The Fist of the North Star

1996-Live Action Adaptation

Gary Daniels

Back when i was in High School my friends and i heard of this version and was immediately disappointed by the choice and horrible track record of most anime turned live action genre and immediately dismissed this film as an immediate flop.

To no ones surprise, it was. Now 12 years later, with a new batch of friends in hand and a different kind of sense of humor, I've finally decided to give this film a chance it never had to disappoint or exceed my wildest expectations (which is still rather low).

Synopsis:

Based off of a 1985 Japanese Animated Feature film of the same name (which was based off of a long running comic (manga) series), is about a lone Martial Artist named Kenshiro the Fist of the North Star.

Betrayed by his Best friend, Shin Fist of the Southern Cross, and left for dead in the post apocalyptic desert kenshiro must find his fiance and avenge the wrongs Shin started by following the path of peace through evil means.

All-in-All:

What ever the case, the Live action will never do the Animated/Comic series any justice. But as a film in its own manner this was very close to the Source Material (sure it ends with a happy Hollywood ending in under 1hr 40min but c'mon, like they were ever planning for the sequel). This film is a joy to watch with all the proper portions of "B-Cinema" dosages.

Riko's Rating: B