Golgo 13

Back again boys and girls. Hold your applause. After the last night's viewing of Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon, I was surprised to find out that it was in fact the sequel to the 1973 film. Now ordinarily I am aware of my detailed research of film facts but was stunned to find out Sonny Chiba filled in for a previous actor for the role. Meanwhile the manga and anime looks like Chiba only to now know that Ken Tarakura (The Yakuza and Black Rain) was the first man to handle the ArmaLite M-16. So with this revelation, I think it only appropriate to give the first film a viewing and see if the sequel surpassed it or at least, was equal to it. This is Golgo 13.

Hey! That's not Sonny Chiba!

 Now keep in mind the manga (Japanese comic or graphic novel) written and drawn by Takao Saito and first published in Shogakukan Big Comic Magazine has been in publication since 1968, making it the oldest manga still being produced. A quick bit of info. The code name of Golgo 13 for those that never have read the manga, Golgo is shorten from Golgotha, the place of Christ's crucifixion and referenced as the apostle Judas that hung the crown of thorns on Christ's brow. A bit dark I know.

Our anti-hero can handle a wide array of weapons such as: pistols, blades and his extensive martial arts. His specialty is a custom M16 rifle with scope where it is said, he never misses a target. So if you need his services typically you are looking a million dollars to peak his interest and best be wired to his Swiss bank account or half up front in cash.

An organization reaches out to Golgo to smoke a crime boss Boa (Ahmad Ghadakchian of The Hour of Calamity, Mirage, The Target, The Desire, The Red Line, Soil and Blood and The Escape), due to him and his chronies wiping out spies of various nations poking their noses in his business. With director of Bullet Train, Jun'ya Sato (The Private Police, Jitsuroku Shisetsu Ginza keisatsu, Manhunt, Never Give Up, G Men'82, Ku-kai and Lost in the Wilderness) this film proves he can do location, good blocking and create a complex story and appreciate the source material so far as to hire Takao Saito for the screenplay. Wise move.

Once again we are greeted with water crashing a beachhead with the Toei Company LTD logo proudly displayed. A common staple for this time. Right into a external night shot and THANK GOD not a Day for Night filter in sight! Praise God!

Our story starts in Tehran with a paranoid looking man, Evans (Ali Dehghan of A Man from the South of the City, In the Nick of Time, Entourage and Love and Violence) walking to an alley. Probably the last alley he will see. Methinks the white linen suit under the cover of dark might have pointed him out easily. With a gaggle of men pummeling the everloving crap out of this fellow, it is clear to even the most casual observer, that he is boned. After a mass beating, our white linen fellow bit off his own tongue to spare the secrets he had.

I brought a tiny man for our transaction. Is that weird?

 On to Beirut! With Evans gone; four men sent to the same assignment, all have turned up missing. Never a body to be found. After a heated debate and country borders as a problem, it is decided to just kill Boa rather than attempt another arrest. The call to Golgo 13 is out.

A teletype is going on as to establish Duke Togo's credibility, without knowledge of his birth place, nationality or even potential political ties. Seems dicey to me but hey, I'm not the guy hiring a hit man. A bit of subterfuge, Golgo sneaks in the hotel room these agents are housed in and makes sure they are on the up and up. Sneaky maneuver didn't endear him to everyone but the man is safety conscious and has made enough enemies over his tenure as a sniper, I don't blame him at all.

These Always commercials are confusing

Head of operations, Flanagan (Nosratallah Karimi of The Interim Husband, The Triple Bed, The Carriage Driver, Khane-kharab and The Uninvited Guest) tells Golgo why he is here and what the assignment is. Shockingly Boa is not an upstanding citizen but a trafficker of drugs, women and weapons. He is connected enough to have many subordinates posing as him, so Flanagan doesn't even know who the real Boa is. Should have watched a few minutes into the film, I could have told you. One more hurdle is Flanagan's secretary/agent is been dropped in Togo's lap. Now he has a babysitter Catherine (Pouri Baneai of The Black Suit Thief, Alley of Valiants, Golgo 13, Tovbekar, The Moon and a Mumur, Missile X: The Neutron Bomb Incident and Shirin) who is to take on the role of his wife as part of his cover. Apparently she is a full service girl. Um, I really don't know where to go from that, so new topic!

To add more salt to the wounds, an Inspector is trying to track down the missing girls, assumes Golgo is involved and keeps trying to arrest him.

