Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist

For the past 2 decades, pretty much every movies based off a video game; flops. Usually, this is due by the complete disregard to the original creation. While some comic books and novels did get a great feature film, Street Fighter has always been stuck on the short end of the stick. Hollywood latest attempt to monetize the franchise was nothing short of extremely bad. From terrible casting, bad fighting scenes to a genuine lack of passion and respect to a franchise that has impacted our world in more ways than we could ever imagine.

So why is Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist any different? Why is this particular series able to break the vicious circle of failures?

Well, for a starter, Street Fighter: AF was produced by passionate fans for the fans, but passion is only the starting point. While it is a great driving force, a good script is required and that's where SFAF shines. For new comers to the franchise, the series presents a well written story that carries an intriguing lore, which gradually reveals itself through each episodes. The premise is simple and focused on two iconic characters; Ryu and Ken. Both learning a mysterious martial art in a secluded part of Japan in the mid 80s. Through each episodes, we get to discover and learn about past students and the darker secrets behind the art.

To reinforce the script, we are presented with an incredible selection of actors that really poured their hearts into this production. For fans, the characters were authentic and as real as they could get. Mike Moh and Christian Howard are pretty much the perfect Ryu and Ken. Both can act the part and perform physically. Togo Igawa and Akira Koieyama really felt like masters of an ancient art while still offering a very human side. The careful balance between being a surreal character with a human touch is very hard to maintain but these actors did and it payed off. The intensity of certain scenes could rival some of the best triple A productions out there.

Speaking of authenticity, Street Fighter: AF nails it in pretty much every possible way. From choosing the right shooting location, to the fighting style of each characters to the incredible costumes. Ryu and Ken are in simple words, perfect. Even through the action scenes, the combat stances, special attacks and general movements were simply jaw dropping. As a huge fan of Street Fighter, I couldn't stop reciting the sequence of every moves such as Ryu performing a great focus attack.

As for the music, usually in independent productions, the music is often very generic and unoriginal. However, I got to say that in this case, the soundtrack is quite good and in most situation, it strongly delivers. For the fans, there's a few pleasant surprises. On a technical side, the production does contain a few mistakes here and there. Some special effects and editing could have used a bit of additional tweaks but for the most part, these issues are very minor and shouldn't distract you from the overall experience.

In the end, Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist is an incredible independent production that values and respects both fans and new comers alike. It has heart and knows its own limits. The story is focused, the actors are well balanced, the action is short but intense and the overall production is strong.

As a fan and artist, I really do not have anything negative to say. There was a huge effort put in this production and it was felt from Episode 1 to 12.

Bravo to everyone involved!

The people behind this project left us all salivating for the better part of a year waiting for this series and I was worried it would be a let down. The SF Legacy short film was alright but kind of cheesy with moments of greatness sprinkled in. I knew they had a decent budget this time(considering) and a lot more time to actually tell a story that SF fans all love. They nailed it! I didn't have high expectations going in but this series actually gave me goose bumps several times. The cinematography, music and acting(mostly) was fantastic. The writing was also top notch with just enough hum our to keep the pacing from getting stale. What they were able to do with a couple million dollars is really exceptional and I loved the series as a whole. The Asian man from across the lake was absolutely hilarious! The only thing keeping this from getting a 9 or even a 10 was Christian Howards acting. Most scenes where there was dialog were fine but there were a few where he just didn't seem believable. He absolutely nailed the look of Ken Masters however and better than anyone on earth potentially. The rest of the cast were fantastic though especially Gaku Space who played Goki and Hyunri who played Sayaka.

Overall this was a fantastic series and I will patiently wait the next chapter in the series no matter how long it takes!

If you are a fan of the original SF games, you will love this. This series gives new birth to the street fighter franchise. It sticks to the authenticity of the game series and does a great job of portraying the street fighter characters that you loved as a child. The action sequences are amazing and executed very well along with the special effects which are not over the top.

The story is very well scripted and is true to the video games.The origin story of Ryu and Ken is very authentic and the focus on the details makes it satisfying to watch. The creators of the show have done a great job of capturing all the little details that make the characters so memorable.

As a hardcore fan of the street fighter games I hope this is the start of something great and look forward to future episodes. Would love to see more of the characters being introduced into the series. Shoryuken!!!

When I was a kid, Street Fighter II was my game. Apparently, it also was Joey Ansah's, and Christian Howard's, as well as Mike Moh's!

All Street Fighter fans who loved the lore and the martial arts of the game were disappointed never to be given a rich, powerful representation of Ryu and Ken on screen, except for some great anime versions.

After a long wait (about 16 years for me), Joey and Christian announced that they wanted to make a live action adaptation, and after another year and a half, with hyped up expectations, their team unleashed Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist onto the world. It is truly phenomenal. As a fan, and one with extremely high expectations, I was amazed at how these were blown out of the water with the great story given us with SFAF.

Do they actually Tatsumaki? Yes. Do they Hadouken? Yes. Do they Shoryuken? Yes! (No spoilers here, they show it in the trailer)

And the story is indeed great: it is intricate, starts in medias res with very interesting developments throughout. The friendship between Ryu and Ken is endearing. It is for fans (with lots of little references to various elements of SF lore) as for people who have never heard of the game, and it's not just for male audiences, girls have really enjoyed it too! (And not just because of Christian Howard being topless a lot in it.)

On such a small budget, it is AMAZING what they have done. The dialogues are good, the characters are well developed, the fights are fantastic. The ending makes me cry, but also leaves me wanting more! More of Gouken, Akuma, Ken and a lot more of Ryu, knowing where the story can take us from here!

The most imposing actors in the movie for me were Igawa (no surprise there) but also Akira Koieyama, who can be very impressive and compelling. But you can also see that there is room for growth in the characters of Christian and Mike, who did a great job and will look even better is a sequel.

Regarding the cinematography, wow. The shots are great, with fantastic views and angles. The image gives off a warm vibe, a strength of colours which just feels good to me as a viewer.

I truly hope that Joey, Christian and their team will get the proper funding for many more features and will continue (soon!) to produce more of this great story on screen for us!

In the meantime, I just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH JOEY, Christian, JACQUELINE, MIKE, TOGO, AKIRA, PATRICK, and all the others for the amazing work done on the show, and EVERYBODY, WATCH THIS MOVIE!!! It's available online on the Machinima website!!!

Street Fighter Assassin's Fist: Finally the story we have been waiting for, the way it was meant to be told. A brief but comprehensive history of the Ansatsuken fighting technique, the mythos that surrounds it and the destiny of 2 brothers and the paths they follow .From the masters that perfected the technique through the generations.

Hollywood has traditionally failed fighting game genres like street fighter with over the top fight scenes and special effect coupled with a weak storyline.SFAF does not fall in this trap , instead focusing on the story of the fighters,the history behind them and their motivation. The fight scenes are brilliantly done because they are integrated in a believable way, as the warriors practice and understanding of the ansatsuken technique grows.

For such a low budget offering, the storyline and "feel" of street fighter is faithfully upheld and expounded upon, this is my favourite rendition yet, culminating in the rivalry and friendship of Ken and Ryu....Very well done and thank you!!!