Ring of Fire

WOW, this movie was garbage, by looking at the cover and reading the back of the box, it looked sorta cool... but no, no it was not. I would not recomend this movie to anyone... I may as well have rented Titanic, although that seemed a bit more interesting than this, the only good part to this movie was the 30 second old skool Thai fight scene with the ring of fire and tar/glass hands wraps... that is all!!! Garbage... oh yeah, did i mention that this movie was garbage?!

If there was any point in history when Romeo & Juliet could have been transposed into a Los Angeles setting, with added kickboxing, it was the early 1990s, and thankfully Don 'The Dragon' Wilson was at hand to provide it to us. I suppose it makes a change from movies based on better movies starring Jean Claude Van Damme!

The movie follows retired Kickboxer-come-doctor Johnny Woo (Wilson) whose cousin Terry (Steven Vincent Leigh) is part of an all Chinese Kickboxing gang. Terry's gang are embroiled in a bitter feud with 'The Surfers' an all white (though not strictly all American) rival Kickboxing gang. Who knew it was such a popular pastime? Things take a turn for the complicated when Johnny falls for Julie (B-Movie Queen Maria Ford) blonde, beautiful and the American Dream. Only slight hiccup is Julie's brother Brad (Dale Jacoby) happens to be leader of The Surfers. Oh and her fiancée Chuck (Vince Murdocco) is his main sidekick.

As Johnny and Julie go for romantic walks on Venice Beach, the gangs decide to settle their differences 'the way of the Ancients' with their gloves dipped in broken glass (Wilson couldn't make ONE FILM without a Van Damme 'homage') the devastating result of this leads Johnny to question his peaceful life and consider stepping back into the ring...

Ring of Fire is somewhat unique for its time and genre in that it seems to give its plot and love story precedence over the action sequences. It also pulls no punches with regards to the racial tension between the two gangs, which is perhaps almost too mature a subject to embrace in a movie like this. Unique isn't always better and perhaps given the calibre of the talent involved, it would have made more sense to stick to the high kicks as opposed to high drama. It's interesting to note that our leading pair are actually morally questionable, with their romance a full blown affair behind her fiancées back, and the tragic incident the film's final battle revolves around is actually Wilson's idea.

The movie features a veritable ensemble cast of early 90s fighters turned actors, with Gary Daniels and Eric Lee in there as well as the aforementioned stars. Needless to say these gents were hired for their fighting prowess more so than their acting. Wilson himself is...well, Don 'The Dragon' Wilson. This is an unusually 'meaty' role for The Dragon, with his kickboxing skills relatively restrained. I'd love to say he nails it, but I'd be lying. There are flashes of a performance in there, but almost as many flashes of solid wood. On the flipside Jacoby delves far into the depths of over-acting, making him hard to take seriously. By large I've always found Vince Murdocco a somewhat likeable presence, so seeing him as a racist villain takes some getting used to.

This isn't to say that the action sequences are perfect either. Considering the lack of them, when they do come along, results vary. The in-ring fights are, by large, of a passable-to-good standard, but the Chinatown gang war is one of the most unintentionally hilarious scenes I've seen in a while. Neither full blown, fantastic Hong Kong style choreography not realistic scrapping, we're treated to the sight of grown men performing roundhouse kicks and flipping off benches to evade attacks. The final fight, where we finally get to see Wilson in action, is also a strange one, starting as a fairly disappointingly scripted fight, it quickly degenerates into a hilarious pro-wrestling (and I mean like WCW at its worst) style farce you have to laugh at.

Indeed some of the movies best moments come from the comedy it provides. Some intentional, some...not so. Eric Lee as the Chinese gangs 'Drunken Master' actually works surprisingly well for a character of this type, and one scene, where Ford's character mistakes Wilson for a waiter, is made funnier than it should be thanks to his reaction. Sadly some of the scenes the pair share that are meant to show their romance blossoming are actually as funny, which I don't believe was the plan.

