Bloodfist 2050

Roger Corman.  Cirio H. Santiago.  Kickboxers.  Post-apocalyptic setting.  Revenge plot.  Tons of violence and nudity.  It feels like 1984 all over again.  New Concorde's BLOODFIST 2050, released in 2005, nearly a decade since the previous BLOODFIST, is the first of the nine-picture series to not star Don "The Dragon" Wilson. 

This time, "five-time world martial arts champion" Matt Mullins steps in to star in a loose remake of the original BLOODFIST.  Alex Danko (Mullins) arrives in seedy, futuristic Los Angeles, where his brother was jumped and beaten to death in an alley outside a strip joint.  You pretty much know the rest--young kickboxer investigates murder of kickboxing champion brother, goes undercover, usual training sequences, has sex with hot stripper, lots of random fight scenes in and out of the ring.  The credits play over a futuristic car chase out of one of director Santiago's '80s ROAD WARRIOR knockoffs, then that's the last we ever see of that part of 2050 society.

Once the credits end and Danko gets to L.A., society seems pretty normal, except there is an inordinately large Filipino population (BLOODFIST 2050 was shot in the Philippines).  There is also a surprising amount of nudity in this movie, completely gratuitous, much of it provided by Beverly Lynne as Mullins' blond love interest.  A lot of stock footage appears from previous Corman films; I think a pre-silicone Maria Ford appears as a stripper.  Lynne and the guy who plays Danko's comic-relief fighter sidekick (Glen Meadows) are married softcore porn stars in real life. And it's good to see Joe Mari Avellana, who acted in the first two BLOODFIST movies (as different characters) still appearing in and wearing several hats in these cheapjack Corman productions (he also designed the crummy sets).