An elite force of martial arts commandos is sent to rescue a Senator’s daughter, caught up with a cult, with its own martial arts commandos, in Robert Clouse’s 1981 punch-em-up Force: Five, now on Blu-Ray via MVD Rewind.
The Film
I’ve used this term before, most recently in regard to a Troma Two-fer, in Luther the Geek and Frightmare Blu-Ray reviews: Fifth Pick Flick. The sort of film you picked up as a random grab from a 5 Bucks 5 movies promotion at the strip mall, Mom & Pop video store. Force: Five is a Fifth Pick Flick. And it’s one you wouldn’t regret grabbing back then. Directed by Robert Clouse, 1981’s Force: Five is a fun, cheesy action flick with plenty of fights, questionable acting by trained fighters, a silly plot, and just a self-aware set of silliness.
The excuse for the fighting: Bruce Lee protege Joe Lewis, of Jaguar Lives, is hired to extract (rescue isn’t quite the right word since she’s been brainwashed to stay) a Senator’s daughter, Amanda Wyss, from A Nightmare on Elm Street and Better Off Dead, from a cult on an island. Led by a maniacal martial arts master, played with a gleeful charm by Bong Soo Han, the Korean master of Hapkido, and some roles here and there. I know him best from the kung-fu parody portion of Kentucky Fried Movie. First, Lewis has to gather his group from all over and eventually (deep into the movie) infiltrate the compound via a Senator’s check-in, akin to the Congressman visiting Jim Jones in Guyana. Violence breaks outwith plenty of fight, silly sequences, and performances.
Director Robert Clouse has his martial arts clout. The man directed Enter the Dragon, the best martial arts film! And was filming Game of Death when Bruce died. But he also made Gymkata. Okay, I legit love that utterly ridiculous movie; its plot and characters are silly and nonsensical, but it’s gloriously goofy fun. For full disclosure, Force: Five is more Gymkata than Enter the Dragon. The plot is generic in word and deed, but the action is worth the admission. It pushes through the expected plot points, moving the people around to set up the fight reasons with enjoyable cheese. As one can see, so many are mere reasons for a series of fights in different methods all over the world. The selection of artists: Sonny Barnes, Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, Ron Hayden, and Pam Huntington. Each has their own styling and focus, and that leads to a variety of well-choreographed action sequences.
It’s a movie that knows what it is and doesn’t pretend to be anything else. Hell, at one point, a man is beaten and left in a labyrinth with a bull. None of the leads is all that strong of an actor, but they are all accomplished fighters and that charisma and the fun they seem to be having come through, especially in Bong Soo Han. Also, so cool to see an early quick performance by Tom Villard of Popcorn and One Crazy Summer.
Force: Five is a fun fight flick. It’s a well-aware B-movie all the way down. It’s the sort that would play well between Hulk Hogan TV shows on TNT on a lazy afternoon (minus the handful of topless scenes… bewbs!). That’s a good thing.
Side note: Force: Five is a remake of Oscar Williams’s 1976 film Hot Potato. That was a sequel to Black Belt Jones. I’ve not seen either.
The Package
I love the way MVD Rewind presents the case. In their method, the cardboard O-Sleeve looks like a lost VHS from those Mom-And-Pop stores you’d rent this as a random pick up. Wear, fingerprints, a crossed-out “5.99 Previously viewed” sticker. It even looks like it was faded by being near a window! The back continues the style. Good stuff. The regular, clear Blu-Ray case inside has the same cover but clear of the purposeful artifacts (see above), with a regular backside. An alternate poster is on the flip side of the reversible sleeve. Inside is a fold-out poster and the single disc, imprinted with MVD Rewind‘s VHS imagery. It carries Rewind number #70 on its spine.
The Presentation
Maybe too fitting to the VHS-ness of the Rewind, the transfer is dulled and murky at times. It’s still totally visible and clear, just don’t expect popping colors and fine detail. In cases like this, I expect this is the best it can be. But it’s also something that adds to the charm of retro. Sound is the original mono track. Love the old-school sound effects. But it does sound good overall. Subtitles in English.
The Features
Force: Five was previously released on Blu-Ray in 2019 in a limited edition by Screen Archives. That one was bare-bones, so if you were one of the thousand to get that limited edition, MVD Rewind adds to the fun. Though funnily enough, the film is not the focus. If you’re looking for insight on Force: Five, that won’t be found here. All the features are archival, but not sure where they might have appeared before.
Joe Lewis Interview
I was taken into an uh-oh to start, as Lewis seemed like a grump. Gulp, 50 minutes of this? However, once the issues of set-up are worked out (why keep this in?) Lewis is open and interesting. He’s had a long history in martial arts, training with Bruce Lee and working hand-in-hand with Lee across their careers. Once he starts, Lewis can go, moving from topic to topic. I’m honestly not sure if the film itself ever came up in the discussion. It’s rather fuzzy on the A/V end, looking like filmed on an old camcorder. But that’s fine, as it’s literally just Lewis talking with no breaks. I’m not sure when this is from, but Lewis died in 2015. (50M)
Interview with Benny Urquidez
Urquidez gives fighting tips and talks about putting his known fighting skills on film (he’s often a stunt man) (9m)
Benny Urquidez Fight featurette
Urquidez fights in Japan; we see parts of the fight and talk to those around it (6m)
Final Thoughts
MVD Rewind’s presentation of Robert Clouse’s Force: Five will appeal most to those who dig this sort of flick. Luckily, I’m one of those. Big dumb action flicks with lots of punching and iffy acting. For fans of martial arts and Bruce Lee, Joe Lewis’s interview is a good look at the man’s work.