We have car chases, gun fights, martial arts, a bit of nudity and a decent story. I would say that both this film and Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon is on par with each other. Ken and Sonny are both excellent for the cold calculating assassin and both exhibit some level of empathy that somehow hasn't been completely ebbed out of the soul of the character. Boa's men are thugs and sadists. Some delight at the opportunity to beat their victims, others are fair shots but most are just cannon fodder. With everyone wondering who is the real Max Boa, I say smoke them all and then trace phone calls.

Got to say I was impressed with the performance of this notorious assassin and Ken Takakura was pretty convincing as the cold blooded sniper.

Okay Rob Schneider, this is were you die!

Sister Street Fighter

And we are back ladies and gents. More Sonny Chiba coming at you in technocolor from the looks of it and recorded in mono from its mere sound. Well we are still with the Street Fighter series but shying away from Sonny's character Terry. What? But how can this be still Street Fighter without that key ingredient? Well relax your sphincters, folks and realize the wonders of....ALTERNATIVE TITLES!!!

Yes you knew that is always a possibility on this site that an alternative title chosen by foreign distribution is never far from my writing.I kid.  It appears to simply be a spin-off of the series.   Instead of the focus being around Sonny, a new challenger approaches!! Sue Shiomi takes the reins and boy it is going to be a helluva ride.

This is Sister Street Fighter.

Brown eyed bad ass.

Once again Toei Production brings another hard hitting, gory film of martial arts and yes I am watching the 86 minutes of uncut graphic violence that landed them yet another X rating. Yes this would hit NC-17 rating but we don't seem to have any directors up for this kind of violence anymore.

Kempo expert Lee Long (Hiroshi Miayauchi of Ramen Rider, Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, The War in Space, Supaidāman (1978-1979 Japanese Spider Man series), Renegade Ninjas and Kita no hotaru) is an undercover cop trying to find his way into the drug trafficking heroin ring from Japan to Hong Kong when he gets outed as a cop and taken away for questioning. Could have used those Escrima sticks that Kempo develops the fighting style with but hey I am not one to tell you how to run your undercover ID.

Mr. Miyagi is not amused.

The dummy corporation known as Central Export is under investigation attempting to link the heroin smuggling but no luck thus far, the Tokyo Police call in Tina Long (Sue Shiomi of Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon, Karate Bear Fighter, Message from Space, Shogun's Ninja, Fall Guy, Moon Mask Rider and The Shadow Army 3), petite and demure girl with the cutest dimples and some of the most nasty martial arts moves I have seen in a while. Wailing the monkey crap out of anyone laying hands on her, she is also experienced in thrown weapons, sais, nunkuku and improvised weapons.

As the assignment has gotten deadly, Tina reaches out to a Karate master for aid as the gangs are a bit more than one woman can handle. Personally I think they are outclassed but that's my take.

Pity that man.  He'll probably limp to the end of his days.

After an extensive fight with these leopard leotard clad hunnies flogging men and no this isn't some perverted thing I added (the film did that) a Kempo/Karate student teacher Sonny (yes Sonny Chiba) joins in the fray and goes sick house on these punks.

The members of the Yakuza feeling their heroin is in jeopardy hire the illusive Hammerhead and his mercenaries to deal with the “bitch”. Hope they're insured.

Will Tina and Sonny rescue Lee? Can the drug ring be smashed? Will Commissioner Gordon and Chief O' Hara still be baffled about these crimes?

This is a typical relative is in trouble/danger/captured and has to be rescued. That now known, holy crap Shiomi is downright terrifying. Snap and crane kicks to the likes of Chun Li of Street Fighter in the games. Sonny doesn't steal the show but will eclipse a few scenes. At the end of the day this is the Street Fighter film I recommend for many ages...of course there is extreme violence so again the kids probably shouldn't be watching.

Round kick of Doom!

Return of the Street Fighter

Howdy folk.  Need to apologize, the migraine fairy came to visit and short changed me any time at all to write.   That being said we move back to Sonny Chiba in the Street Fighter series again.  Yup, Terry Tsurguri is back in action, kicking ass and taking names again.   This time around, Terry has another interaction with the Yakuza and the fists go flying.  This is Return of the Street Fighter.

Are you calling me, pretty?

Sonny is back as Terry but we do not have that typical sequel that is bridging multiple added characters that are linked to the previous characters of the original.  In fact,  I think Terry is the only reprising character at all so that's one bullet dodged.  The story is a bit more simplistic as Terry looks into whether or not a charity cause is being looted from the Yakuza. 

