Bullet Points: Bloodfist II
In this installment of Bullet Points I will be reviewing a movie from Don “The Dragon” Wilson’s Bloodfist series. In all, there were eight Bloodfist movies released between the years 1989 and 1996, making Bloodfist the action movie equivalent of Friday the 13th.
- The Set Up: Wilson plays Jake “The Dragon” Raye a champion kickboxer who retires from the sport after he accidentally kills his opponent in the ring. One night while shacking up with a hooker, Jake receives a call from his former corner man and fellow fighter Vinny Petrello (Maurice Smith). Vinny tells Jake that he’s in over his head with gambling debts and that he needs Jake to come to Manila to help him ASAP. Jake reluctantly agrees and gets a little preachy with his friend about his gambling problems, but says he’ll help him this one last time… then Mr. Preachy pays the whore he was with. #GlassHouses
- The Premise: That first Bullet Point was aptly named, because Vinny’s gambling debt story was all an elaborate ruse to get Jake Raye to Manila. Vinny is working for an evil man named Su. Su is rich and has his own island that he named Paradise. Can I just say that Paradise is one of the most unoriginal names for an island and also the name of Bulletproof Action contributor Matt Spector’s favorite Willie Aames movie, but I digress. Raye is one of many world class competitors who Su has brought to his island. And now would be the perfect time for a POP QUIZ! Why did Su bring all these fighters to his private island? A) To have them fight to the death for his wealthy friends. B) To grant the wish of a dying child who wanted to meet all of the world’s finest kickboxers or C) For a Men of Kickboxing Calendar photo shoot? If you answered A you are correct.
- All His Rowdy Friends: It didn’t take long for me to pick up on the fact that this movie was a chance for Don “The Dragon” Wilson to get all his kickboxing buddies some work in the movies. The opening credits feature the fighting credentials of Wilson, Maurice Smith, Richard Hill, James Warring and Tim Baker. Those credentials tell the viewers two things… 1) They will see some quality fighting and 2) They will see some sub par acting.
- Those Damn Drugs: Like many action movie sequels, to keep things fresh Bloodfist II incorporates a drug themed storyline. This was a gimmick used by movies like Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection and Death Wish 4: The Crackdown. The drugs in use in Bloodfist II are of the performance enhancing variety. Su’s crack staff of scientists have developed an undetectable steroid. That means those who drink it down (that’s right, no injections) have the competitive edge and can’t be busted for juicing. This allows Wilson to get preachy again and speak out against performance enhancers.
Bloodfist II was not the greatest Don “The Dragon” Wilson movie I’ve ever watched, but it was also not the worst. It was your average kickboxing to the death type movie of its time and if you are fan of that type of movie or of Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Bloodfist II is worth checking out.
And before I check out, here are a few bonus Bloodfist II Bullet Points…
- Goodbye Jake Raye: Bloodfist II would mark the final appearance of the character Jake Raye. Wilson would go on to star in the other 6 Bloodfist movies all as different characters.
- Opening Shot: The movie opens on a shot of Jake Raye’s boxing glove with blood on it. Bloodfist! GET IT??
- Manila Tourism: If I were the people over at the Manila Board of Tourism, I would suggest not using Bloodfist II in their promotional material to encourage tourists to their part of the world. When Jake arrives in Manila he seems to get into one fight after another. After watching the film I decided that I would never travel to Manila as I’m not a fan of pain or being hospitalized.
- Favorite Quote: “I hear that! They were on my ass like flies on sh*t!”
- Impaling Alert: When one of the fighters tries to get out of Su’s fight to death, one of Su’s guards throws a spear at him providing the audience with a damn good impaling death.
- No Time For Love Dr. Jones: While Indiana Jones may not have had time for love in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Jake Raye managed to squeeze in a little make out session with Mariella (Rina Reyes) while the two were sneaking around Su’s compound and trying to rescue Jake’s fellow fighters.
