In 1991, jeweler and competitive martial artist Jalal Merhi introduced himself to the film world with no less than a starring action vehicle. Merhi's fascination with kung fu - different from the karate and kickboxing standard in films of the time - helps set this one apart from the ton of other flicks released around this time, but the questionable acting and fluctuating quality of the fighting nullifies this uniqueness. Nevertheless, after watching the film with very low expectations, I'm surprised that I enjoy it enough to offer it a respectable rating.
The story: After his brother overdoses on a lethal new drug and the dealer remains untouchable, Lyle Camille (Merhi) abandons both the family business and his fiancée to train in martial arts so he may exact vengeance on the responsible entities.
The worst aspect of the movie is the dramatic content. The movie is largely populated either by non-actors and non-native English speakers, resulting in some genuine trainwreck moments of acting - most scenes involving lead villain Lazar Rockwood qualify as such. The saturation of questionable dramatics is contagious, infecting even veteran Jamie Farr, whose character inexplicably develops an accent over the course of his scenes. More amusing is the vague aura of strangeness of the screenplay, which features scenes like Lyle introducing himself to his master (Bolo Yeung) by approaching him while striking forms. Clearly, this isn't the kind of movie you're supposed to take too seriously.
Despite his faults, Jalal is physically in top form here: he'd have better fight scenes in the future, but the impressive moves his pulls off are definitely his most impressive ever, with some very graceful katas and lots of high jump kicks. And while the fight scenes definitely have their low points, the quantity and ferocity of the action is surprising. During the middle act, a tournament takes place, and even though most of the matches are presented in montage form, their choreography and the physicality of the performers is admirable. Merhi stuffs his cast with little-known but legitimate martial artists, among them UFC alumnus Harold Howard and pro wrestling personality Sonny Onoo, and it pays off in a respectable action display...with the exception of the awful ending fight in the back of a garbage truck.
This is definitely not everyman's martial arts movie, but anybody who's followed the careers of other B-movie dragons will know that the first solo vehicles tend to be shaky. Jalal Merhi makes the absolute most of his limited experience, and that makes FEARLESS TIGER / BLACK PEARLS decent. Fans should give it a look by default.