With the police almost as corrupt as the Yakuza, Terry seems to be fighting both but concentrates his efforts on the Yakuza primarily.    There are several flashbacks from the original but unlike something like the Hills Have Eyes 2 were it felt like filler, these seem to either haunt Terry or are plaguing his mind at the time.  I mean you rip a guy's wang off in a fight, it should stay with you.   Oh sorry, was that spoilers from The Street Fighter??  Walk it off!!

Ryu wins!

I guess to compromise the previous flick's graphic violence, we get some nudity so yes titties for all and all a good night.   To be honest, nudity was a welcome exchange versus genitals getting ripped off.   Even with toning down the violence levels, this film was still rated X (NO NC-17 yet) and no one knew how to quantify the flicks' genre or sub-genre.

Again martial arts master is doing dirty deeds for the mob and offering up a series of ass whippings to anyone in his way.   The action is substantial, the voice dubbing is...okay it is really over the top most of the time and the scoring of the soundtrack is very 70s and rocking along.   Just watch it with subtitles.  Taking in all that, Terry seems a bit more tongue and cheek, almost a sense of humor since he murdered those men with his bare hands.   No clue if they were trying for less of an X rating or if they wanted to showcase that Chiba could take himself lightly.

Snow levels are always difficult.

Once again Toei Production put out some guerilla filming (gonzo or grindhouse) about taboo concepts and concerns with this film than most of their subgenre films.  We have Manga live action films, cop dramas, cartoons for children, sukeban (troubled teenage girl) women in prison films, Anime, thrillers, horror and even some comedy.

It kind of reminds me how many of the Paramount hated the Friday the 13th films and the money it and its sequels made them.  Maybe it is that way with Toei and the Street Fighter series.   I noticed New Line Cinema didn't mind the revenue.

Golgo 13: Assigment Kowloon

And we're back again.  Yeah two in a row, it must be confusing as hell.   Hello ladies and gents.   I will be pushing more Sonny Chiba on you and you're gonna take it.   Yeah that may have sounded a lot more filthy than intended.  Today's film is based on a Manga which has existed from creator Takao Saito of Big Comic since 1968.  This film is oddly enough the sequel to its predecessor that came out in 1973.   This is Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon.

The post office is gonna pay.

The previous movie had actor Ken Takakura of Manhunt, The Yellow Hankerchief, The Yakuza, Black Rain, Mr. Baseball, 47 Ronin and The Firefly as lead character Golgo 13/ Duke Togo.   This time we have Sonny Chiba, who honestly resembles the Manga character more so.  You'd swear they modeled Duke after Chiba.  Solid muscle yet lean build, piercing eyes and mirrored aviator's glasses.

Once again a Toei Production as so many drama and science fiction films in Japan, our hired killer is hired by an American mob to bump off Chou Lei Fang (Nick Lam Wai Kei of Dangerous Encounters, The Amazing Spider-Man, Stoner, Twisted Love and Mercenaries) , a key member of the same mob via Hong Kong branch. 

And what can you bring to this firm?

Concerned how public this assignment must be, Togo cases the location, checks wind and exit locations but notices a capable detective Smith (Lun Chia of Cold Blooded Murder, Qi wu shi, Killer Rose, The Lost Generation and Magnum Thunderbolt) trying to get Chou on drug trafficking charges.   He sent in his aid Lin Li (Etsuko Shiomi of Fall Guy, Moon Mask Rider, Kabamaru the Ninja, Legend of Eight Samurai, The Audition, Shadow Warriors IV and Cabaret)to infiltrate the drug trade but she is captured by Chou's men after she was wailing the monkey crap out of his men. 

Chou and Smith both are aware of the arrival of Golgo 13.   For Smith, Golgo 13 sniped a foreign diplomat he was protecting.  Trying to get his chief to arrest Chou for his own protection, the chief reluctantly agrees after Chou's presentation... the presentation that he is scheduled to most likely get shot at.  Derp!  Togo in position to take the shot but a white girl pops Chou before him and Togo knows now he's the fall guy.   He hightails it out, chucking his weapons and disappears.

Go Speed Racer GoooOOoo!!!

Chou's widow Leika (Dana of Infra-Man, Bruce Li in New Guinea, The Bamboo House, Miao Jie nu q and Wan Zai si tiao nu) clearly heartbroken over the death of her husband does the humpty dance with Togo as part of the grieving stage no doubt.  Duke "pumps" her for information ending that "interrogation" with a gun fight.

Can Golgo 13 find out who screwed him over?  How many more bodies ending up on the slab?

When you think about it, this is one of the first comic book movie with an R rating.  Suck it Deadpool!   


