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Some time ago, Robert King wrote a fairly standard screenplay about a martial artist who travels to a distant land seeking his brother's killer. This became BLOODFIST, the first starring vehicle of Don Wilson. A while later, Jerry Trimble made his solo debut in FULL CONTACT, a film that shared the same storyline. The same year saw the release of DRAGON FIRE, the sole vehicle of Dominic LaBanca, and wouldn't you know it, it features the exact story as the other two and is credited to the same writer. The template is conducive to a lot of action and very little acting, and I can only guess that filming it three times was easier than writing two new screenplays. Whatever the case, this most recent incarnation's a decent adventure best suited to viewers well-versed in the low-budget martial arts genre.

The story: In 2050, Laker Powers (LaBanca) arrives on a dystopian Earth from an off-world colony in search of his brother, only to find him murdered following a high-stakes street fight. Aided by the shady trainer Slick (Kisu), Laker enters the underground circuit to uncover the killer's identity.

Not unlike its predecessors, DRAGON FIRE sets much store by the athletic abilities of its performers. The cast boasts many real martial artists, several of them former world champions. I can't say this was made the most of, but overall, the fights are decent. The editing is a little bothersome - way too much slow motion and cutting - but the choreography's good enough to be noticed. LaBanca makes for a decent Van Damme stand-in, but the varied fighting styles of the other onscreen competitors are where the real excitement's at. Michael Blanks shows off some cool jump kicks, and Dennis Keiffer has a pretty decent opening brawl. Karate master Val Mijailovic and kung fu exponent Harold Hazeldine do a particularly good job of representing their real-life styles. None of this is going to blow you away, but thanks to their sheer quantity, at least a few of the 16 fights (!) ought to please every viewer.

Those who've seen the film's predecessors can have some fun comparing the three. Though some of the roles are played differently, others are almost direct copies. Kisu as the trainer was previously played by Joe Mari Avellana and Marcus Aurelius; Pamela Pond replaces Marilyn Bautista and Denise Buick as Laker's love interest; Harold Hazeldine rips off Michael Shaner and Gerry Blanck as Laker's goofball buddy; and even Charles Philip-Moore replaces Michael Jai White as the charismatic fight official. Their characters even have the same name! It's a trip, hearing Kisu quoting Avellana quoting Aurelius quoting Sun Tzu. If nothing else, you could get some enjoyment out of buying all three movies and contrasting them beat-by-beat like you could with few others.

While the production values are a little lazy, it's the acting that's really hard to redeem. Viewers will inevitably hit the fast-forward button more than once, jumping ahead to the fight scenes. Despite this, the movie still makes for a relatively fun time and is a nice flashback to a different era of martial arts filmmaking. By no means essential, it's still worth the low price for people who know what they're getting into.

BALLISTIC is unfortunate in that the parts making it a good film aren't necessarily the ones that B-movie action fans typically find appealing. The amount of time it spends on its characters will make adrenaline junkies itch for action, and when those awaited fight scenes don't blow 'em away, it's easy to be disappointed. Nevertheless, the picture's got charm beyond its means, and its obscurity makes it a rare find for an appreciative fan like me. Despite its price tag, I'm sorry I waited so long to get my hands on it.

The story: When a straight-shooting police officer (Marjean Holden) is falsely implicated in a murder, she battles time to prove a conspiracy between the department and a sleazy arms dealer (Sam Jones).

What's simultaneously infuriating and refreshing about the film is that, even though this is Marjean Holden's sole leading credit, she doesn't hog the spotlight. It's clearly her vehicle, but the amount of prominence given to costars Joel Beeson and Richard Roundtree is surprising. While it's easy to write this off as Holden being unable to carry a vehicle by herself, the story highlights the interrelationships between characters and makes what would otherwise be a bunch of stock figures seem interesting and easy to invest in. This isn't a masterpiece of drama, but if more B-movie action yarns spent this much time making you care about the people in it, the genre might have a better reputation. Also, it's one of the few films of this sort wherein Richard Roundtree actually earns his highly-placed credit, and for that it deserves praise.

There's a good amount of action here, mainly in the way of fistfights, but the quality is inconsistent. Holden is a better onscreen fighter than, say, Mimi Lesseos but she doesn't approach Cynthia Rothrock's standard. The late Joel Beeson has at least as many fights as her and is a respectable kickboxer, though nothing out of the ordinary. The brawls range from basic karate-style encounters to pro wrestling-inspired bouts and even the odd weapons-themed showdown. Holden's final opponent is bodybuilder Corinna Everson, and while their match is interesting, it's not the showstopper you're hoping for. Supplying some much-needed pizzazz is Michael Jai White in a rare indie role wherein he actually fights. White has a few matches and his acrobatic moves vastly outclass those of anyone around him, to the point that you wish he'd get an opponent who can keep up with his skill.

Production values are above average for this kind of picture, comparable to a really good PM flick. Its rolling pace and engaging tone make it a good starting point for newcomers to low budget action flicks. Again, viewers who are all about the action might not go for this, but at this point it's their loss. Among the hills of schlock and mountains of trash this genre has accumulated, this one's a diamond.

BLIND VENGEANCE is the second and last film starring professional martial artist Rod Kei, and perhaps the most complimentary thing I can say is that it's a step up from his previous L.A. TASK FORCE. It might satisfy viewers who are just in it for the fights, but it's also a sloppy and amateurish adventure that represents the lower rungs of 90s action fare.

The story: The violent rivalry between two martial arts instructors (Rod Kei and Carl Van Meter) is aimed towards a violent end by a beautiful kickboxer (Cheryl Kalanoe).

There's a decent amount of fighting in here, and most of it's good. Kei and Van Meter are solid on screen performers, as is Cheryl Kalanoe, and there's even a nice role for the late Master Pely Ferrer. The dramatic portions are written well enough that the bad acting doesn't entirely crush them, and overall, this is a little more memorable than I expected it to be. Nevertheless, it's still bad. The story relies on tired macho tropes to keep from ending prematurely, women are collectively depicted as incredibly foolish, and there's a distasteful amount of sexism and intimate partner violence. There are also some plainly weird aesthetic decisions, like how scenes are interspersed by unexplained shots of Kei and Van Meter striking forms.

Equally as bad as all of these things is the film's technical presentation. As was the case with the aforementioned film, I got hold of a pretty bad DVD release. Maybe there's a better version out there, but this one has a terrible soundtrack, with the score and dialogue alternatively muffled to near-silence or bled together so much that you can barely understand what the characters are saying. It's not so damning once you realize that you can capture the gist of events by fast-forwarding to the fight scenes, but it makes it all the harder to appreciate a movie that already has little going for it.

Rod Kei didn't have much of a movie career, and though you see flashes of charisma here and can definitely glean why he was considered a prospect, I don't think the part of a lead star was right for him. I wish he'd hung around filmmaking longer, but as is, I think we see the cumulative best of what he had to offer here. If it's any consolation, I've seen worse.

P.S. Contrary to the film's page, neither Gerald McRaney nor Marg Helgenberger appear in this movie.