Man Vs. Bear in Kung Fu Fight to the Death
Mood:  party time!
Now Playing: KARATE BEAR FIGHTER
From the "Now I've Seen Everything" Department: yesterday I put in a healthy 87 minutes or so watching Sonny Chiba in the 1977 Japanese action film KARATE BEAR FIGHTER. As the not-so-subtle title indicates, yes, indeed, Chiba does fight a bear in this movie. And why shouldn't he, since this is a sequel to KARATE BULL FIGHTER (which I reviewed on Marty's Marquee as CHAMPION OF DEATH, the title under which it played U.S. theaters) in which he battled a snorting bull, literally taking the beast by its horns in a ferocious geyser of splashing blood.

Japanese action star Chiba starred in a series of loosely biographical films about a karate expert named Masutatsu Oyama. It's hard to believe Oyama's real life was anywhere near as colorful as it appears in these films, which are better remembered for their frequent fight scenes than for their somewhat incoherent storylines and fractured editing. I doubt Oyama actually fought bulls and bears, although he kicks the asses of so many people that you could understand why he might want more of a challenge.

Chiba was known as "The Incredible Sonny Chiba" when THE STREETFIGHTER hit American shores in 1975. THE STREETFIGHTER, which was followed by three sequels, all currently available on DVD, was the first movie to receive an X rating for violence by the MPAA, as Sonny crushed, snapped, gouged and bloodied half of Japan in his thirst for vengeance. It's also incredibly entertaining, and was a huge influence on Quentin Tarantino, who not only sent Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette to a Chiba triple-bill in TRUE ROMANCE, but also cast Chiba in KILL BILL, VOL. 1 as Hattori Hanzo, the wizened swordmaker who crafts Uma Thurman's perfect killing blade.

I wish there were more movies out with titles like KARATE BEAR FIGHTER. Who would not be interested in seeing something like that? I actually had a 20-minute discussion with a woman at a party last night about KARATE BEAR FIGHTER. She was more concerned with the events prior in the film that led up to Sonny fighting a bear, whereas my argument was along the lines of, "Who cares? It's a karate man fighting a bear in hand-to-hand combat. What difference does it make how they got to this point? What's important is that, well, it's a man fighting a bear!" I continued to press her--"Let's say you're home alone, clicking channels on the TV, and you come across a man fighting a bear. Do you watch it or keep clicking?" She claims she would keep clicking. I claim this is a Pay Per View event certain to make somebody a millionaire. And while I was watching Sonny slaughter half of Japan, she was home watching Josh Hartnett movies. I would pay $29.95 to see Sonny Chiba fight Josh Hartnett. To the death, of course.