Bloodfist

This article is about the 1989 film. For other uses, see Bloodfist (disambiguation).
Bloodfist
Directed byTerence H. Winkless[1]
Written byRobert King[1]
Produced byRoger Corman
Sally Mattison[1]
Starring
[1]
CinematographyRicardo Jacques Gale[1]
Edited byKaren Horn[1]
Music bySasha Matson[1]
Production
company
Distributed byConcorde Pictures[1][2]
Release date
  • September 22, 1989 (1989-09-22)
[1]
Running time
85 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States[1]
LanguageEnglish[1]
Budget$200,000–300,000[3][4]
Box office$1.7 million (U.S.)[2]

Bloodfist is a 1989 American martial arts film directed by Terence H. Winkless, starring Don "The Dragon" Wilson (in his first feature starring role), Rob Kaman, Billy Blanks and Cris Aguilar. The plot sees an American former kickboxer travel to Manila, where he re-enters competition to avenge the murder of his brother and fellow fighter.[5]

The film takes the template established by previous tournament fighting films, especially the recent Bloodsport, and adds a whodunnit element to it.[6] While negatively received, it generated record profits for Concorde Pictures,[7] and kickstarted a long running franchise of increasingly unrelated sequels and spinoffs.[8] To bolster its credibility, Bloodfist listed the real-life martial arts credentials of its stars, not only on the poster but in the credits as well, a gimmick that carried over to other Concorde films and was copied by some competitors.[9][10]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Cite error: The named reference allm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference lat-small was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference mon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference budo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Bloodfist". filmaffinity.com. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Schwartz, Carol, ed. (1996). VideoHound's Complete Guide to Cult Flicks and Trash Pics. Detroit: Gale Research. ISBN 0787606162.
  7. ^ Zizzo, Mike (October 13, 1991). "Kickboxer Has New Aim: Don Wilson Retires From Ring, Focuses On Acting". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012.
  8. ^ Gray, Beverly (2004) [2000]. Roger Corman: Blood-Sucking Vampires, Flesh-Eating Cockroaches, and Driller Killers. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press. pp. 176–178. ISBN 1560255552.
  9. ^ Vern (June 17, 2013). "The Super-Kumite: Bloodfist". outlawvern.com. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  10. ^ Joliffe, Tom (August 12, 2022). "The Essential Don "The Dragon" Wilson Movies". flickeringmyth.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.