2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Shihomi Etsuko Bloodbath, August 3, 2003
This review is from: Sister Streetfighter (DVD)
This was the first in a series of movies that went under the title of "Onna hissatsu-ken," or "Lethal Fist of the Woman," intended to showcase the talents of Shihomi Etsuko, a female Japanese martial artist trained in Shaolin Kenpo. It is not a Sonny Chiba film, and as other reviewers have pointed out, he only has a small part.
That said, the movie is best enjoyed on its own campy terms. It takes itself perfectly seriously, although it's nothing more than a pastiche of elements swiped from contemporary Hong Kong films-- and pretty much every villain tries his level best to imitate Bruce Lee's deadpan fighting style. In true Japan style, however, the fights are over the top, extremely bloody, and sometimes just ridiculous. In short, it's hilarious. The fights get more and more brutal (and laughable) as the day-glo blood pours. This movie is sure to satisfy those looking for surreal, cheesy fun, but certainly won't appeal to people looking for a high-quality martial arts film. I really enjoy watching the star, since she always manages to appear so sincere in her roles and isn't a bad martial artist. Sadly, her talents were squandered in increasingly formulaic and silly movies.
Please note that I can't vouch for the quality of this release, since I've only seen the Japanese original.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kazuhiko Yamaguchi's Sister Street Fighter, May 31, 2002
While bearing little to no resemblance to the three Sonny Chiba/Street Fighter films, this last entry is the best in the series.
The simplistic plot is: Shihomi goes to find her missing brother, an undercover agent kidnapped by drug smugglers. She begins to nose around, and incurs the wrath of the main dope fiend and his silly henchmen. They smuggle heroin to the rest of the world in wigs. Her uncle rats her out, thanks to a convenient rape of his daughter, and she is thought dead, but comes back in time to find her brother and defeat the army of villains, with the chauvinist help of Sonny Chiba.
I do not think this was an official "Street Fighter" entry because Chiba has a handful of scenes, and his character's name is different from the first three films. The karate school and its instructor, all major forces in the first three films, has been replaced by a different instructor and karate school (which has a swastika as its emblem, I know it was a religious symbol first, but it is still unsettling). Chiba's role is a glorified cameo, and he spends most of his screen time telling various women their place is in the kitchen.
Shihomi, who had a tiny part in the third film, and was killed off early, is excellent here. This is not exactly Lady Macbeth, but she is cute and can kick the sushi out of any man around. The film has more fight scenes than the first three films combined, the action is literally non-stop.
The silly villains look like they stepped out of an old 1960's "Batman" episode. They have colorful names like Hammerhead, and wear shiny costumes and silly phallic helmets that are more funny than threatening. Another weak scene is the graphic rape scene. While Sue's uncle is forced to watch, his daughter is raped by a giggling fat guy so the uncle will rat out Shihomi. The whole film is very violent, but this little piece of ugliness was completely uncalled for. Also, where is it written that all police and detectives must meet their informants in strip clubs, just so we have to see bare breasts? Just wondering, since even this foreign made film gets into the same routine.
This is definitely the best of the series, and I even think it can be watched by anyone who has not seen the first three films in the series, you will no find any closure here. Sister is doing it for herself!
Rated (R) for strong physical violence, gun violence, sexual violence, female nudity, some sexual content, and drug references.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
70s Chop Socky at its GREATEST, July 6, 2003
This review is from: Sister Streetfighter (DVD)
Martial arts film is a beautiful genre. Seagal, Van Damme, they've ruined it, made it into the "action movie", which [is bad].
Sister Street Fighter is a VERY good 70s martial arts film, starring Sue Shiomi. It is very stylish, with good cinematography, and well-choreographed fight scenes. This is some of the last and greatest kung-fu filmmaking. Sonny Chiba has about 3 fight scenes (he is not the star), all of which rock. Your basic kidnap/revenge plot... there are FIGHTING AMAZONS...!!!! Not a waste of money, despite what that narcoleptic guy said.
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