Week 5 (July 19 – 25) – Sub Rosa Studio
Ron Bonk’s SRS Cinema has been providing the underground with TOP QUALITY GRIME since the 90s. Not only does he release a deluge of Sharksploitation, Amityville ripoffs, and Cocaine-addicted critter flicks, he also distributes auteurist masterpieces like Tim Ritter’s Truth or Dare? – A Critical Madness, Hugh Gallagher’s Gore Trilogy and the Polonia Brothers’ Hallucinations, plus he’s moved into the world of Japanese kaiju cinema with Howl From Beyond the Fog and The Whale God.
Directed, written, produced and choreographed by Mark Swetland, who also stars, you would think to write off this super low-budget white guy kung fu 16mm epic, but you’d be wrong. No one watched this since the 90s, and somehow, SRS had it and released it, and we’re all the better for it.
It all starts one night when a knife-wielding masked killer stalks Mark’s sister while she’s swimming in her above-ground pool, a scene that culminates in her throat being cut. If this were a Pittsburgh movie, this would be a sign that she’s rich. I don’t know if they look at above-ground pools the same way in Buffalo, kind of how they don’t have a great football team like we do either. But I kid — they were smart enough to put hot sauce on everything, the same way that we put French fries on salads and sandwiches. We can get along.
When Mark’s girlfriend breaks the tragic news to him, he swears to find those responsible and kill them with his own hands. What follows is an uncompromising quest for vengeance that shifts gears from a low-rent regional thriller into an astonishing showcase of martial arts action. As Swetland’s inquiries lead him to a local martial arts school, he unleashes a blistering assault on multiple opponents, elevating the narrative from a simple backyard murder mystery into a pure celebration of physical cinema and dojo-bashing combat. You will believe that a white guy can do kung fu.
The climax pulls out all the stops as Swetland—rocking a classic Game of Death tracksuit (the name of this movie is the original title of Enter the Dragon) and backed by a local crew of matching t-shirt-wearing do-gooders—takes the fight directly to a drug-dealing syndicate in a parking lot bloodbath that features zero hesitation, maximum velocity and a memorable vehicular finish.
Serving as the ultimate independent auteur, Swetland handled virtually every foundational production role on the film. Beyond the camera, his legitimate martial arts background and deep-seated reverence for kung fu movies shine through every frame, proving him to be an American practitioner capable of translating real combat disciplines to the screen. Outside of this project, Swetland made a brief appearance in 1991’s American Shaolin. The hitman is played by David W. Bobik, doing double duty as a key combat antagonist and a driving force behind the film’s intricate fight planning. His extended 24-hour-shoot sequence with Swetland stands as an absolute masterclass. No, really.
This was so much better than I thought it could be.
You can watch this on Tubi.
