Blu-ray Review: STREET FIGHTER ASSASSINS FIST Is Fueled By Passion
Director Joey Ansah, former stuntman, actor and fighting game devotee decided to create an authentic tale far beyond the basic idiocy of the currently existing live-action films. Ansah and Christian Howard (co-writer) take proceedings incredibly seriously and are dedicated to telling a story that deserves respect as every frame informs the viewer of Ansah's obsession. He certainly succeeded as Ryu, Ken and Akuma are given the spotlight, however the excessive length, same shooting location and dialogue-filled narrative brings the film down immensely, and although authentic it is rather dull.
This is certainly not from lack of trying, Mike Moh (Ryu) and Christian Howard (who plays Ken) have great on-screen chemistry and although oftentimes cheesy and slightly flirtatious, their bromance is endearing and committed. Most other characters are serviceable; if they are not dull then they are over-the-top anime clichés, although it is refreshing that Japanese characters speak actual Japanese. Other than the protagonists, supporting characters serve little to the bare-bones plot which jumps around chronologically albeit in the same Dojo location; the only indicator of the time periods stem from the different actors used and a sepia tone throughout.
The story is B-movie basic and the film relies on the viewer really caring for the characters and witnessing the corruption that creates villains in them. There are a few minor surprises and the martial arts spices things up, but Street Fighter desperately needs a sharp edit for it to work.
In regards to the production-side, the digital cinematography is too clean for the period and authenticity they are aiming for and at times their fighting Gi's feel like cosplay costumes. The music and sound design is excellent, often riffing on Street Fighter themes and given the small budget it is great to see the decent production efforts on-screen. The location, although repetitive, is strong and some special effects and explosions work well.
Ultimately, Street Fighter Assassins Fist is such an impressively realized work laced with fan service that is held back by its simplicity and pointless length. It is definitely the best Street Fighter live-action film that exists but that is not really saying much. If you truly love Ken or Ryu then this immensely passionate work may be for you, otherwise stick to the expectations and delivery of the bite-sized narrative of the webisodes.
For better or worse, the Blu-ray version both highlights and exposes the production value. It is a major mistake that the film has not been presented as episodic as there is no real point to start or stop the monotonous movie although it is hard to sit through the entire thing. That said, there are a wealth of special features from individual interviews, aspects of the making-of, deleted scenes and a fantastic commentary from Ansah.
In fact I would recommend the Assassins Fist Blu-ray based on the commentary alone as he passionately and eagerly delves into each scene. In particular he excitedly explains the copious amounts of symbolism and complex plot points that the film fails to convey, he also wears the hat of a fan and is easy to relate to. It is great to hear his grand ambitions and intelligent themes regardless of the films ability to actualize them. It is worth noting that even Ansah in his commentary refers to each part of the film as episodes.
Lastly the film edition of the series has an exclusive epilogue for true fans and as Ansah explains his excitement for season two all we can do is hope that Street Fighter Assassins Fist has worked as a learning curve for him.
Street Fighter Assassins Fist hits DVD and Blu-ray in Australia and NZ on the 26th of November.
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