Bloodfist VII: Manhunt (1995) New Horizons/Action RT: 86 minutes Rated R (brutal martial arts violence, some bloody shootings, a scene of sexuality, nudity, strong language) Director: Jonathan Winfrey Screenplay: Brendan Broderick and Rob Kerchner Music: Elliot Anders and Mike Elliott Cinematography: Michael Gallagher Release date: October 3, 1995 (US) Cast: Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Jillian McWhirter, Jonathan Penner, Steven Williams, Mindy Seeger, Stephen Davies, Cyril O’Reilly, Eb Lottimer, Angelo Dimascio, Stephen Quadros, Paulo Tocha, Gregory Vahanian, Rick Dean, Steven Kravitz, Jonathan Winfrey, Patrick J. Statham, Danny Lopez, Howard Jackson, Jay Fiondella. Box Office: N/A
Rating: ***
Producer Roger Corman once again proves he’s the Will Rogers of the exploitation movie world. He never met a hit movie he couldn’t make cheaper. Bloodfist VII: Manhunt is his version of The Fugitive, the 1993 blockbuster starring Harrison Ford as an innocent man on the run from the law after being falsely convicted of murder. Don “The Dragon” Wilson (who else?) steps into the Richard Kimble role in this seventh installment of the series of unrelated films branded with the Bloodfist label. You have to hand it Roger; the late schlockmeister knew how to sell a movie to the public. Brand name recognition mostly always lures them in. Mostly.
Wilson plays Jim Trudell, a drifter with a secret past that isn’t revealed until much later even though everybody knows that’s going to be the case. Why should this Wilson character be any different? Now here’s a guy who knows how to make an entrance. He shows up at a biker bar where he forces his way past a couple of lunkheaded toughs who think it’s a good idea to try and extort a $50 cover charge from him. He makes it inside, but the dopey duo is far from done. One of them, a real charmer named Lurch (Dean, Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight), starts putting the moves on Stephanie (McWhirter, The Dentist 2) who looks too classy to be a joint like this meaning she didn’t just stop by for a drink. She has another reason for being there. ANYWAY, Jim reaches his breaking point and soundly thrashes Lurch along with a dozen or so of his biker buddies. Now this is what 80s/90s action movies are all about! Who doesn’t love a good bar fight?
After the fracas, Stephanie asks Jim to take her with him. They end up at a motel where they share a bed (and that’s all!). The next morning, she’s gone and so’s his car. She leaves him the keys to her BMW which is parked back at the bar. He hitches a ride to her ride where he finds her real name and address on the registration. He drives straight to her home in Hollywood and finds the place trashed. He’s then attacked from behind. He makes easy work of his assailant, killing him. But now, he’s totally f***ed.
It turns out the dead guy was a cop. Jim is promptly arrested and taken to the station for questioning by new CO Captain Doyle (Williams, The Blues Brothers). He not only thinks Jim killed the cop on purpose, he believes he killed Stephanie as well even though there’s no evidence (i.e. no body) she’s dead. Unable to convince Doyle of his innocence, Jim is taken to be processed only to discover he’s facing a fate far worse than incarceration.
The two cops, Marvosa (Penner, The Last Supper) and Stanton (Lottimer, Streets), tasked with escorting Jim to the facility turn out to be dirty cops [Insert shocked gasp here] looking for Stephanie and an incriminating video tape she has in her possession. They take their prisoner to an abandoned warehouse where they try to extract information. Jim manages to escape and get away, but not before killing Stanton in self-defense. Marvosa, playing the game of CYA, makes it look like their charge escaped by kicking out the car window. Doyle puts out an APB for Jim while Marvosa launches his own search for the man who could potentially cause his whole corrupt world to come crashing down.
For his part, Jim needs to stay one step ahead of his pursuers while he tries to find a way to prove his innocence. He’s not only being sought by the LAPD; he’s also in the crosshairs of a gang of killers led by a real scumbag named D.T. (Quadros, CIA Code Name: Alexa). The FBI is involved too. Special Agent Craig (Davies, Lords of the Deep) wants in on the pursuit. It turns out Jim used to be one of their own before he got kicked out for suspected treason. He’s innocent of that too, of course.
Directed by Jonathan Winfrey (Excessive Force II: Force on Force), Bloodfist VII: Manhunt is a decent action flick. Seven movies in and I haven’t disliked any of the Bloodfist movies. That, in itself, is some kind of miracle. Of course, I don’t expect a whole lot from any of these DTV films. I just want a good diverting picture with plenty of action and fighting and martial arts from The Dragon. The bar fight is a cool set-piece despite it being too short. There’s also a great sequence where Wilson shoots it out with D.T. and his machine gun-toting flunkies. In other words, action junkies will NOT be disappointed by Bloodfist VII: Manhunt.
To his credit, Wilson does okay as the hero. He plays an innocent man on the run as well as he plays an inmate, an amnesiac, a repo man or an Army courier. The actor/martial artist does what he always does; he kicks ass. McWhirter looks good and that’s about it. Williams adds life as the determined police captain looking to solve a case that gets increasingly complicated. Penner is believable as a corrupt cop who will stop at nothing to erase evidence of his illegal misdeeds.
But you know what? Who cares about the acting? The important thing is Bloodfist VII: Manhunt delivers where it really counts. It crams a goodly amount of action into a space of 86 minutes. Winfrey keeps things moving along at a decent pace. Those who appreciate low-budget filmmaking will love how he confines the action to alleys, back lots, empty streets and other sparsely populated areas of L.A. This, of course, means the studio couldn’t afford the permits to film in recognizable locations in the City of Angels. Once again, Corman finds a way to prevail when the money just isn’t there. God broke the mold when he made that guy.
