Bullet Points: Bloodmoon
Gary Daniels was born in London, England on May 9, 1963. Daniels’ love of the martial arts took hold at an early age, when he found himself, like many people around the world, enamored with Bruce Lee. This lead to Daniels studying kung fu and then eventually embarking on an in ring kickboxing career.
As he continued to excel in the world of competitive kickboxing, including winning the Professional Karate Association Light Heavyweight Kickboxing Championship, Daniels began getting small roles in television and movies. Once he retired from the ring, he began to pursue acting full time and he became a major player in the world of direct to video action movies in the 1990’s… including a movie he did with the Seasonal Film Corporation in 1997, Bloodmoon…
- Killed in Combat: The movie opens up in a boxing gym located in New York City… as the sun sets and the moon rises, Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion Eddie Cunningham (Hakim Alston, U.S. Seals II) finds himself training alone in the gym… or so he thought. A mysterious masked man (credited as The Killer) shows up, challenging Cunningham and a few minutes later killing him in brutal fashion (living up to his credited name)… Cunningham is the third in a series of deaths targeting combat sports athletes. The detective investigating these murders is Detective Chuck Baker (Chuck Jeffreys, Lockdown)… Baker is not your typical detective… he’s a motorcycle ridin’, wheelie poppin’, magician and he gives off a real Axel Foley vibe (a Chuck Jeffreys signature).
- And Then There Were Four: When Tough Man Champion Dutch Schultz becomes the fourth combatant to end up dead at the hands of The Killer, Baker’s boss Chief Hutchins (Frank Gorshin, Sweet Justice) orders Baker to see if he can’t lure out the best homicide detective the department ever had out of retirement… that retired detective is Ken O’Hara (Gary Daniels, Recoil). But O’Hara does not seem interested in returning to the job. O’Hara is a man still dealing with a lot of baggage from the last case he was on before leaving the force… plus, Baker didn’t make the best first impression when found himself in the middle of an argument between O’Hara and his estranged wife. So it is no surprise when Ken O’Hara not so politely turns down the chance to return to active duty.
- Turning Point: While Chuck Baker may not have been able to convince Ken O’Hara to come out of retirement, The Killer manages to indirectly do so when he kills O’Hara’s sensei, Master Takaido… I would like to point out that in addition to his murder skills, The Killer is something of a tech junkie and actually broadcasts his dojo fight with Takaido directly to the police using some sort of cellphone in a briefcase hooked up to a camcorder…. O’Hara wanting to bring the man who killed his teacher to justice, agrees to come back to work. Chief Hutchins is thrilled to have O’Hara back in the fold… but Chuck Baker is on the opposite end of the spectrum. Baker’s issues with O’Hara stem partly from their first meeting, but mostly because he believes O’Hara is a coward who ran away from the job.
- To Catch a Killer: After a rough start, O’Hara and Baker eventually get on the same page… they even get some help from Master Takaido’s adopted daughter Kelly. The trio find the connection that all of The Killer’s victims have… they all competed in a special Masters Challenge tournament that had representatives from all the major combat sports including The Killer. The Killer was played by the late Darren Shahlavi (Kickboxer: Vengeance) in what was one of his biggest roles. Shahlavi proved he was born to be bad in this one as he gave off a great villainous presence. That aura along with his martial arts expertise makes The Killer in Bloodmoon one of my favorite Shahlavi roles. The Killer (while not the greatest character name) was a great character that was always a few steps ahead of the police in this menacing game of murder. And in the third act when The Killer changes the rules of his own game and targets Kelly and then O’Hara’s family… you know a sweet ass showdown is not far behind!
The Seasonal Film Corporation went with the quality over quantity approach when they began producing movies for the American audience. They didn’t make a ton, but still by the time Bloodmoon was released in 1997, Seasonal had developed a track record of some highly entertaining movies. These movies appealed to martial arts action fans, not only in the United States, but the world over and Bloodmoon was no exception.
There’s no exception to my rule that all my reviews must end with some Bonus Bullet Points…
- Familiar Faces: Seasonal Films favorite, Keith Vitali (No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers) had a small role as a beach bum in the movie. Vitali also received a co-producer credit on the film… Professional wrestler Rob Van Dam (Superfights), played tough man champion Dutch Schultz. I have it on good authority that Darren Shahlavi was not a fan of how snug Van Dam worked during their fight scene. Speaking of Van Dam…
- If You Ever: …wanted to see RVD make out with a chick on top of a pinball machine, then this is the movie for you.
- Montage Alert: After Ken O’Hara makes a phone call to his estranged wife Megan, sharing that he wants to make things work, we are treated to a “getting the family back together” montage as Ken, Megan and their daughter Lauren enjoy a day at the amusement park.
- Written By: Keith W. Strandberg was the creative mastermind behind Bloodmoon. Strandberg was Seasonal’s go to guy utlizing his writing skills in seven of their films including No Retreat, No Surrender and American Shaolin.
- Out of Context Quote: “Pretty slick for an old retired dick.”