Ring of Fire is neither the best nor the worst Don 'The Dragon' Wilson movie (albeit I'm not strictly sure what either of those are off hand) It was made with a target audience in mind, and if you are a fan of this type of Direct-To-Video Martial Arts movie there is a high chance you've seen it, and if you haven't I wouldn't go as far as recommending it, it's a bit too thin on action for that, but if TV channels that still show this type of movie still exist, there are worse ways to pass your time. Remarkably, this spawned 2 sequels, which, even more remarkably, I also subjected myself to.

Despite the fact that this is just yet another mindless kung-fu action movie, isn't that part of the culture of the late 80s early 90s? It is a snapshot of American culture and dreams in that time era. The movie centers around two kick boxing gangs, what more do you want? Cheesy plot outline, mindless action that makes you wish you could fight like that, and a predictable ending with a cool training sequence. All of the ingredients that made us love movies like Rocky.

I think movie goers should lighten up and enjoy these kind of films more. Even though they aren't through provoking, not every movie can be, it still entertains you if you have a light heart going in.

Alright kids, we got a movie with Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Gary Daniels, Vince Murdocco, Eric Lee and many other badass guys, also, we have Maria Ford, we can expect 100 minutes of badass violence and probably get to see some boobs.

Yes, we get violence and boobs, but unfortunately we get too much romance, some of the fights are pretty cool, but the amount of "romance" pretty much ruins the movie (and sometimes, it gets boring), oh yeah, Don Wilson manages to kick some ass only in the last minutes.

I was going to give this movie a 5 out of 10 because of the fights, but i decided to add one extra star because of Maria Ford.

With a cast like this, i would make a proper action/martial arts film, but instead they decided to make a movie that would appeal the female audience.

While PM Entertainment – that glorious company of action and excess – had already made action movies featuring martial arts, RING OF FIRE is the studio's first genuine karate flick, as well as a triumph for martial arts of the B-movie scale. It's also a pretty unique vehicle for star Don Wilson – possibly one of his best, which is ironic given his limited input to the action content. As a genuinely exciting kickfest that's powered by a real plot and investable characters, I deem this a must-have for fans of low budget action and just about all of the performers involved.

The story: In the middle of a violent gang rivalry in Los Angeles, a doctor and cousin of the Asian gang's leader (Wilson) falls in love with the sister and fiancé of the Surfer gang's leaders (Maria Ford).

I believe this is the perfect role for Don Wilson, who I find enjoyable though not for the quality of his other movies. In an all-time low count for a feature advertised with his name, Wilson has only a single fight – the finale – and spends the rest of the film interacting with others in a dramatic way, opposed to a physical manner. Don is naturally likable and gives a smooth performance, all the while acting well with costar Maria Ford. Ford's acting ability is often underrated in favor of her sexuality, but here it is clearly at the forefront of her performance. Together, she and Wilson make a sound dramatic duo and a believable couple.

Thematically, the movie may not be particularly strong, but I say that it's as significant as the viewer allows for. It's obvious that this is a take on "Romeo & Juliet" with kickboxing, but it's also one of only a handful of films at the time that addressed interracial romance from an Asian perspective. Race relations would be a non-factor in most of Wilson's films to come, so it's all the more significant that he sets such a positive standard for a masculine Asian-American who perseveres for the sake of love. I haven't seen many western films wherein an Asian male is portrayed as desirable and romantic; Wilson makes the absolute most of the opportunity to be both, and delivers one of the best performances of his career.

The action content is both ample and solid, with approximately eight full-length matches providing a good stage for a supergroup of film fighters: Steven Vincent Leigh, Dale Jacoby, Vince Murdocco, Eric Lee, Gary Daniels, Ron Yuan… (And those are only the performers with additional acting scenes.) Admittedly, many of the matches are a bit too heavily edited for my taste, but the occasional creativeness of the choreography and the consistent athleticism of its performers shine through, making for a cumulatively enjoyable adrenaline package. Even the final showdown featuring Wilson (and even more editing) can be considered among Don's personal best, making it worth waiting for.

The film bounces along with an agreeable pace and hums with a level of energy that PM would frequently try to recapture and often fail at. It's enjoyable, and despite its imperfections, that is the most I can ask of a movie. If you know this is your kind of picture, I encourage you to check it out.