The Street Fighter and Sister Street Fighter series

[Drunken Monk]

About two years ago (or whenever it was), I purchased the Sister Street Fighter Blu Ray set from Arrow. I sat down one evening, put the first film in the Blu Ray player and, within thirty minutes, I was watching something else. It just wasn't my type of film at all: cheesy, too surreal at times and, sadly, full of lame action. In fact, I gave away my Blu Ray set.

It's now 2022 and here I am with a subscription to Arrow's Arrow Player. Since I've heard nothing but glowing reviews about Sister Street Fighter I decided to give it another go. I have never done a 180 degree turn on a film as swiftly and viciously as I did with Sister Street Fighter. This movie is PHENOMENAL. It's the perfect blend of Japanese (female) James Bond, Enter the Drag and Adam West's Batman series. Yes, it's cheesy. I'd go as far as to say it's downright silly. But that's what it so good. It's larger than life. The movie POPS off the screen and delivers this wonderful, zany world that's punctuated with bone crunching violence.
One of the most important aspects to the film is that it's incredibly well made. The camera work and direction are impeccable. Some of the best I've seen from a 70's movie. At one point Etsuko Shihomi is fighting a bunch of dudes as a fire burns in the foreground. It's almost avant garde in its execution and it works perfectly. So many little moments like this take this head and shoulders above many films from that era. In fact, I think I'd rather watch Sister Street Fighter than some of Shaw Brothers' early 70's stuff.

The fight choreography is raw and unrestrained. Is Shihomi the best on screen fighter? No, not really. She GOOD but I'd say Angela Mao outshines her. But that doesn't really matter. The fact she's GOOD coupled with this style of film making makes everything work. Long story short, she WHOOPS ASS. And there's no flare here. No shapes. Just punches and kicks that would put the heftiest of henchmen down. She's absolutely magnetic in her action scenes. I loved every single scrap she had...and trust me, there are loads.
Of course, Sonny Chiba shows his face. Just like Sister Street Fighter, I have never seen The Street Fighter in its entirety. I bought the Shout Factory collection and yep, you guessed it, I gave it away. Like an idiot. Chiba is great here. All machismo and screw faces. In a good way. He doesn't steal the shine from Shihomi but he definitely has enough moments to stand out.

Sister Street Fighter feels like an exploitation flick. It's all flared trousers and porn music. And it does have exploitation elements. But what it really is is a live action cartoon. I got the same feeling from this as when I used to sit down and watch a new episode of BraveStarr (and if you don't remember Brave Starr, we can't be friends).
This film is a joy. An absolute joy. In fact, as I type up tis review, I have Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread playing on my tv. I plan on watching all four in quick succession. Admittedly, the second one has felt a lot more like a spy film than a martial arts film but I'll probably review the whole thing soon.

I need more Etsuko Shihomi films. She is my new fascination, just as Bruceploitation flicks were last year.

Grade: A

Edited March 4, 2022 by Drunken Monk

[thekfc]

46 minutes ago, Drunken Monk said:

I got the same feeling from this as when I used to sit down and watch a new episode of BraveStarr (and if you don't remember Brave Starr, we can't be friends).

Bravestarr? Never heard of it? 

But just so you know, "Every time I take out my Nuetra-Laser, I pray I'm not gonna hurt anybody."

I have the complete collection on DVD somewhere.

[Drunken Monk]

3 minutes ago, thekfc said:

Bravestarr? Never heard of it? 

But just so you know, "Every time I take out my Nuetra-Laser, I pray I'm not gonna hurt anybody."

I have the complete collection on DVD somewhere.

You're the man. I had the bedsheet set when I was a kid.

[Drunken Monk]

Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread (1974)

Alas, it was bound to happen: a sequel that does not live up to the original. Before I get started, I want to say that this film is good. Great at times. REALLY great other times. But as a whole it simply doesn't match the first film.

