Enter the Dragon director Robert Clouse had another Martial Arts thriller up his sleeve in Force: Five. New to Blu-ray from MVD Entertainment.
The Film
Bad Kung-Fu is bad kung-fu. Force: Five is BAD KUNG-FU. That doesn’t mean it isn’t entertaining. Force: Five, at its best, feels like a TV Movie for an 80s action series we never got. You can almost see it. Someone hires Joe Lewis’s Jim Martin, assembles his team week-to-week to fight the special guest star (actually their stunt double).
The plot is almost too much like a TV Series (A-Team comes to mind). It has a formulaic feel. A group of elite martial arts is put together to find a rich man’s daughter who’s been ensnared by a ruthless martial arts religious cult leader. The team goes to the island to save the daughter, and … shocker, she doesn’t want to be saved. Fights ensue with an ending that’s a straight-up low-budget version of Clouse’s own Enter the Dragon, with a white dude beating a superior Asian martial artist.
To be blunt, one watches this film and has to wonder how much work Clouse did on Enter the Dragon and how much of it was the work of his second unit director. Force: Five is a major step down in all areas from that particular 70s action classic. Where that film was poppy and light on its feet with style to spare, there is nothing of that here. Force: Five is blunt and crass in all the ways Enter the Dragon is not. That isn’t to say it’s boring. There is never a moment when the film doesn’t entertain by accident or on purpose.
The real hero is Stunt Coordinator Pat Johnson (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Karate Kid, Mortal Kombat) and his stunt team. From the opening moments, Johnson’s work is on display, and even when it’s goofy, Joe Lewis’s kicks in particular, it’s highly watchable. The film’s standout moment is the incursion and escape from the Jungle Prison. Which is the biggest problem with the film, as it’s only halfway through. From that moment forward, the film both narratively loses momentum, and there’s never an action scene after that that really shines. It’s still fun in the goofiest way that many early 80s action TV series is but as a serious bit of action cinema, this one just doesn’t do it.
If one is looking for the high-flying kicks of Enter the Dragon, one will need to look elsewhere. If this is a childhood favorite or you’re looking for something with a big dollop of silly action, then look no further than Force: Five.
The Transfers
The High Definition presentation of the main feature in 1.85:1 aspect ratio is a decent transfer. The image is sharp and pleasing to the eye. The color production is a bit muted throughout, but it could be because of the photography and film stock of the era. There aren’t any scratches or blemishes throughout, leading to a well-rounded image.
The Extras
They include the following;
- Interview with actor Joe Lewis
- Interview with Benny Urquidez
- ‘Benny Urquidez Fight’ featurette
- Original Theatrical Trailer
Interview with actor Joe Lewis (50:08) – this archival interview is a free-for-all, beginning with the interviewer talking to Lewis about Bruce Lee before diving into the interview proper and discussing his relationship with Lee and Lee’s relationships with the martial arts communities. Lewis goes on to discuss what Lee’s teachings and methodology brought to martial arts and how freeing it was; the other Asian teachers he studied under; the physical training he would do, and how they compared between Lee and other teachers/disciplines; what he found hard about Lee’s teachings; and more. This interview is about Bruce Lee. Viewers wanting to learn about Lewis’ thoughts about working on Force: Five should look elsewhere.
Interview with Benny Urquidez (8:59) – this archival interview with Urquidez is not really about the film but rather about his personal history with fighting/kickboxing, basic movements, and training. Viewers wanting to learn about Urquidez’s experiences on Force: Five should look elsewhere.
‘Benny Urquidez Fight’ featurette (6:41) – this archival featurette from German Television (which isn’t subtitled) looks at Benny ‘the Jet’ Urquidez and his real-life fight with Japanese kickboxer Takeshi Naito, along with his training regimen and personal life outside the ring. Though one cannot understand the narrator, there isn’t really a need, as you’re watching Urquidez fighting. If one is unfamiliar with Urquidez, do yourself a favor and watch this featurette, as the World Champion kickboxer is a sight to behold.
Original Theatrical Trailer (2:19)
The Final Thought
Force: Five is a cult oddity.