The Southern Cross martial arts school seeks to forge a new empire over the lawlessness, under the tyrannical rule of Lord Shin (Costas Mandylor). Loosely adapting the source material’s initial story arcs, the film is set in the desolate wastelands of the year 20XX, after a nuclear apocalypse had wiped out civilization. Once its loveable quirks show up, however, it makes viewing this movie more tolerable. With a run-time of 103 minutes, finding that charm can take effort. The trailer’s attempts to entice viewers with dramatic flair and action only succeeded in spotlighting the dubious casting decisions and laughable special effects. Yet somehow, echoing the infamously “so bad, it’s good” schlock that’s Riki Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991), there’s a peculiar charm to the ensuing trainwreck that almost makes up for its myriad blunders, albeit not as successfully. (Source: IMDb)ĭirected by Tony Randel, a filmmaker with an at-best sketchy track record, and distributed by independent firm Overseas Filmgroup, this direct-to-video piece (though it had received a theatrical release in Japan) has since gone down in infamy among fans as not only one of the worst Western takes of Japanese media to come out of the 1990s, but also the lowest-rated adaptations of the source material ever. The poster and cover for the live-action Fist of the North Star film gives a hint to the low-budget schlock that’s the actual production.
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