people apart. For example, after he and his annoying little sidekick are ambushed by the yakuza, our hero emerges triumphantly from the twisted wreckage of his mangled automobile and promptly breaks some bones and crushes a skull. What about the black guy who seems intent on raping anything with a vagina? Well, let's just say that Terry prevents the poor bastard from worrying about testicular cancer ever again. If vicious, violent, mean-spirited martial arts are your cup of tea, The Street Fighter is quite possibly the best of the bunch. I say POSSIBLY because there's alway's Chiba's The Executioner to consider, which might be more tasteless and depraved than what we're presented with here.
The copy I own is distributed by Diamond Entertainment, though there are certainly plenty of other options to explore. Diamond's release is dubbed, yes, but it's presented in its original aspect ratio with all of the squishy violence intact. For those who are curious about which version to acquire, know that the full-length cut runs approximately 92 minutes, while the R-rated edition clocks it at around 75 minutes. Since I haven't seen the hacked version in almost 20 years, I can't say for sure what's missing, though I'm assuming that most of the gore has been removed. STAY AWAY FROM THIS VERSION! The only reason to watch The Street Fighter is to see Chiba mess up a ton of people using his bare hands. And while I'm sure you can find plenty to enjoy in the sanitized version of the film, you'll be missing out on quite a few hilarious moments of true martial arts brutality. Trust me on this one.
Keep in mind, however, that Sonny Chiba definitely isn't for everyone. My wife can't stand the guy, mostly due to his facial contortions and his snot-sucking breathing techniques. On top of that, the character of Terry Tsurugi is kind of hard to relate to, since he's a self-serving goon who'd savagely murder your mother if the price is right. Personally, I find this guy to be a refreshing change of pace. Since I've been knee-deep in the heroic work of Jet Li and Jackie Chan over the past few months, it's nice to see an anti-hero who doesn't mind getting his hands bloody for a little cold hard cash. You see, Tsurugi doesn't want to teach his enemies a lesson. He doesn't want them to stop their evil ways. All he wants to do is complete the job he's been hired to perform, collect the money, and move onto greener pastures. Chiba plays the part to perfection, maiming and breaking and kicking and crushing his way into cinematic history. If you're in the market for a no-holds-barred action flick with a tough-as-nails hero in the driver's seat, The Street Fighter should do the trick.
Just don't blame me if you experience intense pain in your genitals while viewing it.
Testicle removal ala Chiba.
---
Shigehiro Ozawa's nasty little martial arts masterpiece The Street Fighter is probably my earliest experience with this particular genre. I remember watching it on WGN with my father a LOOOONG time ago, my mind forever scarred by Sonny Chiba's horrific "kung fu face" and his ability to cause maximum damage to anyone who crossed his path. My dad didn't care too much for it, obviously, but I remember being completely enamored with the karate exploits of one man killing machine Terry Tsurugi. Many years later, my wife would discover a Diamond double feature containing both The Street Fighter and its sequel Return of the Street Fighter on a budget DVD rack at a local retailer. I half-watched the movie once during a wonky period in my life, then stuffed it into my collection and eventually forgot all about it. Now that I've discovered the beauty -- and the hilarity -- of kung fu cinema, I decided it was high time I revisited this classic with a different set of eyes. Does this mean I don't want to vomit when Chiba starts with the heavy breathing and uncomfortable straining? Of course not. It still weirds me out. But, God help me, these bizarro moments just make me love this crazy flick that much more.
The legendary Sonny Chiba stars as Terry Tsurugi, a man who will do just about anything to fatten his wallet. The first ten minutes of the movie involves Terry's journey into the Japanese prison system, with our hero posing as a priest in order to get close to a very dangerous individual he's been hired to rescue. Using one of the many unusual techniques at his disposal, Terry is able to free his target before his scheduled execution. However, being both ruthless and unscrupulous, Terry viciously murders the prisoner's brother when he can't pay his dues. And the guy's sister? Well, to make up for the lost cash, he sells her into prostitution. Nice. The plot thickens when Terry turns down an offer by the yakuza to kidnap a deceased oil tycoon's lovely daughter, causing this organized crime syndicate much distress since they just blabbed their entire scheme to someone who could very easily use it again them. Terry, armed with this knowledge, persuades the tycoon's daughter's protectors to hire him as a bodyguard. All is well and good, that is, until the yakuza snatch the girl in hopes of getting her to sign over her father's company to them. Naturally, Terry isn't going to let his charge slip away so easily, embarking on a blood-soaked mission to rescue the girl and dispatch the bad guys before she signs on the dotted line.
The Street Fighter, like most martial arts films, isn't concerned with intricate plotting or in-depth characterization. The only one we really get to know is Terry, which is really all you need to carry you through till the film's action-packed finale. After all, he's the main attraction, the big bright star, the reason we're watching. Sonny Chiba, despite his goofy stances and exaggerated expressions, is a blast to watch. When he's not forcing himself on every woman he sees, the man is literally tearing people apart. For example, after he and his annoying little sidekick are ambushed by the yakuza, our hero emerges triumphantly from the twisted wreckage of his mangled automobile and promptly breaks some bones and crushes a skull. What about the black guy who seems intent on raping anything with a vagina? Well, let's just say that Terry prevents the poor bastard from worrying about testicular cancer ever again. If vicious, violent, mean-spirited martial arts are your cup of tea, The Street Fighter is quite possibly the best of the bunch. I say POSSIBLY because there's alway's Chiba's The Executioner to consider, which might be more tasteless and depraved than what we're presented with here.
The copy I own is distributed by Diamond Entertainment, though there are certainly plenty of other options to explore. Diamond's release is dubbed, yes, but it's presented in its original aspect ratio with all of the squishy violence intact. For those who are curious about which version to acquire, know that the full-length cut runs approximately 92 minutes, while the R-rated edition clocks it at around 75 minutes. Since I haven't seen the hacked version in almost 20 years, I can't say for sure what's missing, though I'm assuming that most of the gore has been removed. STAY AWAY FROM THIS VERSION! The only reason to watch The Street Fighter is to see Chiba mess up a ton of people using his bare hands. And while I'm sure you can find plenty to enjoy in the sanitized version of the film, you'll be missing out on quite a few hilarious moments of true martial arts brutality. Trust me on this one.
Keep in mind, however, that Sonny Chiba definitely isn't for everyone. My wife can't stand the guy, mostly due to his facial contortions and his snot-sucking breathing techniques. On top of that, the character of Terry Tsurugi is kind of hard to relate to, since he's a self-serving goon who'd savagely murder your mother if the price is right. Personally, I find this guy to be a refreshing change of pace. Since I've been knee-deep in the heroic work of Jet Li and Jackie Chan over the past few months, it's nice to see an anti-hero who doesn't mind getting his hands bloody for a little cold hard cash. You see, Tsurugi doesn't want to teach his enemies a lesson. He doesn't want them to stop their evil ways. All he wants to do is complete the job he's been hired to perform, collect the money, and move onto greener pastures. Chiba plays the part to perfection, maiming and breaking and kicking and crushing his way into cinematic history. If you're in the market for a no-holds-barred action flick with a tough-as-nails hero in the driver's seat, The Street Fighter should do the trick.
Just don't blame me if you experience intense pain in your genitals while viewing it.
