Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Ring of Fire was Don Wilson’s first starring role outside of the Bloodfist series, and by that his first starring role in a movie not produced by Roger Corman, instead this was produced by Joseph Merhi, the Executive producer of Jean Claude Van Damme’s 1999 western Desert Heat. Funnily enough, his movies can often be found in the same places as Corman’s – the budget DVD section and Car Boot sales. By now Don had tacked ‘The Dragon’ onto his name, for some sort of effect.

The movie tells the tale of Dr. Johnny Woo (Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson – Bloodfist). Johnny lives with his cousin Terry (Steven Vincent Leigh – Death Match) and his Aunt Mei (Jane Chung – Fatal Beauty) in Los Angeles. Aunt Mei owns a restaurant in Chinatown, and Terry takes part in underground kickboxing fights between his Chinatown gang and a gang from Venice Beach, led by the crazy Brad (Dale Jacoby – No Retreat, No Surrender). Brad’s sister Julie (Maria Ford – Deathstalker IV) is engaged to his fellow gang member Chuck (Vince Murdocco – Kickboxer 2), but she hates their constant fighting tournaments.

Constantly on Johnny’s back about his cousin’s gang problems is Lopez (Michael Delano – Ring of Fire 3: Lion Strike), a cop who believes Johnny is helping the gang out.
By chance, Johnny meets Julie at Aunt Mei’s restaurant and the two instantly hit it off. Julie leaves behind a flyer for a fancy dress ball, which Johnny naturally picks up and makes plans to attend.
The next day, Brad and Co attacks Terry’s friend Kwong (Eric Lee – Bloodsport 2: The Next Kumite) and leave him hospitalised.
At the ball, Chuck snubs Julie in favour of chatting with Brad. At which point she takes a dance with Johnny, who is hilariously dressed as the phantom of the Opera, but when Chuck finds out, he goes bats, and Johnny finds himself faced with their whole gang until Terry and company crash the party to save him.
Terry and gang then head to Venice, to beat up Bud(Gary Daniels - Riot), one of Brad’s gang, when he finds out, he goes mental, and him and his crew head to Chinatown for a fight with Terry. After a huge street brawl, the cops arrive and everyone has to scarper, Terry and Brad decide to settle this once and for all, in the ring.
Meanwhile, Johnny and Julie have been getting very close, but we learn that Brad would never accept him, because he is Asian. You see, Brad has a thing against Asians, because their father was killed in Vietnam.
After noticing Terry has been training more, Johnny confronts him and finds out the truth about the fight with Brad. Johnny tries to talk him out of it, but Terry refuses, because he doesn’t want to lose face. Johnny suggests that he should tell Brad the only way he will fight is the way of the ancients, because surely Brad isn’t crazy enough to do that, so it will be he who loses face.
While Johnny is making love to Julie, the fighters meet at a clearing and Terry makes his proposition. To his surprise, Brad accepts. When Johnny tells Julie what Terry is doing, she panics, because she knows Brad will accept, so the two race to the battleground, where Terry and Brad are squaring off with the resin and smashed glass gloves in a ring of fire. But they get there just as Brad hits Terry a fatal blow in the neck.

It’s then set for Johnny to face off against Brad in the final battle for revenge…


Now, Ring of Fire is the most misleading title this movie could have possibly been given. The fight, which isn’t even the climatic battle, that takes place in the ring of fire, and is incredibly short.
In fact classing this as a martial arts movie is quite misleading, seeing as it focuses more on the love story between Don Wilson and Maria Ford than it does anything else.
The few fights there are are pretty good, but they are so short and sparse that you can’t help but feel a bit shortchanged. The fact that Wilson, the movie’s selling point, only takes part in one of them further hurts the movie. Although I did like the somersault kick Vince Murdocco pulled off in the first fight though.

The acting is what you would expect from this type of movie, passable but no one here is going to be winning any awards any time soon. I cant help but wonder why they even give Don’s character a name in each movie he stars in, seeing as they all seem to be the same character he is playing.
Far more offensive is the wardrobe/haircuts. Without actually printing “THIS WAS MADE IN THE LATE EIGHTIES/EARLY NINETIES” in large letters across the top of the screen, the fashions in this movie are the most effective way of getting the above statement through to the viewers.

The music, like the acting, is passable, but unmemorable.

The thing that most annoys me about Ring of Fire, is that it could easily have been quite a good movie. The racism of the white gang could have been used better, and the Romeo and Juliet love story would have been more acceptable had they made the fight scenes a bit lengthier. Actually having the last fight in the way of the ancients would also have made the movie far more enjoyable.

Ring of Fire, is essentially a by the numbers love story about two lovers who have family in opposing gangs, in the guise of a martial arts movie. Its kind of like those movies where Jean Claude Van Damme tried to act more and use less martial arts, but Wilson tried in the earliest part of his career, and the guy isn’t as good an actor as Van Damme.

Like Bloodfist, this isn’t a terrible movie, its just by no means very good. Its also infuriating to buy what you think is a straight up martial arts movie and get some love story with a few martial arts bits thrown in.
This went on to spawn 2 sequels, neither of which Iv seen, but I know that the Dragon returns for both of them.


Year: 1991
Titles: Ring of Fire

Related Reviews
Ring of Fire 2: The Rage
Ring of Fire 3: Lion Strike

Recommended: No

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age