The third Sonny Chiba film about the Tsurugi Takuza character continues the trend towards a more sympathetic hero and a less violent/gory film. As such, although it probably has the best story of the three, it's by far the least entertaining. There's virtually none of the gruesome brutality of the original, and Tsurugi is a much less complex and ambiguous man, played with less animal intensity by Chiba. I guess they didn't understand what made the first film so special? There's generally less action in the film, and the fight scenes feel a bit lacklustre when they do occur. Chiba still busts out some cool moves and there are some impressively long takes, but it feels a bit like they want to get the fights out of the way so they can focus on the story (rather than vice versa, as it should have been :p). Etsuko Shiomi returns as a new character who shows some promise, but she's mostly wasted. I hope the SISTER STREET FIGHTER spin off films in which she stars are better.Maybe 3 STREET FIGHTER films in as many nights is just too much Chiba for me... but more likely, 3 STREET FIGHTER films in one year was just too much Chiba for Chiba and director Shigehiro Ozawa. It's not a bad film in its own right, but it's certainly disappointing when compared to the original. Oh well, c'est la vie :)EDIT: from reading the other reviews on IMDb it's clear that the English dubbed version of the film RADICALLY changes the story... the tape and the plot have nothing to do with heroin! Further evidence that dubbed films should be avoided at all costs!

Takuma Tsurugi (Sonny Chiba) (AKA: The Street Fighter"), rather like James Bond, is an assassin for hire, a man who is a master of disguise and the martial arts but don't cross or betray him because if you do, you will pay and pay dearly. He, again rather like James Bond, has a weakness for playing with dangerous women, particularly the most ruthless and cutthroat. Here the villains, who have hired Tsurugi to get two tape cassette recordings that when played in unison provide a formula for creating synthetic heroin potentially worth a fortune in the wrong hands, make that most fatal mistake of crossing Tsurugi. And now they will pay! This moves at a brisk pace, is exciting and action-packed, and feels like a much darker take on a James Bond type of film. It's not really all that much like the previous "Street Fighter" fare at all but it is fun if you're willing to forgive that fact. The only problem I had with the film was all the betrayals and double-dealings became confusing after a time and I was surprised Tsurugi allowed himself to be put into a position where he could be betrayed by the lead villains on more than one occasion. Also Tsurugi is hardly an heroic male lead, in fact he's every bit as ruthless and unrelenting, if not even more so, that this story's villains. Still the good in terms of entertainment value here I feel far outweighs the bad.

Wow, what can I say about SFLR? It is one of the greatest karate-action flicks ever to grace the screen. For my money, you just can't beat Sonny Chiba. He can act, and he can also do some extremely impressive karate!Something I really like about this series of movies, is the fact that Terry (The Street Fighter) isn't really a 'good guy' per se. He is just the main character. He is only out for himself and is extremely ruthless. I just love the way the character is written. You won't find a movie in this genre that is more entertaining.If you've never seen SFLR and you like this genre, do yourself a favor and get it now!10 out of 10

Look, if you want a serious kung-fu, kickass movie... this may not be it. But for what it's worth... this movie has more unintentionally funny one liners than many kung-fu movies I've seen.If you enjoy making fun of movies as you watch them, and have a nicely packed bowl, this film makes for a fun Saturday night.