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Review by
Calvin
McMillin: |
In yet another variation on his
Street Fighter persona, Sonny Chiba stars as Chieko (Hell,
it could be Chico, for all I know*), a mysterious stranger who
wanders into town and stumbles onto some gang violence in the
streets. Since none of the onlookers seems eager to help out a
young punk lying facedown in the gutter, Chieko takes it upon
himself to get the man some medical attention. Of course, he drags
the guy feet first all the way to the clinic, but that's just
Chieko's style.
In what will be the first of many
trips to the doctor, Chieko drops off the patient and makes nice
with the locals. While befriending the clinic's kindly doctor
and his pretty nurse Yumi, Chieko learns that he has wandered
right into the middle of a turf war between the Iga and Nishi
mobs. Led by opposing brothers, each group is at each other's
throats over a fortune in heroin that has gone missing since the
imprisonment of the mob's true leader, Kuriko. Looking to find
himself some work, Chieko leaves the clinic and ends up making
friends with Nanu, a young boy fishing on the pier. Chieko also
meets the boy's father, Mizuki, a man who has the strange penchant
for walking around dressed in traditional samurai garb and carrying
a sleek cane sword at all times. After some thugs show up to rough
up Mizuki, the two strangers dispatch the attackers and forge
an uneasy friendship.
In a tip of the hat to Yojimbo,
Chieko seeks employment from the two rival gang leaders, each
of whom tests our hero's mettle with their best warrior. Of course,
Chieko handily disposes with the strongman of the Iga gang, but
later bows out of fighting the Nishi gang's resident badass, the
samurai Mizuki! Eventually, Chieko finds himself caught between
the two gangs, playing each side against the other in a bid to
find the lost heroin. And though Chieko saves Mizuki's son on
several occasions (at one point even giving the kid a blood transfusion),
the contemporary samurai warns our hero that someday the two will
have to do battle. The plot takes a series of twist and turns
before Chieko finally uncovers the hidden location of the missing
drugs. But with this discovery, our hero is brought face to face
with his newfound friend in a battle to the death.
Oddly enough, the story doesn't
end with this duel. After nabbing the drugs and defeating his
enemy, Chieko takes it upon himself to reunite little Nanu with
his purportedly dead mother. If you've seen Takeshi Kitano's Kikijiro,
you'll be prepared for what happens by journey's end. But don't
think that the movie has gone completely touchy-feely just yet,
since a pulse-pounding climax remains in which the evil Kuriko,
just out of prison and looking to take back his heroin, ambushes
lone Chieko and kid. On the shores of a beach, Chieko takes on
Kuriko and his flunkies, but this time with the help of Mizuki's
blade. After that, things start to get really emotional. Your
heartstrings will be tugged…well, just a little.
The blandness of the title Karate
Warriors doesn't match this movie well. There's a lot going
on in this flick. On one hand, it's an action-packed update of
the whole Red Harvest/Yojimbo/Fistful of Dollars
storyline as well as the Lone Wolf and Cub series. Yet,
it's also a really sleazy exploitation movie with loads of naked
skin and sexual situations, not to mention the tons of abuse carried
out on the poor women who serve as little more than window dressing
for the story. And underneath all that, there's a tender story
about a gruff loner learning to become a father figure to a lonely,
young boy. Sure, he killed the kid's real father, but don't let
that bother you. It certainly didn't bother Nanu!
Those looking for another entertaining
Sonny Chiba romp will not be disappointed with Karate Warriors.
The man does his usual thing here, but is actually given a character
with a little more depth than you'd expect. Chiba deftly switches
modes: he's equally believable in the tender father-son moments
as he is during the wrathful bloodletting scenes. Not many actors
can do all that, and have their performance transcend cheesy English
dubbing. When compared to a more prestigious film, Karate Warriors
probably seems like total crap, but it's enjoyable crap nonetheless.
(Calvin McMillin, 2003)
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