Rounding off at 83 minutes, mild nudity and a fair degree of gun and hand-to-hand violence, it's an impressive story, Chiba is a bad ass who even gets off one of those bullet through the telescope shots.  I had fun with this.  Hell the whole point of watching this flick is the the wharf fight scene alone.  Six toughs attempt to gut Togo and well...you have to see it to believe it.

Pushy waiter!  No tip!

The Street Fighter

Hey gang.  I'm back.  After the major SNAFU with the notebook, my folks were kind and thoughtful enough to loan me a laptop for better writing capabilities.  Today we are talking about a Japanese karate film.  Now if the martial arts movies are not your cup of tea, you will be disappointed with this write up.  If in fact you do enjoy this sort of thing, I must warn the women folk there are some disturbing context in this particular film.   Okay now that has been cleared up, I am on about one of cinema's finer martial artist bad asses, Sonny Chiba.  This is Street Fighter.

 Ming-Na Wen made an awesome Chun Li in spite of giving her a completely different backstory.

That is the face of a man with the most conflicting boner.

Okay don't abandon ship.  This is the 1974 action film not the unfortunate live-action film of 1994 with Van Damme.  That being said,

Our story begins with Terry Tsurugi (Sonny Chiba of Bullet Train, Karate Warriors, Doberman Cop, Sister Street Fighter, The Assassin and Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon),  a man for hire with exceptional Karate and Hapkido mixture.   Faking the death of a prisoner Junjo and sneaking him away from the cops, a pair of siblings that hired Terry are pleased with the news but uh oh they can't afford his prices.  Terry is unmoved by their pleas and tells them he'll just sell the sister to the sex trade.  Her brother attempts to combat Terry only to go flying out a window of about 5 stories and the girl is pawned off.   Our hero!  Okay that was actually all the real disturbing portion.

I make the same face when I am popping my back.

 














Later a young daughter of a recently deceased oil tycoon stands to inherit millions so the Yakuza (Japanese mafia for you lousy gajin.) decides to hire Terry to kidnap the girl and force her to sign over all her deeds to them.  Terry pitches them a price they refuse to agree to pay and opt to killing him for the knowledge of their plans.  Bad call but they are a collective of butter heads so I wasn't surprised.

Terry comes to the idea of hiring out his services to the girl Sairi (Yutaka Nakajima of Code Name Black Cat o oe, Kyotaro Nishimura's Travel Mystery 13, Kyotaro Nishimura's Travel Mystery 15, Nanmim Rodo, Hotel Doctor and Red Dead Wagon 5: Gorgeous Mistakes) as her protector.  She is currently being guarded by her uncle Kendo Masaoka in his dojo.   Terry with all the sympathy he can muster tells Kendo that his students couldn't stop a housefly and yup, you guessed it.  More fight scenes.  Terry proceeds to smack the monkey crap out of Kendo's students until he challenges Terry.   Kendo recognizes the fighting style to a man that years ago was executed for mixing his blood with a Chinese woman, a punishment of death.  Before he dies, he tells young Terry to improve his skills and always be a number one man.

You gawking at me, cameraman?

Kendo agrees that Terry can watch over Sairi and the Yakuza realizing their own people are getting slaughtered to tackle Terry recruit Junjo to deal with him.  Hmm, didn't you sell off his sister, Terry?  Looks like that came to bite you in the ass after all.

Can Terry foil the Yakuza?  Will Junjo be the superior fighter?

Now given you have a lesser villain as our protagonist, the bloody fighting styles, the complete contempt of women, this film got an X rating in 1974 and has at least 3 different cuts of it.   Ranging from a tamer 75 R rated minute film, to 87 with English subtitles and Japanese release to the unvarnished 91 X rated version,  I'd point out it was the violence that gave it such a rating.  You aren't seeing women being plowed like the back 40, it was simply a factor the film was so dicey for some they did not know how to catalog it.

Chiba is a muscle bound but lean, fast moving bad ass and kudos to the cameramen about to keep up with him and keep each other out of frame.   This film also spawned two sequels and yes we will have at those as well.

Sonny Chiba was deemed Bruce Lee's competition and yet most of his characters ranged from villain, anti-hero to noble warrior while Bruce always seemed to play a good guy, with the exception of his thug in Marlowe starring James Garner.  
The action is sound, the scenes impressive and the story is simplistic but gripping.  It is now in the public domain so give it a download or find it on a streaming site.

Hi. We wanted to talk to you about our lord and savior, Gorjira.