The plot is the same, basically. Li Koryu's sister has gone missing and it's up to her to roll up her sleeves, whip out her nunchucks (not a euphemism) and find out exactly what's going on. Predictable, huh? What's not predictable are the bad guys smuggling diamond inside the buttcheeks of helpless women. Go ahead and read that again. It doesn't get less weird.
The main problem with Hanging by a Thread is that it fells far too spy-ish. While the first felt like a martial arts frenzy, this one feels slightly more subdued. There's more intrigue here. That's not to say there isn't martial arts. There's loads. But even then, the fight scenes aren't as stylish as those in the original. It veers toward Bourne film shaky cam losing the abstract magic of the first movie.

It's still fun. Fights are usually beautiful long shots with plenty of "the dragon whips its tail" from Shihomi and pals. One of her pals being the legendary Yasuaki Kurata. You can always expect big things from Kurata and he doesn't fail here. Whether it's his slick, figure hugging leather jacket or his bevy of amazing kicks, his on screen presence is always felt.
The bad guys are bonkers. As they always are in these films, it seems. They unleash plenty of Bruce Lee-style noises and randomly beat the shit out of a bull's head. Trust me, it makes a little bit more sense if you watch the film. 

While the plot isn't much, it carries them film's insanity nicely and brings us to a wild finale involving Shihomi and our lead bad guy pretty much flying. Imagine the finale of Duel to the Death only a lot more Japanese and not as thrilling.

It's a fun one for sure. It's just not as... I'll use this word again... It's not as thrilling as the first film. It feels sloppier. Less taught. Less electrifying.
With all that said, it will be a film I revisit.

Grade: B-

[Drunken Monk]

The Return of the Sister Street Fighter (1975)

My second Sister Street Fighter of the day and my third within a week. I can honestly say this shit is NOT getting boring. The third outing has a more grounded feel to it with less insane camera work and, at times, fairly standard fight scenes (as opposed to the frenetic ones in previous films). I enjoyed this one a lot.

The plot is once again simple. Li Koryu is tasked with finding a woman who happens to me manipulated by an evil gang. That's all you need to know really. The gang holds a tournament to see which member should get to kill Koryu but Yasuaki Kurata muscles his way in and ends up being the top fighter, pretty much. Kurata brings his magic once again, really showing off his skills. He has a particularly good fight wit Etsuko Shihomi in a train yard and then on a metal bridge. It's very well shot, features some great exchanges and isn't very bonkers at all. A nice breath of fresh air for those wanting more traditional action.

I ended up preferring this one to the second film. It's very short (an hour and sixteen minutes) and while there is some annoyance caused by a shrill child, the action is thick and fast. It rarely lets up. Even when Koryu goes to see her friend, she has a minor scuffle (with a nice Bruce Lee poster on the wall).
When the camera moves away from Shihomi, we get some interesting turmoil between the villains. It's nothing too crazy but it's some welcome filler and a nice example of how dastardly the bad guys are.

With ten minutes left of the film, it doesn't feel like it's going to wrap up properly. But the "Lady Dragon" (as they call her in this film) has one final hurrah. It's brief but it's easily one of her best. 
My main issue with this film is that there isn't enough blood. The others had one or two gory moments but this one really plays it safe. Also, Yasuaki Kurata's yelling is fucking AWFUL.
Oh and then end fight really rips off Enter the Dragon. But it's fun rather than egregious.

All in all, loved it. 

Grade: B+

This will be my last Sister Street Fighter movie for the day. I'll be watching the last one tomorrow if I can squeeze it in.

[ShawAngela]

If you want more Etsuko Shihomi, try to get your hands on the movie The Chase, it's a great one ! She kicks and punches as much as in Sister Street Fighter, trust me !

It seems to me that I wrote a review about this movie a littel while ago.

I got it from Santostreet site. You can ask our member @NovaPilbeam, if you aren't against dvds-r, because I'm not sure that there is a legit dvd of this title...

[Takuma]

Glad to see you've enjoyed the films. The 4th movie is a lot lighter affair. Same people hate it, but if you approach it with low expectations I think it can be a fun little flick.

My favourite Shihomi film is probably Dragon Princess, though I can never quite decide between Dragon Princess, 13 Steps of Maki and Sister Street Fighter.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

34 minutes ago, Takuma said:

My favourite Shihomi film is probably Dragon Princess

Min too, though still haven't found a decent version of it, any out there?

