Day of the Panther (1988)A martial-arts expert goes after a criminal gang and its boss, who were responsible for the death of his partner. Director:Brian Trenchard-Smith |
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Day of the Panther (1988)A martial-arts expert goes after a criminal gang and its boss, who were responsible for the death of his partner. Director:Brian Trenchard-Smith |
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Cast overview: | |||
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Edward John Stazak | ... | |
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John Stanton | ... | |
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James Richards | ... |
Jim Baxter
(as Jim Richards)
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Michael Carman | ... |
Damien Zukor
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Zale Daniel | ... |
Colin
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Matthew Quartermaine | ... |
Constable Lambert
(as Mathew Quartermaine)
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Paris Jefferson | ... |
Gemma Anderson
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Linda Megier | ... |
Linda Anderson
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Brian Fitzsimmons | ... |
Chief Inspector Hudson
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Denis Broad | ... |
Boat Salesman
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Ow Mun Hong | ... |
Triad Boss
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Kim Yap | ... |
Triad Interpreter
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A martial-arts expert goes after a criminal gang and its boss, who were responsible for the death of his partner.
When I found out this film was made by the guy who directed Turkey Shoot, I knew I was on to a winner. It's not a mental as that film (no random mutants or extreme gore here) but as a martial arts, eighties body fascism action film it'll do the trick for you, no problem.
A lengthy voice-over introduces us to perpetually bemused looking Jason Blade, trained in Hong Kong and now in Australia to get revenge on the killers of his partner. Warned off by the police, Jason heads off to join the ranks of the local drug lord (after kicking all the drug lord's goon's heads in), and work his way to the top. Henchman Baxter, however, smells a rat and perhaps gets a bit jealous that his shades and pastel suit aren't as good as Jason's, and starts doing a bit of digging. There's also something or other about a tournament but don't get too attached to that because it never happens.
I don't know about Jason Blade as an actor, but as a martial arts hero he's great, taking on up to half a dozen opponents at a time, and he's very quick too. The film is packed with fights, from the 'job interview' in a boat showroom, to a warehouse, underground car park and a basketball court. His partner, on the other hand, takes on three masked goons in a sequence that reminded me of the (relatively) recent console game Manhunt.
It's not without unintentional hilarity either, this one. The sequence where Blade pumps iron while his squeeze does an aerobics dance is pure eighties cheese, as well as someone trying to prevent a stuntman landing on a camera. Great stuff. The end credits announce a sequel, but I have no idea if its available in the UK.