While this movie is obviously an attempt to cash in on "Blood Sport" (and shamelessly borrows the Stallone vs Lundgren training montage from "Rocky IV"), it still manages to have some charm on its own merits. I think what I really like about it is that the limited budget and unknowns in the cast keep the levels of bombast down to a minimum, and the director and actors keep sneaking in small touches and quiet moments that actually inject some human emotion into what could be nothing but another empty spectacle. Also, having the actors talk in their heavily accented English dialects (instead of HK style overdubbing) adds a nice flavor to the movie. They have to work so hard at expressing themselves in their second language that somehow a lot of the artifice and "attitude" that clots the typical Golan-Globus sausage factory gets left out, and the movie is better for it. I would actually prefer to watch a movie like this to most of the early Canon film/Golan Globus Chuck Norris stuff. Although FF can't hold a candle to "Code Of Silence". It's also sort of funny where it means to be (not "haw haw" funny, but mildly humorous), and some of the actual fights and most of training sequences have an authentic flavor; I practiced those footwork patterns and katas and candle exercises in my early martial arts days, and it was nice to see them done right. And of course, Bolo Yeung is always fun to watch - he always plays the same kind of character, but it's a role he was born to play. An obscure gem of sorts, worth taking the time to watch if you happen to come across it in a collection (like I did).

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*At first, BLOODFIGHT seems like your typical tournament kung-fu film. There are interestingly strange fights at the beginning, and two competitors stand out as the best. Soon, however, the movie turns into a prolonged flashback with several fresh additions to the genre.After winning the World Fighting Championship, Masahiro Kai has retired from the deadly sport to maintain his gym. Seeking a new protege, he finds an a**hole of a white guy, who is always seen with his Japanese posse in a "F*** YOU" Jeep. Kai wants to focus the punk's energy into fighting spirit, but all the punk wants to do is beat the crap out of people. Soon, Kai takes on a different student (one who is at odds with the group of punks), Ryu Tenmei. Torn between his dedication to the martial arts and his feelings for his girlfriend, Ryu finally makes it to the World Championship about halfway through the movie."But what's this?" you ask. "The movie can't be over yet!" That's when things take a turn for the grisly...the villain of the tournament, played intimidatingly as always by Bolo Yeung, kills Ryu. Yes, that's right, I didn't see it coming either. From this point on, the movie turns into a vengeance tale, with Kai seeking to retrain himself and enter into the tournament to make peace with Ryu and himself.Several elements make this movie a good one. First, the unique plot and characters make it a memorable '80s movie. The movie is shot entirely in English, so the white-guy punk has a decidedly bitchy edge to him that instantly makes the viewer hate him. Also, Bolo Yeung's character doesn't appear on screen much, thus making him less the villain and more the supreme obstacle for Ryu and Kai to overcome. As noted before, the movie is shot in English (no dubbing or anything), which can cause some confusion with the female actors (Kai's wife, Ryu's girlfriend) due to their THICK accents. This is easily overcome by the emotion and depth in Ryu and Kai's characters, and how they play off each other quite ingeniously.Overall, BLOODFIGHT may seem to be a vehicle for Bolo Yeung, having just finished the similar BLOODSPORT. In my opinion, however, BLOODFIGHT stands on its own as an interesting '80s martial arts movie. My rating: 7.5/10

As far as low-budget, poorly made martial arts movies go, this one isn't bad...it has every element of the classical martial arts movie: an underground tournament, an aging sensei, an eager young student, an evil villain who kills said student so that the sensei has to overcome his alcoholism and seek revenge...If you like acting, this isn't the movie for you. If you like cheesy fights and training montages, check it out.

When i first saw this, i thought 'I will never see anything as terrible as this in my life'. I was wrong, though, because i saw Joel Reed's 'Bloodsucking Freaks'. This would have to come in a close second as the worst movie ever though.People hire martial arts movies for one reason : Action. Me and 4 friends borrowed this while we were in a great mood, and turned it on hoping for some great fighting and possibly a feasible storyline. The first 5 minutes in the tournament were just what we wanted, and we were looking forward to more. 2 minutes later everybody but me had left. The movie starts off well, but simply degenerated into one of the most boring pieces of %#$^ ever. After the initial action, it is just people wandering around the streets talking to each other for over an hour. Would this satisfy a martial arts fan? That question doesn't need to be answered...There is no reason at all to watch this movie. The acting is shoddy, the storyline in non-existent, and there is NO ACTION. I am disappointed in myself for sitting through this when everybody else got the fun of playing pool. This movie is so boring that I would rather spend 2 hours cleaning public toilets than watch it. The lowest mark should be lowered to a 0 for this movie. 1 is too high.