[ShawAngela]

56 minutes ago, Takuma said:

Glad to see you've enjoyed the films. The 4th movie is a lot lighter affair. Same people hate it, but if you approach it with low expectations I think it can be a fun little flick.

My favourite Shihomi film is probably Dragon Princess, though I can never quite decide between Dragon Princess, 13 Steps of Maki and Sister Street Fighter.

Oh, yes, I forgot 13 steps of Maki, a great one !

[Killer Meteor]

5 hours ago, TibetanWhiteCrane said:

Min too, though still haven't found a decent version of it, any out there?

There is the BCI DVD, English dub only but OAR.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

32 minutes ago, Killer Meteor said:

There is the BCI DVD, English dub only but OAR.

The one I have... I was hoping for something better.

[One Armed Boxer]

On 3/1/2022 at 6:29 AM, Drunken Monk said:

About two years ago (or whenever it was), I purchased the Sister Street Fighter Blu Ray set from Arrow. I sat down one evening, put the first film in the Blu Ray player and, within thirty minutes, I was watching something else. It just wasn't my type of film at all: cheesy, too surreal at times and, sadly, full of lame action. In fact, I gave away my Blu Ray set.

I had a similar experience when I first watched these flicks in the early-2000's. At the time I was still gorging myself on the HK action classics, having gotten into the genre in the late 90's, so when the likes of Shihomi and Chiba came on the radar I went into them expecting a similar aesthetic. Needless to say I was horrified by what I saw, and for the next few years the likes of both the 'Sister Street Fighter' and Chiba's own 'Street Fighter' series were etched in my mind as being complete garbage. It was only when I came to appreciate the differences between the likes of Japanese and Hong Kong action cinema, particularly from the 70's, that I re-visited them and completely changed my mind. Unashamedly sleazy, gratuitously violent, and dripping with attitude, these karate exploitationers are just as much a thing of the past now as the old school kung-fu movie, but I'm glad we have them!

[Takuma]

22 hours ago, TibetanWhiteCrane said:

Min too, though still haven't found a decent version of it, any out there?

Not really. Toei's DVD has better transfer and features the Japanese cut of the film (The US DVD is the US version, which is dubbed, re-cut and bizarrely inserts a sex scene taken from Nikkatsu's Tokyo Emmanuelle in the middle of the film!) but the image is quite soft. And no subs of curse. Still better than the US disc though.

Toei has a new HD master which is airing on Toei Channel on TV. Someone really needs to release that on BD. In fact, Toei has HD masters for ALL of Shihomi's (lead role) films and ALL of Chiba's 70s and 80s martial arts films.

Dragon Princess

13 Steps of Maki

The Great Chase

The Defensive Power of Aikido

Roaring Fire

Killing Machine

[Drunken Monk]

Thanks for the Etsuko Shihomi recommendations everyone. I'll be watching the final Sister Street Fighter film today and, if I have time, I'll try to squeeze in Dragon Princess. Apparently, it's streaming on TUBI. I'm sure it's going to be a pretty shitty version but hopefully it's watchable.

Then next week (or even later this week, maybe), I'm going to watch Chiba's Street Fighter movies for the first time.

[Takuma]

2 hours ago, Drunken Monk said:

Thanks for the Etsuko Shihomi recommendations everyone. I'll be watching the final Sister Street Fighter film today and, if I have time, I'll try to squeeze in Dragon Princess. Apparently, it's streaming on TUBI. I'm sure it's going to be a pretty shitty version but hopefully it's watchable.

Then next week (or even later this week, maybe), I'm going to watch Chiba's Street Fighter movies for the first time.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and please remember to keep your expectations low for the 4th Sister... I recommend approaching it as breezy little Shihomi flick that also includes martial arts (rather than as a hard core martial arts / action film).

