Soul of Chiba (1977) & Fighting Fist (1992): Rarescope Sonny Chiba Double Bill

[saltysam]

Screen shots of the dvd here

http://www.bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4581

[Guest LoBo]

I knew i was right that the Japanese version was cropped.

________

DEPAKOTE SETTLEMENT UPDATE

[kungfusamurai]

Dang! Too bad, the damn thing looks like it was sourced from VHS. I have the Arena VHS and it's the same thing (i.e. it's of the same aspect ratio). So if I bought the set, I'd be just buying it for the Japanese audio with subs. Not sure if it's worth getting for that reason.

The screen caps of the German disc seem to indicate that one used a film print source. If it's got a Japanese language track, I'll probably get that instead.

KFS

[Nakadai]

Blind bought this a few moments ago. For those that have actually watched this, what were your thoughts?

I must admit this is the first i've heard anything of it.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I just got done watching Soul of Chiba. Horrible movie, but damn good fight scenes. I especially liked Bronson Lee vs Bolo. I watched the Japanese version because it's longer, and the picture quality is realy horrible. I decided to check the English version to see if the pic quality is any better, and to my surprise it's WAY better. I only watched the first 30 seconds or so, but the dub sounds good. I have a feeling I'm gonna like this movie a lot more watching the English version.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I just watched the English version and fast forwarded to all the fights, and in Bolo's fight he sounds like he's puking the whole time. lol!!

[oldeschool17]

I just got done watching Soul of Chiba. Horrible movie, but damn good fight scenes. I especially liked Bronson Lee vs Bolo. I watched the Japanese version because it's longer, and the picture quality is realy horrible. I decided to check the English version to see if the pic quality is any better, and to my surprise it's WAY better. I only watched the first 30 seconds or so, but the dub sounds good. I have a feeling I'm gonna like this movie a lot more watching the English version.

But you always like the english versions:D

[Morgoth Bauglir]

For old kung fu movies I like the English dub the best about 75% of the time. For new movies it's 0%. Some dub jobs are just really bad. I can't see anyone liking them. Like Amsterdam connection. But with Soul of Chiba the English version was definitely more enjoyable because of the picture quality and because it was slightly widescreen. Plus with a movie like this I doubt they spent much time on any of the dubs.

[Guest Markgway]

I think FIGHTING FIST is a HK-Japanese co-production.

It's possible that Sonny Chiba may have directed some of the Japanese sequences or footage exclusive to the Japanese version, which has a different title.

Only seen the HK cut and that was a while ago.

[Tosh]

Soul of Chiba was one of the best movies ever!!!!! The ending was the best part, this movie begs for a sequel.

Monkey chucking scenes, Electrolysis KF training, Thai voodoo, covert parasailing, this movie is the shit.

[BlurayStation3]

Soul of Chiba is pretty bad, but it's worth watching at least once. He fights really fast in one of the scenes.

I own all of the US BCI Chiba boxsets as well as the UK Street Fighter boxset. You can never get enough Chiba.

[fiol]

Fighting Fist ( 霸道縱構 ) aka 霸道煞星

Cast:

Sibelle Hu Hui-Zhong ... Snr Insp. Julia Cheung (HK)

Sonny Chiba Shinichi ... Supt. Yamada (Japan)

Chin Kar-Lok ... Teddy Wong

Song Lei ... Sally Wong

Ken Lo Wai-Kwong ... Chi Wang-Cheung

Shiotani Shogo ... Sato Mitsuda

Ishibashi Masashi ... Sato's Karate Master

Matsuda Masaru ... Harada

Gam Biu ... Teddy's dad

James Ha Chim-Si ... Li Chuk Biu

Lee Fat-Yuen ... Li Chui Hon

Wan Seung-Lam ... Jimmy Lee's thug

Ho Wing-Cheung (1) ... Lee Chuk Wang

Wong Ching-Ho ... Boatman

Ho Chi-Moon ... HK cop

Mak Wai-Cheung ... thug

Unknown 90s Actor (2) ... Jimmy Lee

K. K. Wong Ka-Kui ... Julia's superior officer

Dir:

Casey Chan

I just uploaded a trailer I made for this flick..

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anyone have ever watched it? what's ur opinion on this movie?

I have to say that i quiet enjoy the movie but some action scenes were powerless or nonesense(u can see it from the trailer as well) ..love the violence though hehe Sonny Chiba is in there too, but he just did a short cameo...

