No Surrender Cinema: Bloody Fists
Happy New Year, Cinemaniacs! Hopefully you’re all rested and recovered from your holiday festivities and ready to enjoy the latest edition of No Surrender Cinema! While some of you may still be nursing a hangover or are hitting the gym to get rid of those extra Christmas pounds, I’ll be starting the year off with Bloody Fists!
Not to be confused with any of the films from the long-running Bloodfist franchise that stars the legendary Don “The Dragon” Wilson (which I have covered many of right here in this very column!), Bloody Fists is another film from way back, 1972 to be more specific. Oddly enough, if you search for Bloody Fists on YouTube, some sneaky soul has uploaded Bloodfist V as a video titled Bloody Fists, but as much as I enjoy watching “The Dragon” open up a can of whoop ass, it was time for me to fall down the vintage Kung Fu rabbit hole yet again. Let’s see if I’ll be starting 2024 with a hidden gem a la Mean Streets of Kung Fu or He Has Nothing But Kung Fu or if I’ve gone to the Kung Fu well once too many times lately!
The film starts with a man attempting a robbery, only to be cornered by a squad of cops that come out of the bushes with guns drawn. This fugitive (as he describes himself) manages to take out the authorities (none of whom ever fire their gun!) and then maims his would be victim by striking him so hard his hand goes through his chest! The fugitive (played by Chen Sing, a stalwart of classic Kung Fu films like Mantis Combat along with “The Man” Barry Chan) is now on the run…or still on the run…either way, he winds up at a village led by the recently engaged Yu (Henry Yu Yang from The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin) and his brothers. It appears that the village is responsible for cultivating the “dragon herb” which can cure the plague, and the plant is highly sought after by a group of Japanese brought there by a villager who was previously cast out. When the Japanese group attempt to show Yu and his people that they won’t be taking no for an answer, The Fugitive intervenes, and he succeeds in making himself a target of the bad guys.
Just as The Fugitive (whose name is Jang Wu-dip according to IMDB) is unphased by the intimidation tactics of the Japanese group, the forces of evil don’t give up their mission so easily. Villagers are mercilessly attacked as they go to claim more herb, and one poor soul even has to deal with being struck by a primitive version of the “GET OVER HERE” attack made famous by Scorpion in Mortal Kombat! The Japanese’s continued pursuit of a takeover coincides with The Fugitive’s departure, but when The Fugitive falls ill with the plague, he’s taken in again by the village mute and his grandfather. Luckily, he’s able to recover thanks to the power of the dragon herb, and he recovers just in time for the shit to really hit the fan! The Japanese, fed up with the villagers’ lack of cooperation, have gone full blown evil. They torture villagers, they kidnap and rape Yu’s fiancé, and when they kill the young mute and his grandfather, that’s when The Fugitive literally leaps into action! Owing his life to the kindness of the villagers, The Fugitive becomes an avenging force sworn to save the village and keep the dragon herb from falling into the wrong hands.
Bloody Fists seems to be best known as an early work of Yuen Wo Ping, who choreographed the action here and went on to earn numerous accolades in both Hong Kong and Hollywood cinema, such as his work as action choreographer on several of The Matrix movies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and both Kill Bill films. Here, he keeps the action plentiful, and it’s used mainly as a vehicle to depict the sadistic nature of the Japanese group. This movie does not hold back on making them the most evil bastards possible, showing them repeatedly torturing and killing villagers, not to mention the sexual assault of Yu’s fiancé. Chen Sing gets to show his skills off several times, but the real spotlight doesn’t come until the climactic battle where he comes up against the core crew of villains on the beach who are led by Shaw Brothers legend Kuan Tai Chen (Crippled Avengers) Oh, and watch for his signature comb trick, which momentarily makes him look like a Kung Fu Fonzie before he resumes his ass-kicking ways.
There’s blood, there’s fists, and there are bloody fists, so the film makes good on its title’s promise. This one was a major departure from some of the recent Kung Fu fare I’ve watched, as there was nothing light-hearted about it (save for the brief comb bits). This one is as strict of a battle between good and evil as there ever was, ending on a bit of a downer. For as intense as the story may make things seem, the action matches up with the intensity, as every fight is shown to be a fight to the death, and Bloody Fists doesn’t hesitate to spare anyone’s life, no matter how important they may be to the story.
Available now on Tubi in their vast selection of classic Kung Fu, as well as on multiple DVD releases, Bloody Fists is strong on action, featuring some brutal fights and some of the most unlikable villains in genre history. It’s also a great look back at the early work done by several legendary figures from the Kung Fu world. Give this one a shot the next time you’re scrolling for some Kung Fu goodness, especially thanks to the epic feel given to the final fight.
