Don the Dragon — Not a Man to Be Trifled With

Bloodfist 2 follows the formula of Bloodsport and so many other 1980’s martial arts films — an underground fighting ring leads to deadly consequences and (gasp) criminal elements, and our heroes must kick their way to freedom, justice, the American way, et al.

If Don “The Dragon” Wilson’s name sounds familiar, it should — the man has 30+ movies to his credit, each more spectorqular than the last.

What really makes this movie stand out (in a subgenre that was overused on a level that is almost without rival–well, short of the current use of the “ultrareal” horror movie, or the faux documentary tv comedy) is the little details:

+ Maurice Smith — more or less a poor man’s Jim Kelly (e.g. a large, buffed-out black dude) playing “Vinny Petrello” in a role we’re guessing wasn’t written expressly for him.

+ Don The Dragon’s mid-fight rant on the dangers of using drugs and fighting. That’s right — the man can kick ass and deliver a D.A.R.E. presentation at the same time.

+ The most protracted final pursuit of the main bad guy that’s ever been captured on film. Literally, the guy doesn’t give up until he’s hurled every object in the room (every planter, glass case, sculpture) at Don The Dragon.

+ A final kill that begs two questions:
(1) is it just an unwritten law that if you come at the good guy with a knife, you can’t just be subdued, but must be kicked off the balcony entirely?
(2) if you’ve been raised by a crooked, evil father, does watching him splat on the ground 6 inches from your feet mess you up more, or is the damage pretty much already as bad as it’s gonna get?

And finally, I’d like to toss out a Spectorqular endorsement for Showtime Extreme, which followed their 8pm showing of Bloodfist 2 with a 10:15 showing of Arnold’s The Last Action Hero (I still can’t believe they ever sold the studio on this movie–it really goes to show just how huge Arnold was).