[ShaOW!linDude]

I got this in a 4 movie on 1 disc compilation set of Sonny Chiba a couple of months ago. I bought it specifically for 'Soul of Chiba'. It's certainly the better of the other three. It had its moments but I thought it could have been better. Chiba is really nothing other than a point of contact through out the movie. But that's what you get when you buy a compilation. Still, at $6 it ain't bad since all I really cared about was getting 'Soul of Chiba'.

[fiol]

yeah the movie is not that good but it has its moments

[kngfu]

I just reluctantly (the wife was with me) passed buying this over the weekend at a flea market. SOUL OF CHIBA/FIGHTING FIST for $2.

[One Armed Boxer]

On ‎06‎/‎05‎/‎2005 at 7:06 PM, Guest Chong Lei said:

Is Soul of Chiba any good? I figure any flick with Chiba, Bolo Yeung and Bronson Lee must be interesting, at least.

Yes!  & for all of the weird and wonderful reasons why, check out my review here -

http://cityonfire.com/soul-of-chiba-aka-soul-of-bruce-lee-1977-review/

I confess I've never been the biggest Chiba fan, but after watching this, consider me converted!

[whitesnake]

It's been many years since I watched Soul of Chiba.  Isn't that the movie in which Bolo had been a good guy but was captured by the villains and brainwashed into working for them.  And they cut out his tongue so he couldn't talk.  Yet later in one fight scene he is trying to strangle someone and gets so excited that he sticks his (complete) tongue out?

Edited March 13, 2018 by whitesnake

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

Saw this in the hood back in 77 or 78. Weird movie, final fight was good, sort of karate vs shapes, shapes as the bad guy.

Spoiler -

Spoiler

Chiba overdoses at the end, which is interestin as I had heard a rumor that he was involved in a drug scandal in the 80s.

 

[One Armed Boxer]

7 hours ago, whitesnake said:

It's been many years since I watched Soul of Chiba.  Isn't that the movie in which Bolo had been a good guy but was captured by the villains and brainwashed into working for them.  And they cut out his tongue so he couldn't talk.  Yet later in one fight scene he is trying to strangle someone and gets so excited that he sticks his (complete) tongue out?

Yes, that's the one!

[Fist of the Heavenly Sky]

19 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said:

Yes!  & for all of the weird and wonderful reasons why, check out my review here -

http://cityonfire.com/soul-of-chiba-aka-soul-of-bruce-lee-1977-review/

I confess I've never been the biggest Chiba fan, but after watching this, consider me converted!

I actually rewatched that flick a few days ago. While it's not awful by any means, I still find it very underwhelming considering it showed very little to nothing of what Chiba was actually capable of on-screen. Considering the Thailand setting, he could've settled for doing a Japanese pseudo remake of Big Boss/Duel of Fists/The Tournament instead.

Either way, I'll check out your reviewand see for myself the points you've stated!

[DragonClaws]

7 minutes ago, Fist of the Heavenly Sky said:

I actually rewatched that flick a few days ago. While it's not awful by any means, I still find it very underwhelming considering it showed very little to nothing of what Chiba was actually capable of on-screen. Considering the Thailand setting, he could've settled for doing a Japanese pseudo remake of Big Boss/Duel of Fists/The Tournament instead.

Which version do you own?.

I've searched for the title on Amazon, and there's a UNCUT Widescreen German release, anyone know what the audio options are like on this release?.

[Fist of the Heavenly Sky]

1 minute ago, DragonClaws said:

Which version do you own?.

I've searched for the title on Amazon, and there's a UNCUT Widescreen German release, anyone know what the audio options are like on this release?.

I watched the Englis dub VHS rip that is available on youtube.

[DragonClaws]

1 minute ago, Fist of the Heavenly Sky said:

I watched the Englis dub VHS rip that is available on youtube.

Thanks, hoped you might have a physical release to recommend.

[Fist of the Heavenly Sky]

4 minutes ago, DragonClaws said:

Thanks, hoped you might have a physical release to recommend.

There's a chance that, much like several of Chiba's 70's flicks, Soul of Chiba is on public domain. So it's unlikely that a proper and decent home media release of it outside of the VHS realm exists.

[DragonClaws]

14 minutes ago, Fist of the Heavenly Sky said:

There's a chance that, much like several of Chiba's 70's flicks, Soul of Chiba is on public domain. So it's unlikely that a proper and decent home media release of it outside of the VHS realm exists.

Wonder if the German release I mentioned is a public domain release?, if thats the case I dont wanna pay a great deal for it. Amazon claims its UNCUT and in widescreen, according to thier page for the release.

Edited March 13, 2018 by DragonClaws