Back in the day, before I got into the 16-bit gaming consoles, I'd grab a couple of quid from the Parents, and pop to the video rental store.
Being a massive kung fu movie fan (having seen King Boxer in 1986 at the tender age of 10) I tried to rent out at least 2 movies a week. Luckily the shop I went into didn't really care that much about a video's 'rating', but then again even the very tamest martial arts movie seemed to incur an '18' certificate from the BBFC!! So I was watching 'proper' kung fu films, whilst my friends thought the fight scenes in the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles cartoon were the absolute be all and end all!
So, what's Death Cage like then, coming from someone who has watched at least 1000 kung fu films over the years....?
Well, it's extremely disappointing.
I didn't get to see it back in the day, although I remember the trailer (now nearly 27 years later), and it must have shown somethings that stuck in my mind. The version I just finished watching was clearly not the same one that was floating about back then over here in England. This one was widescreen, and was dubbed into Cantonese (which always makes Caucasian actors look hilarious), and so was probably closer to the version shown in Hong Kong.
The main plot it cliché-ridden. Good, moralistic kung fu teacher has young and precocious student. They fall foul of a rival martial arts school, run by some very out of place 'white folk', who effectively cheat to win the opening battle of the movie, and cripple the teacher, and badly injure the student.
Cue soul searching, training with another (related) kung fu teacher (who gets killed.... Natch), leading up to the big finale. Throw in a very forced love triangle between young student and both the teacher's daughters (yawn), and it's nothing you've not seen done better many times in the past.
However.... It is actually worth watching. The fight scenes are quit dynamic, and the 2 on 1 girl fight is a definite highlight. I can't speak for the English dub, of course, but if it's as comedic as the Cantonese attempt, it is surely an absolute classic.
Clearly filmed on a budget of about £10, the sets look like they'll blow away in the wind, but the location filming is better than most.
Overall, if you can find this movie (it is on YouTube at present (26/02/16)), then feel free to indulge for 90 minutes. I can't guarantee you won't be disappointed, but I can say it's so bad it's actually quite good!
Being a massive kung fu movie fan (having seen King Boxer in 1986 at the tender age of 10) I tried to rent out at least 2 movies a week. Luckily the shop I went into didn't really care that much about a video's 'rating', but then again even the very tamest martial arts movie seemed to incur an '18' certificate from the BBFC!! So I was watching 'proper' kung fu films, whilst my friends thought the fight scenes in the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles cartoon were the absolute be all and end all!
So, what's Death Cage like then, coming from someone who has watched at least 1000 kung fu films over the years....?
Well, it's extremely disappointing.
I didn't get to see it back in the day, although I remember the trailer (now nearly 27 years later), and it must have shown somethings that stuck in my mind. The version I just finished watching was clearly not the same one that was floating about back then over here in England. This one was widescreen, and was dubbed into Cantonese (which always makes Caucasian actors look hilarious), and so was probably closer to the version shown in Hong Kong.
The main plot it cliché-ridden. Good, moralistic kung fu teacher has young and precocious student. They fall foul of a rival martial arts school, run by some very out of place 'white folk', who effectively cheat to win the opening battle of the movie, and cripple the teacher, and badly injure the student.
Cue soul searching, training with another (related) kung fu teacher (who gets killed.... Natch), leading up to the big finale. Throw in a very forced love triangle between young student and both the teacher's daughters (yawn), and it's nothing you've not seen done better many times in the past.
However.... It is actually worth watching. The fight scenes are quit dynamic, and the 2 on 1 girl fight is a definite highlight. I can't speak for the English dub, of course, but if it's as comedic as the Cantonese attempt, it is surely an absolute classic.
Clearly filmed on a budget of about £10, the sets look like they'll blow away in the wind, but the location filming is better than most.
Overall, if you can find this movie (it is on YouTube at present (26/02/16)), then feel free to indulge for 90 minutes. I can't guarantee you won't be disappointed, but I can say it's so bad it's actually quite good!
