If You've Got to Fight, Fight Dirty!

New Line Cinema deserves much praise for their release of the epic chop-socky Streetfighter series. Never before was it possible to get The Streetfighter, Return of the Streetfighter, Streetfighter’s Last Revenge and Sister Streetfighter in their re-mastered, uncut, and widescreen glory! The quintessential "Samurai Saturday" masterpieces, these films drip the sleek, antihero, anti-establishment wonder that is associated with the early 1970s.

Sonny Chiba is Terry Suguri, a heartless, cold-blooded killer for hire . . . and he’s the hero! In Streetfighter’s Last Revenge, Sonny is hired by an organized crime gang to obtain the secret formula for processing heroin at the incredibly cheap price of $200 per pound. Posing as a cop, he steals the tapes only to be double-crossed by his employers, who quickly learn that Terry Suguri is not a man to be messed with. Two audio tapes must be played in conjunction in order for the formula to be heard - and Sonny has one of the tapes still in his possession. What follows is the classic Streetfighter set up: Sonny is chased/chases the evil triad members. He must learn a new karate form (accompanied by childhood B&W flashback in which his father’s killer tells him to "Harden your body. Become a number one man!"). Then, after dispatching several dozen gang members, Chiba must fight the triad kung-fu master during a nighttime rain storm - an ending that has been ripped off so much that I think there's a law that says if you're making an action film, you are obligated to have a fight in the rain (Soldier, Lethal Weapon 4, etc.).

One unique aspect of the Streetfighter series is the fact that the films were modern, urban kung-fu flicks at a time when period pieces were the standard. Not only does Sonny Chiba use his hands as lethal objects, but he isn’t averse to grabbing a pistol and blowing a few goons away or hopping into a fast car and squealing through the city streets.

My fiancee’ fails to understand why I love the Streetfighter flicks. To put it quite simply: Sonny Chiba. He is the ultimate anti-hero. A master of disguise. He wears the color black exclusively and has secret passageways in his apartment. A stony demeanor coupled with a certain existential charm. A karate style that resembles an epileptic fit. An awesome theme song complete with 70s wockawocka guitar . . . The man leaves a vapor trail of pure COOL no matter where he goes. After ripping a guy's testicles off with his bare hands, Chiba wipes the blood off of his fingers using the poor dude's UNDERWEAR! How can anyone not love Terry Suguri?

I wholeheartedly recommend any or all of the Streetfighter films (although I find that I like Streetfighter and Return of the Streetfighter the best - more skull crushing and eyeball removal than Last Revenge). The entire Streetfighter series can be purchased in a box set (VHS only - the titles are available separately on laser disc) - which includes a great Streetfighter mini-poster - for around $40.