Kill and Kill Again
release year: 1981
genre: martial arts
viewing setting: home DVD, 7/24/04
synopsis: An eccentric billionaire has set up a remote island compound and is plotting to rule the world; the only hope of stopping him rests with acrobatic martial artist Steve Chase and his team of karate experts.
impressions: This is a perfect example of a low-budget martial-arts film that's half-fun, half-stupid. For one thing, every single combatant in the movie is apparently supposed to know karate, even the lowliest evil henchman or most random bar patron. For another thing, every time Steve Chase hits or kicks someone, he exclaims "Eee-yah!" and this just gets funnier and funnier as the movie progresses. For a third thing, a couple members of his team aren't even martial artists, just brawlers or strong guys. For a fourth thing, the billionaire-tyrant Marduk is wearing the worst fake beard ever seen in a movie. The basic concept of the private army of martial-arts goons was done better in Enter the Dragon. Near the end, there's a series of contests where each good guy has to fight some bad guy, and it's pretty corny. Still, this movie holds a special place in the hearts of my brothers and me; when it came on HBO in the early 1980s, we watched it over and over again, then ran around the house attacking things while shouting "Eee-yah!"
things to watch for: the fight in the bar, or the fight by the truck
something this movie has that no other movie has: a big, ripped, grey-haired #1 evil henchman called the Optimus
acting: I'm not sure if it's an accent issue or dubbing, but James Ryan's speech in this one was weird. I'm sorry to say, but the guy who played head bad guy Marduk radiated no menace or threat whatsoever.
interesting trivia: The actors who played Gypsy (Norman Robinson) and the Fly (Stan Schmidt) are both highly-ranked South African karate masters. The guy who played Marduk first saw fame in the early 1950s as the baby Little Ricky in I Love Lucy.
final word: Cheesy but fun to watch.
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