Bloodfist V: Human Target

That's it, Don - I'm done. You've suckered me into your movies one too many times with promises of decency and competence. Yes, I'll say this again after I've indulged in another one of your subpar martial arts outings, but for at least the next month or so, I'm done! Like countless ones that came before and after it, "Bloodfist V" is an exercise in mediocrity. It takes a lot for a lover of B-movies to say this, but "Human Target" really isn't worth much: while it's consistent with Wilson's typical output and thus will probably go over reasonably well with fans, it's well below the standards of typical kickboxing fare and, despite the ravings of martial arts subscriptions printed on the cover, Don remains miles behind other action regulars. Get this one to fulfill that minor dream match-up of the Dragon vs. Steve James, but other than that, don't bother taking the chance.The story: when undercover NSA agent Jim Stanton (Wilson,  Bloodfist  series) is shot and left amnesic, he must - with the aid of an unsuspecting prostitute bought into the situation (Denice Duff,  Song of the Vampire ) - unravel a web of lies and deceit involving corrupt government officials and the Chinese mafia to rediscover who he was.Prior to buying this film, I had read of its action content being described as Hong Kong-esque and significantly superior to that of Don's previous films. While quality remains in the eye of the beholder, I contend that most of the eight hand-to-hand battles don't succeed in rising beyond abysmal in my book. The persistent problem with the vast majority of Wilson's fight scenes is that they're filmed at very close quarters - too close for the effectiveness of the choreography to register. You simply can't film a kick-filled karate fight as you would something out of the  Bourne  movies: it always ends up looking extremely claustrophobic and sloppy. Thus, even the two potentially promising brawls between Don and Steve James ( American Ninja  trilogy) come off as extremely disappointing - a crime that choreographer Art Camacho should be sentenced for.Even with sound, consistent production values in place, the movie doesn't really get interesting until the half-hour or so. Sure, we get to see a pre-amnesia Don sporting elbow-length hair during the first three minutes, but for the majority of the film's duration, its detective-thriller connotations aren't backed up very well and nothing much happens before Don makes the inevitable discovery of his past and goes to jail. What happens afterwards is worth watching in an if-there's-nothing-better-on sort of way, but kudos to you if you last that long. Pretty much all that you have to look forward to throughout the film is Denice Duff's performance, the quality of which surpasses that of the script she needs to act.  That '70s Show -regular Don Stark makes a short-lived appearance as a top NSA guy, and lifetime supporting actor Michael Yama makes a very generic villain. Emmy-nominee Sharon Lawrence ( NYPD Blue ) plays a store clerk who doesn't even have a name. As always, Don tries hard but blunders. Altogether, Very few people here are worth watching.Even I give Don Wilson and his directors props for not giving up no matter how bad the films got, but it's a bit disappointing that even after at least a dozen films, they haven't refined his style at all for the better. It's reassuring that better examples of his on-screen prowess exist out there, but don't be tempted by this one; buying a "Karate Fighters" toy set is more fulfilling than this film.

Nice Wilson movie, great addition to my collection, well done job by seller.

very good

The Bloodfist series began with no-brainer tournament action, and has now evolved into an action series with a story that makes you think and pay attention to plot. Bloodfist 5 is one of the best overall b-action movies I have seen. It does not have a huge amount of martial arts action compared to movies like Bloodsport or Shootfighter, but it has a lot of suspense, pretty good acting, good charcaters, and fights that look realistic.The best thing about Bloodfist 5 is the suspense. Don Wilson plays "Jim Stanton", a man who worked for some crimelords, but shot at the beginning of the movie and awaken in a hospital only to have his memory erased. Not knowing if worked for the crimelords or as an undercover CIA agent with them, both sides want Jim dead. Now he's on the run and can trust no one but himself. Jim continually comes in contact with both sides, but each time adds suspense and a new twist to the plot. There are plenty of fight scenes thrown in, but only keeping up with the realness of the story, so there aren't any long scenes or flashy sequences. Just real fights that get the job done.The characters are great in this film, and their actor counterparts do a fine job. There are plenty of martial art movie faces such as Steve James (American Ninja), Ron Yuan (White Tiger, Ring of Fire), Yuji Okumoto (Karate Kid II) and I can't think of his name, but the guy that played the main villain in Shootfighter 2. Steve James is the only one who really gives Don a challenge, beatimg him with a metal pole at the end of the movie before Don finally gets some good punches and kicks in. The others guys get a good beat down over and over throughout the film.Bloodfist 5 is a great overall movie. Again, don't compare this to hollywood blockbusters, but in the genre of tight-budget b-action flicks, this one entertains in more that just action. Not as good as bloodfist 4, but probably qualifies to be one of the best of the Bloodfist series.

Bloodfist IV was good and V is surprisingly even better. The Bloodfist series with each sequel seems to be fleshing out more and more story. The first two films were no brain karate flicks in which the story took a back seat. But with IV and V, the story is actually more important than the well staged fights. Like the previous sequels, there is no connection to the other films so you don't have to worry about watching these babies in order. This time Don "The Dragon" Wilson wakes up in a hospital after being shot in the head...only he has no memory of who he is. Suddenly he is being pursued by crimeloards and the CIA. Was he a ciminal or was he a undercover offical? Yes the story sounds reminicent of The Long Kiss Goodnight, but every Roger Corman production I have ever seen borrows from some other film so it was not surprsing. In Conclusion I found the film to use its tight budget really well and I dug the amount of time that went into to the script to come up with some unique plot twists.

The plot kept me guessing. Loved the twists and turns and the action. Fights were realistic...no absurd acrobatics like other flicks. Acting and tech credits were decent. Directing and writing impressed me. DVD looks fantastic.