Movie Details
| Title: | Strike of the Panther | |
| Director: | Brian Trenchard-Smith | |
| Year: | 1988 | |
| Genre: | Kung Fu | |
| Times Seen: | 1 | |
| Last Seen: | 10.06.09 |
Other Movies Seen By This Director (23)
- Aztec Rex
- BMX Bandits
- Dangerfreaks
- Day of the Assassin
- Day of the Panther
- DC 9/11: Time of Crisis
- Dead-End Drive-In
- Deathcheaters
- Frog Dreaming
- Hospitals Don't Burn Down
- In Her Line of Fire
- Kung Fu Killers
- The Man from Hong Kong
- Megiddo: The Omega Code 2
- Night of the Demons 2
- Official Denial
- Operation Wolverine: Seconds to Spare
- Out of the Body
- Sahara
- The Siege of Firebase Gloria
- Stunt Rock
- The Stuntmen
- Turkey Shoot
| Date Viewed | Venue | Note |
| 10.06.09 | Home DVD | This Brian Trenchard-Smith movie is the filmed-at-the-same-time sequel to his Aussie kung-fu flick Day of the Panther (1988). It opens with a 7-8 minute recap of the first film, which ended by implying that the two main bad guys would be headed to jail. The narrator then confirms that they were, in fact, sentenced to "life in prison." "But," the narrator continues "there is room for flexibility in that type of sentence." The first half of the movie has the protagonist - the awesomely named "Jason Blade" for the newcomers... at one point we're told that "The casualty wards of Perth are full of people who picked a fight with Jason Blade" - heading on various one-off missions (including an infiltration of a "high-class brothel" where this happens: http://twitpic.com/kjubx) and falling farther in love with... I'm blanking on her name... some Aussie broad. We even get a falling-in-love montage that features this: http://twitpic.com/kjv49. Plus, there's a trailer park Blade-on-foot vs thug-in-car chase that is impressive in that Aussie our-stuntmen-are-expendable type way. Eventually, one of the two bad guys from the first film breaks out of jail, kidnaps Blade's girlfriend, and holds her hostage in a bomb-and-masked-ninja-rigged warehouse. The last half of the film is non-stop Blade-on-masked-ninja fights (here's an example: http://twitpic.com/kk4m1), shot in BTS's more-artistic-than-you'd-expect-from-the-genre style. As in the first film, he spends a lot of time showing the shadows of the combatants, or focusing on their reflection in a puddle of water in the warehouse. It is never explained why all of the ninjas in the warehouse wear hockey-goalie masks, or bloody-disco-ball masks, or skeleton masks, but it's damn appreciated. In an attempt to trick people into thinking this movie is a slasher, the hockey-goalie mask is featured on the VHS artwork for the film. In any event... it's completely badass. The movie also reveals that Blade and his mentor (who gets hospitalized midway through the film) have a psychic connection that was never mentioned or hinted at during the first film. That connection leads to my second-favorite moment in the film. The mentor is sitting upright in his hospital bed and is mentally guiding Blade through his multi-ninja attack. A nurse walks in and scolds him "You're supposed to be lying down." Without even looking at her, the mentor mutters "Go away woman... I'm in the middle of a fight." My favorite moment of the film comes when Blade runs across a ninja with a bat. The ninja does the typical weapon-brandishing deal... except it isn't typical at all. Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhgrVEVJdcI You can just see one of BTS's stunt-man friends saying "Brian... I'm already in your movie... let me do those bat tricks I've been showing you. Come on, man... it'll be awesome. And hey... when I'm done, how about a moonwalk. Cool? Cool." Based on my two favorite moments, it'd be easier to figure this movie was a parody or comedy, but it really isn't. BTS, Edward John Stazak, and everyone else involved with the movie present everything completely straight. As with Day of the Panther, this film is a great example of 80's kung fu cinema... all action and badassery without the flab that came in most American entries in the genre. I'll bemoan for the second time that Stazak was only in these two Panther movies. His performance isn't completely Hollywood-polished, but he's incredibly likeable, and seemed to get more comfortable in front of the camera as the two movies went on. If I ever get to talk to Brian Trenchard-Smith again, I'm asking him about Stazak. Stazak and that awesome bat-swinging moon-walking ninja. |