Karate Killer (1976)
"Kill or Be Killed" (original title)

Two former ranking figures of the Axis powers schedule a deadly martial arts tournament in an isolated locale. The two rivals then race to assemble the top competitors from around the world... See full summary »

Director:

Ivan Hall

Writer:

C.F. Beyers-Boshoff

Stars:

James Ryan, Charlotte Michelle, Norman Coombes

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Ryan	...	Steve Hunt
Charlotte Michelle	...	Olga
Norman Coombes	...	Baron von Rudloff
Daniel DuPlessis	...	Chico
Raymond Ho-Tong	...	Miyagi
Ed Kannemeyer	...	Ruell
Douglas Baggott	...	Luke
Stuart Parker
Jorg Henrichsen
Steve Coetzer
Klaus Zungler
Phillip Gerber
Bevan Bagott	...	Karateka
Ian Bell	...	Karateka
Pieter Burger	...	Karateka

Storyline

Two former ranking figures of the Axis powers schedule a deadly martial arts tournament in an isolated locale. The two rivals then race to assemble the top competitors from around the world, with Steve Hunt being the most sought after fighter.

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Plot Keywords:

martial arts tournament | tournament | general | desert | martial art | 

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Taglines:

The Greatest Hollywood Martial-Arts Movie ever Made!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

South Africa USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 June 1976 (South Africa)

Also Known As:

Karate Killer

Filming Locations:

South Africa

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Ventures International (FVI), Kavalier Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in 1977, the film was released three years later to capitalize on the martial arts genre that was sweeping the USA at the time.

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Goofs

Several times the lips don't match the words spoken, probably due to language dubbing.

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Connections

Featured in Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-o-Rama Show Vol. 5 (1998)

User Reviews

Be killed by laughs.

This movie should win the award of the all time so-bad-it's-good B

movie ever. The plot is so surreal I'm surprised anyone came up

with such ideas. A nazi with a midget (named Chico, not Chino, as

the credits here imply), in a castle in the middle of the desert, hires

an army of karate fighters to prepare a tournament against a

Japanese guy that cheated him 40 years earlier!

If you can think it can't get any cheesier than that, just watch a

scene where a pack of "wolves" are actually German Shepherds!

I'm surprised how many so called "comedies" aren't a tenth

funnier than this action flick. The script seems to be improvised as

they were shooting the movie. The star is supposed to be this

karate, macho star, but the midget has far more screen time than

anyone else. If you're a B movie fan, this can't get any better!

P.S. If you can, try to get the trailer of this flick. It's hilarious!