Oh and for Chiba, Karate Warriors, The Oyama Trilogy (Karate Bullfighter, Karate Bearfighter, Karate for Life) and Killing Machine are essential viewing in addition to The Street Fighter. The Executioner is fun, over the top exploitation karate. The Defensive Power of Aikido is a lesser known and less exploitative film but very good. My personal favourite is the absolutely insane Wolfguy, which is not really a martial arts movie though it has some karate in it. It's more of a detective/scifi/horror/exploitation/action hybrid (and the only film I have watched three times in one day in theater!).

[Drunken Monk]

Per @Takuma's recommendation, I went into Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist (1976) with very low expectations. And I'm thankful I did since this was not what I expected after watching the first three films. Not at all.

I'm not saying it's a bad film. It just doesn't feel like Sister Street Fighter. The plot meanders a bit, the action is sparse and the cinematography flourishes the previous films have are pretty much non-existent. Fifth Level Fist is played very straight (apart from a slightly comedic father figure). And when I "straight," I'm trying to say it's pretty much a crime drama. Not a thriller, not an action... A drama. If that's not your cup of sake, you may want to stay away from this one. It's only an hour and sixteen minutes long but it does feel longer. The film carries a heavy sense of "nothingness" to it. An emptiness. Nothing really drives it forward.
But at the same time, it's a very easy watch. It's light and simple. It might not be FUN but it is perfectly watchable and there are one or two genuinely interesting characters.

This film's biggest crime is the lack of action. And when there is action, it's mostly dull. There's a scene towards the end where Etsuko Shihomi fights a bevy of bad guys while wearing a kimono that's positively boring. Though it does end with her literally jumping out of some of her clothes (not in a dirty way...much to my chagrin).
Like Takuma said, this is an Etsuko Shihomi movie that just happens to have one or two fight scenes. It is not a martial arts film that happens to star Etsuko Shihomi.
The final fight scene is dark and scrappy with most of the attention being on a male protagonist. Shihomi herself does practically nothing. I'm not a religious man but the film makers certainly need to repent for that choice. As the Japanese say, "No bueno."

As a whole, did I enjoy the film? Bot really. It's far too milquetoast for my liking. No blood OR boobs? I've seen people go to prison for less.
It's a bizarre comparison but I'd compare it to House of Gucci, which I recently watched. It's inoffensive and "fine" but I'll never, ever watch it again.

It's certainly the worst of the series.

Grade: C-

[DrNgor]

Fun reviews, @Drunken Monk. I haven't seen the sequels, but I do think the original is a classic. To quote the dub, "it's more fun than a car full of gorillas!" 

Do you plan on using this thread to review her other movies?

[Drunken Monk]

2 hours ago, DrNgor said:

Fun reviews, @Drunken Monk. I haven't seen the sequels, but I do think the original is a classic. To quote the dub, "it's more fun than a car full of gorillas!" 

Do you plan on using this thread to review her other movies?

It might be tricky tracking down her older movies. I've basically stopped buying DVD's and I don't think many are on Blu Ray. I've checked streaming and that seems to be slim pickings. Unless I turn to those dirty bastards at Wu Tang Collection.

I did, however, manage to watch Dragon Princess this afternoon. Loads of fun! The fight scenes were definitely frenetic like the first Sister Street Fighter and I love the cliffside fight with Yasuaki Kurata. I just love the camera placement, looking up onto the cliff.
Although the plot was pretty simple, it felt like that was a lot going on. In a good way. A variety of characters up to a variety of tricks. Also....Etsuko Shihomi gets attacked by dogs. That's a pretty interesting moment.

I'll probably review Chiba's Street Fighter movie next. I'll either change the name of this thread or I'll create a new one for those films.

[Drunken Monk]

I probably did this all a little backwards but today I decided to watch Sonny Chiba's The Street Fighter (1974). I'm totally new to Chiba after only seeing him in cameos in Etsuko Shihomi films. Much like Sister Street Fighter, I believe I tried to watch this one a while ago and failed. I'm not sure I even got to the dojo fight.

