American-made martial arts films have always been mixed bags for me. Despite having the generally insubstantial plots and the low-budget values of HK kung-fu films, they just don't have the same breakneck excitement. One could say that American companies and filmmakers just don't know how to film a good fight sequence or simply don't think that audiences want to see them (and I think there's evidence for both those assertions). On the other hand, Hollywood knows how to put together a good blow 'em up action flick, which is probably why my favorite movies from Western martial arts stars like Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal have less emphasis on fighting and more on Die Hard-style antics.

But even though the day of the American martial arts star has long since passed, there's still a number of them making direct-to-video films for a large number of hardcore fans.....erm, well, for someone out there. Somebody wants to see Don "The Dragon" Wilson beat up another bunch of yokels in Bloodfist XXI, right? Well, this film I've got for you today is the mid 90's actioneer Superfights: The Movie, considered by American martial arts enthusiasts as one of the best of its kind. For that reason, I'm more disappointed with it than I might've otherwise been.

Jack Cody (Brandon Gaines, in his first & only film) is a hopeful, skinny lad. He likes to hang out at a martial arts tournament that holds regular exhibitionist combat matches known as the Superfights, essentially the drooling & inbred offspring of the WWF and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Jack trains hard because he wants to became a Superfighter himself someday. One of the more entertaining scenes in the film shows Jack honing his skills by attacking a dangerous group of mannequins in a training setup at a warehouse.

One day, Jack happens upon a gang trying to rob a young Chinese woman, Sally (Yu Feihong from The Joy Luck Club), at an ATM machine. What better time is there for a good, old fashion asswhuppin'? After Jack skillfully pimps the gang members, he drives Sally back to her house and she invites him in to see her grandfather. As the Law Of Stock Movie Characters clearly states, elderly Asian men make the best martial artists. When Sally's grandfather (Patrick Lung-Kong) hears of what happened, he angrily points out that Sally could've been hurt and demands that Jack show off some moves. This is led up to by the best exchange in the entire movie:


Sally's grandfather: "You're a fighter? What style?"

Jack: "All kinds of styles."

Sally's grandfather: "What style? Don't try to con me."

Jack: "I use whatever works.....karate, kung-fu, kickboxing..."

Sally's grandfather: "Bullsh*t!"


After coming back home, Jack discovers that a camera next to the ATM machine filmed the entire fight and that he's become a hero in the eyes of the local media. This brings him to the attention of Superfights promoter Robert Sawyer (Keith Vitali, from Wheels On Meals). Rob has been looking for a new star for the Superfights tournament and Jack is it. Confronted with the chance to make his dreams come true, Jack quickly accepts Rob's offer to enter the ring. Jack is assigned a personal trainer, the bodybuilder Angel (Kelly Gallant), who seems to want more than just a few workout sessions.

With that out of the way, we get to the important question: how good are the fights? They're alright. Better than Van Damme and Seagal fare but not up to the high standards of HK movies. Brandon Gaines is a fairly acrobatic guy and it's kind of fun to watch him flip out. Keith Vitali even does his best to ape Ken Lo's fancy footwork from Drunken Master 2. Other people fare less well as they don't seem to be martial artists at all. But it's nice to see a fightin' flick that, unlike most films of this ilk these days, doesn't rely extensively on wire work to make people defy the laws of gravity.

I've seen a number of flicks that have had their plots given away by trailers, internet film news sites, smarmy movie critics and the like but Superfights: The Movie is the only one I can think of that telegraphs its plot developments with its own theme song! Before you get into the meat of things, you hear this cheesy tune with lyrics about drugs, greed, extortion and lots of other bad things that haven't even happened yet!

Bad acting is a patented trademark of American martial arts films because the main characters tend not to be actors at all. Superfights serves up a heap of this for all those who want it and the performances are accentuated by the script. One scene, which looks to be inspired by Rocky, really stacks on the Cheese Whiz. It shows the new hero Jack jogging around the city and being greeted by construction workers, children on a schoolbus ("It's him! Hey, Jack! Can we have your autograph?!"), and others as he passes them by. Also failing to provide any real payoff are two minor subplots: one involving a guy in a ninja uniform trying to warn Jack about corruption in the Superfights and another about Jack's childhood hero, another Superfighter who disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Superfights has a very similar feel to another, older American film, No Retreat, No Surrender, a Corey Yuen-directed feature in which a kid trains under the ghost of Bruce Lee to beat up Jean-Claude Van Damme. Hey, I don't make this stuff up. Both were written by Keith W. Strandberg and develop more or less in the same way. If you like one, you'll probably like the other. There's also another film featuring the same crew and some of the same cast as Superfights called Bloodmoon, which is said to be the twin of this film. Call your friends over and watch all three for a veritable Keith W. Strandberg film fest!

While Superfights doesn't really impress me, it is better than squirming through a movie with Billy Blanks or Jeff Speakman. But it's not up to the level of the best American martial arts film, Steve Wang's Drive starring Mark Dacascos. If you have to see a direct-to-video flick, that's definitely the one to get. But fans of low-budget action films might still enjoy Superfights: The Movie so I'll recommend it on that basis.

Disclaimer: I apologize for mentioning Jean-Claude Van Damme no less than three times. It won't happen again.



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older
Special Effects: Well at least you can't see the strings