Bloodfist (1989) on Netflix
Retired kickboxer Jake Raye learns his half-brother Michael is dead in Manila. He stays in the Philippines to hunt the killer, and a trainer, Kwong, points him toward the Red Fist tournament.
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Trailer
Plot summary
Jake Raye is a retired kickboxer living in the United States, where he runs a self-defense class with Hal. Word comes from the police in the Philippines: his half-brother Michael, a fellow fighter, is dead, and someone must collect the body in Manila. Jake makes the trip, then decides to stay and find the man who killed him. A trainer named Kwong offers to get him ready, and he tells Jake that the killer will likely show up at the Ta-Chang, or Red Fist tournament, a gladiatorial competition where only the winner walks out alive. Jake trains under Kwong and enters the field.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Bloodfist (1989)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Roger Corman cast Don "The Dragon" Wilson as Bloodfist's star after his staff surveyed martial arts publications' fighter rankings; he left a message on Wilson's answering machine asking if he was the kickboxing champ, and hired him after he recited a handful of lines.
- Billy Blanks won his Bloodfist role by chance: he was the bodyguard of actress Catherine Bach, who was contracted for a film in the Philippines, and met director Terence H. Winkless in their hotel disco, landing the part on the spot.
- To promote Bloodfist, Concorde printed a quote from World Kickboxing Association president Howard Hanson on the poster claiming Don Wilson would beat Jean-Claude Van Damme in one round, and Roger Corman challenged Van Damme to a $100,000 fight with Wilson.
- Bloodfist used cameras dating back to local producer Cirio Santiago's father, including a 1946 Mitchell whose outdated viewfinder kept director Terence H. Winkless from seeing exactly what was being captured, and which was so unwieldy that a "camera lifter" was credited for carrying it.
- Director Terence H. Winkless asked for cameras fitted with crystal sync motors to offset the limitations of HMI lights; the request was approved but the equipment never arrived, leaving visible flicker in late arena scenes.
- The Hong Kong mountain temple of the original script was replaced with the Taal Volcano, which Don Wilson is seen climbing in the final film; the helicopter needed to film his ascent was available for only about an hour.
- Bloodfist launched Don Wilson as a staple of the 1990s independent action film market, and co-star Billy Blanks moved into leading roles within a few years, most notably for Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment.