The plot of The Street Fighter is a little convoluted. It involves an escaped convict, a dude falling out of a window, the Yakuza (or the "mafia" as the subtitles said), the daughter of a dead billionaire, a blind swordsman and, of course, Takuma Tsurugi. Oh yeah...and a shitload of karate.
Thankfully, the messy plot is really just an excuse to have Chiba kick some arse. Which he does fairly regularly. So how is the action? Well firstly, Sister Street Fighter this ain't. The camera work is far more timid and less experimental. In fact, the film as a whole feels less cartoonish than Etsuko Shihomi's outings.
The action is shockingly solid for a 1974 film. Chiba exudes a raging machismo that manifests itself through powerful punches, chops and kicks. Throughout this film he is a man not to be trifled with. Though it is nice to see him fight a karate master to a standstill early on in the film. He's not quite an unstoppable machine.

Now, the interesting thing about Sonny Chiba is his mannerisms. He is DEFINITELY the Japanese Bruce Lee. While Bruce had his yelps and war cries, Chiba has drawn out exhalations and, quite frankly, bizarre stances and facial expressions. At first I wasn't a fan. They honestly looked very silly. In fact, I'd still say they look silly. Embarrassing at time, in fact. But somehow they grew on me. His twitches and snarls and low stances became a big part of Tsurugi's charisma. They make him feel fresh and different, even if it is a bit odd. Or very odd. For example, after poking a guy's eyes out with his fingers, Chiba then sniffs his fingers. Why? Nobody knows. Is it cool? Kind of, yeah.

The uniqueness of Chiba's style is coupled with, at time, interesting displays of over the top violence. This I welcomed. As well as gouging a man's eyes out, he brutally dents the skull of a hired thug in an inspired "x ray" shot. As a man who likes - nay, loves - his gore, I was a big fan. I love that Chiba's very presence promises the possibility of raw violence. In that way he's a lot like Bruce/ Bruce always felt like he was ready for a fight. Like he could explode any minute. Chiba feels like he can cave someone's head in whenever he's on screen. By the time he rips some unfortunate soul's cock off, it feels like the violence might be a staple of this series.

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable flick with Chiba positively shining. Not quite as good as Sister Street Fighter in my eyes but loads of fun.

Grade: B

 

[DrNgor]

2 hours ago, Drunken Monk said:

By the time he rips some unfortunate soul's cock off, it feels like the violence might be a staple of this series.

I'm sure that was the worse the violence got before climactic graphic violence in the Japanese version of Sister Street Fighter, with with 180º head-twisting and exposed intestines. The two sequels got progressively less violent. But they do have their moments.

Edited March 4, 2022 by DrNgor

[legendarycurry]

I just finished watching Sister Street Fighter

I became a fan of Etsuko Shihomi when I saw 13 Steps Of Maki many years ago, but for some reason I didn't watch another one of her films for the longest time (until now that is).

Sister Street Fighter has a rather uninteresting plot unfortunately and not even heroin-infused wigs can make it very interesting. The plot is fairly simple and to-the-point. but nothing to write home about in my eyes.

The action is somewhat similar to 13 Steps of Maki with the focus on Japanese Karate, but in my opinion the choreography is not quite as sharp and vibrant as they are in 13 Steps.

Sister Street Fighter is not like a typical Hong Kong action movie classic, where it emphasizes showing of style,shapes or very intricate choreography, Instead it focuses on more simple straightforward impactful hits and it works well for this particular film.

The quantity of action is quite high and quality is not bad at all either. Etsuko Shiomi is great in the lead role, and as expected carries herself well in the numerous fight scenes. I found myself thinking "She is so cool and kicks ass" while watching the movie and that is to the movie's credit. The weakest action scene is the battle against the leopard print wearing fighters as the camera excessively zooms in and wobbles around, removing tension, immersion and impact. The rest of the fights are entertaining, with my favorite parts involving nunchakus and sais.

The film has some memorable scenes, most of which involve some inventive death scenes, the film also has interestingly designed villains in creative costumes

The music was not very noteworthy and neither were the technical aspects of the film like direction and cinematography in my opinion, it was all however done competently.

Sonny Chiba is very charismatic in this one and  just with a few  facial expressions you see how intense and focused on the fight his character really is. Chiba gets some great visceral moments in this one.

