ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 10, 1996 TAG: 9602130134
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: It Came from the Video Store
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
This week, the subject is action, and the news is good. A martial-arts cult hit from the 1970s has finally arrived on video, and so has a new film that turns out to be a genuine sleeper.
Over the years, "The Street Fighter" has developed quite a reputation. It was made in 1975 and has been seen in theaters specializing in martial-arts films, at festivals or on tape in a 77-minute, R-rated version.
Now for the first time, it's available in all its rude, full-length (91-min.) glory, and the film lives up to its billing. It's everything that a martial arts flick is supposed to be - violent, inventive, excessive and never boring.
Sonny Chiba plays Terry Tsuguri, a free-lancer who will do just about any job for a price. He's an amoral, cranky loner with no loyalty to any person, group or cause. Of course his employers - gangsters, corporations and others of their ilk - seldom keep their word and so Terry is forced to take matters into his own hands. The results are nasty.
This wildly plotted tale highlights the connections and similarities between Asian martial-arts movies and Italian spaghetti Westerns. They share the same cinematic values and deliver the same visceral kicks. As a star, Chiba is a more expressive and physically powerful Charles Bronson. With his rolling eyeballs and Elvisian sneer, he's a commanding screen presence. And when he goes into his elaborate breathing routine in preparation for most of the big fights - swelling chest, flaring nostrils, lots of snorting - it sounds like he's hawking up the world's biggest loogie.
Tasteful? Of course not! And there's a hint of racism to the film, too, but it charges along with such reckless energy that criticism on those points is meaningless. This is an action movie, no more and certainly no less.
By the way, the film is being released on tape with its three sequels at the unusually low price of $9.98 each. "The Street Fighter Collector's Edition," nicely letterboxed to show all the action, is $19.95. The set of four runs $39.98.
Initially, "Men of War" appears to be just another formula shoot-'em-up, but a glance into the fine print of the credits reveals that it's something more. First, the script was co-written by John Sayles; second, it was directed by Perry Lang, who's often worked with Sayles as an actor and writer. Sayles is best known these days for his own serious work - "Matewan," "Eight Men Out" - but he got his start in the business writing low-budget movies for Roger Corman. Sayles knows how to tell a story quickly and economically, and that's exactly what he does here. In terms of moving the plot along, there's barely a wasted frame of film or word of dialogue.
That story concerns ex-Special Forces mercenary Nick Gunner (Dolph Lundgren) who's recruited off a snowy Chicago street to destabilize the government of a small island somewhere in the China Sea. His slick corporate employers are coy about their reasons.
No matter. Gunner reluctantly accepts and, in a sequence pulled straight from "The Seven Samurai," puts together the usual motley crew of colorfully off-beat characters. Before they reach the island, they run afoul of Gunner's old enemy Keefer (Trevor Goddard), a scenery-chomping, bare-chested villain who really cuts loose and steals the film.
As for the rest of the story, the less said the better. The humanism that's always so strong in Sayles' work is much in evidence. Lundgren has grown from his early roles as musclebound beefcake and is effective in the lead. He gets a lot of help from a fine supporting cast including B.D. Wong, Zeus "Tiny" Lister, Charlotte Lewis, Kevin Tighe and Catherine Bell.
In his previous directorial effort, "Little Vegas," Lang showed an affinity for character-based comedy. Here he seems just as comfortable with action scenes played out on a human scale.
"Men of War" delivers everything that fans of the genre want to see with some unexpected substance, too.
Next week: Assertive women on video!
Got a question about home video or film? Contact Mike Mayo at P.O. Box 2491; Roanoke, VA 24010, or by e-mail at 75331.2603compuserve.com
New release this week:
Virtuosity *** 1/2
Starring Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe. Directed by Brett Leonard. Paramount. 95 min. Rated R for graphic violence, strong language, nudity.
This is the best sci-fi shoot-'em-up since "Robocop." In fact, comparisons to the original "Terminator" aren't out of order. It's fast-paced, violent and well-acted with intelligence and dark humor laced through the action. Director Leonard builds on some of the same gimmicks he used in "Lawnmower Man," to tell a much more interesting and well-constructed story. The stars are better than the excellent effects.
The Essentials:
The Street Fighter *** 1/2 New Line. 91 min. Unrated, contains graphic violence, implied rape, strong language.
Men of War *** 1/2 Dimension (Buena Vista). 102 min. Rated R for strong language, violence, brief nudity, sexual content.
LENGTH: Medium: 94 linesby CNB