When I was growing up in Jamaica, the local cinema would host a decent feature or two six days out of the week. On Friday nights, however, they had something that was nicknamed "Garden Boy Night." Friday night was a night when you wouldn't see too many women in the cinema, just a bunch of guys in varying degrees of rowdiness. The entire cinema would be full.

The reason was that the presentation for the night would be a triple-bill. The movies could be anything from a triple shot of blaxploitation to a mix of that with kung-fu and horror. It was like getting the drive-in without the car, and it could be n absolute hoot.

THE STREET FIGHTER is one of thoe movies that passed through Garden Boy Night, of course (I managed to miss it because I didn't always go, and wasn't always in the country anyway.) I can imagine the applause, hoots, and howls it would have gotten.

The film is very simple -- Terry (Sonny Chiba), a mercenary, is hired to spring karate killer Junjoun from prison before he hangs. He does this, ends up being gypped out of his fee, and sets out to kick buttock as a result. There's another storyline mixed in, involving Terry protecting an heiress, but both are blended together quickly enough so as to keep the field clear for a variety of tail-kicking, eye-gouging, throat-tearing, skull-crushing, and bloodletting. In the finish we're left with Terry and a couple of survivors, as well as a promise of more of the same in the sequel -- good thing they make this point, as Terry is swaying staggering all over, and seems likely to kick the bucket any second now.

With the right group of friends along, this could be part of a goofy night's entertainment (just note that there is a scene of (attempted?) rape that ought to cause some disturbance; alas, the Japanese seem to have a preoccupation with this.) It's fun in a group situation to make fun of witless sidekick Ratnose, who's one of those irritating Japanese comedy sidekick characters that don't translate outside of Japan.

Brentwood have recently released a bargain DVD that has been turning up in some K-Mart stores. Picture and sound aren't the best, but it's watchable (though I would hesitate to slap it onto a 60" screen.) There will probably be a better edition at some point, from Image or from New Line, but improving the quality with this film seems somewhat of a moot point. I mean, why bother?!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age
Special Effects: Well at least you can't see the strings