I liked the movie enough that I want the 36 Styles and the Arrow Video collection now.

My rating for Sister Street Fighter lands on a 7/10, it is very successful at being the type of movie that it is meant to be and Etsuko Shihomi rules

on to the next one now!.

 

Unfortunately the versions I have access to are dubs only and not the best quality but I am definitely going to get the Arrow boxset.

 

 

[legendarycurry]

Just Saw Sister Street Fighter: Hanging By A Thread (1974)

I ended up enjoying this one a whole lot. The plot this time around has replaced heroin-infused wigs with buttcheek-diamonds and much like the first film Koryu is on the case!

I  liked the plot of this one a lot more and the inclusion of Yasuaki Kurata in the cast was awesome! Besides Koryu he was my favorite character actually. The action this time around is plentiful and I found it to be very entertaining, though the camera was a tad too shakey at times. Once again the impact of hits are really felt and the multitude of styles present in this film was fun. My only real complaint is that the finale is very disappointing, as it features some very unnecessary and clunky looking wire-work. All of a sudden Koryu and the main villain can fly and fight in mid-air

All things considered this was a good time and I rate it a 7/10

[DrNgor]

Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist (Japan, 1976: Shigehiro Ozawa) - Original title: Onna hissatsu godan ken - The fourth and last film in the Sister Street Fighter series is actually unrelated to the other three. Lee Koryu, the half-Chinese, half-Japanese ass-kicker has now been replaced with Kiku Nagazawa (still Etsuko Shihomi), a young single karate instructor in Kyoto whose dad is a successful (if henpecked) kimono designer. Kiku gets dragged into the world of cops (represented by Takagi, played by Tsunehiko Watase) and drug dealers on account of a close friend, Michi (Mitchi Love, of the Super Sentai series "J.A.T.Q. Blitzkrieg Squad").

Michi is a half-white daughter of (presumably) an Okinawan prostitute. She has a half-brother, Jim (Ken Wallace), who is half-black. The two are very close, having both endured bullying in their hometown on account of their half-breed status. Unbeknownst to Michi, Jim is working as a karate hitman for a drug ring, who uses a low-budget movie studio as a front for their activities. When Jim is seen by Takagi murdering an American narcotics agent, his employers have him snuffed. Michi tries to kill one of the head drug dealers, but gets herself kidnapped instead. It's at this point that Kiku gets involved, going undercover at the movie studio in order to find Michi.

The first three films were fight fests that were plotted so that everywhere Shihomi's Lee Koryu went, she'd get ambushed and a karate fight would break out. This is more of a crime drama, with Kiku being a passive observer of the events going on until the last 20 minutes or so. There are some fights involving Ken Wallace in the first half, but most of it is trying to tell a story of drug dealers and the Law's investigation into them on a (relatively) realistic level. Sorry, I prefer bad guys with outrageous collections of martial arts enforcers--including a screaming "nunchuck" guy in a black mesh shirt--in my Etsuko Shihomi films. I liked the premise for the finale: the heroine taking on the cast and crew of a low-budget jidai-geki film, including guys with katana blades. But the camerawork is a bit obstructive, especially when they are fighting in close-quarters in the narrow hallways of the prop room. And there are no trademark Street Fighter deaths here. And the final shot is both ambiguous and unsatisfying. (2/5)

[ShawAngela]

1 hour ago, DrNgor said:

Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist (Japan, 1976: Shigehiro Ozawa) - Original title: Onna hissatsu godan ken - The fourth and last film in the Sister Street Fighter series is actually unrelated to the other three. Lee Koryu, the half-Chinese, half-Japanese ass-kicker has now been replaced with Kiku Nagazawa (still Etsuko Shihomi), a young single karate instructor in Kyoto whose dad is a successful (if henpecked) kimono designer. Kiku gets dragged into the world of cops (represented by Takagi, played by Tsunehiko Watase) and drug dealers on account of a close friend, Michi (Mitchi Love, of the Super Sentai series "J.A.T.Q. Blitzkrieg Squad").

Michi is a half-white daughter of (presumably) an Okinawan prostitute. She has a half-brother, Jim (Ken Wallace), who is half-black. The two are very close, having both endured bullying in their hometown on account of their half-breed status. Unbeknownst to Michi, Jim is working as a karate hitman for a drug ring, who uses a low-budget movie studio as a front for their activities. When Jim is seen by Takagi murdering an American narcotics agent, his employers have him snuffed. Michi tries to kill one of the head drug dealers, but gets herself kidnapped instead. It's at this point that Kiku gets involved, going undercover at the movie studio in order to find Michi.

The first three films were fight fests that were plotted so that everywhere Shihomi's Lee Koryu went, she'd get ambushed and a karate fight would break out. This is more of a crime drama, with Kiku being a passive observer of the events going on until the last 20 minutes or so. There are some fights involving Ken Wallace in the first half, but most of it is trying to tell a story of drug dealers and the Law's investigation into them on a (relatively) realistic level. Sorry, I prefer bad guys with outrageous collections of martial arts enforcers--including a screaming "nunchuck" guy in a black mesh shirt--in my Etsuko Shihomi films. I liked the premise for the finale: the heroine taking on the cast and crew of a low-budget jidai-geki film, including guys with katana blades. But the camerawork is a bit obstructive, especially when they are fighting in close-quarters in the narrow hallways of the prop room. And there are no trademark Street Fighter deaths here. And the final shot is both ambiguous and unsatisfying. (2/5)

I was myself a little bit disappointed with this movie, while I enjoyed the other three a lot.

[KUNG FU BOB]

2 hours ago, DrNgor said:

Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist (Japan, 1976: Shigehiro Ozawa) - Original title: Onna hissatsu godan ken - The fourth and last film in the Sister Street Fighter series is actually unrelated to the other three. Lee Koryu, the half-Chinese, half-Japanese ass-kicker has now been replaced with Kiku Nagazawa (still Etsuko Shihomi), a young single karate instructor in Kyoto whose dad is a successful (if henpecked) kimono designer. Kiku gets dragged into the world of cops (represented by Takagi, played by Tsunehiko Watase) and drug dealers on account of a close friend, Michi (Mitchi Love, of the Super Sentai series "J.A.T.Q. Blitzkrieg Squad").

Michi is a half-white daughter of (presumably) an Okinawan prostitute. She has a half-brother, Jim (Ken Wallace), who is half-black. The two are very close, having both endured bullying in their hometown on account of their half-breed status. Unbeknownst to Michi, Jim is working as a karate hitman for a drug ring, who uses a low-budget movie studio as a front for their activities. When Jim is seen by Takagi murdering an American narcotics agent, his employers have him snuffed. Michi tries to kill one of the head drug dealers, but gets herself kidnapped instead. It's at this point that Kiku gets involved, going undercover at the movie studio in order to find Michi.

The first three films were fight fests that were plotted so that everywhere Shihomi's Lee Koryu went, she'd get ambushed and a karate fight would break out. This is more of a crime drama, with Kiku being a passive observer of the events going on until the last 20 minutes or so. There are some fights involving Ken Wallace in the first half, but most of it is trying to tell a story of drug dealers and the Law's investigation into them on a (relatively) realistic level. Sorry, I prefer bad guys with outrageous collections of martial arts enforcers--including a screaming "nunchuck" guy in a black mesh shirt--in my Etsuko Shihomi films. I liked the premise for the finale: the heroine taking on the cast and crew of a low-budget jidai-geki film, including guys with katana blades. But the camerawork is a bit obstructive, especially when they are fighting in close-quarters in the narrow hallways of the prop room. And there are no trademark Street Fighter deaths here. And the final shot is both ambiguous and unsatisfying. (2/5)

Nice write-up @DrNgor.

1 hour ago, ShawAngela said:

I was myself a little bit disappointed with this movie, while I enjoyed the other three a lot.

I feel the same way as you two. It's okay.

I'd have loved to see her Dad (played by real-life karate master Yukio Yana) join her at the film's climax for some hand-to-hand action. The characters/actors had good chemistry together, and I think that element would've elevated the film.