

Ken Takakura's screen debut, following his admission into Toei ranks via the studio's annual New Faces program, came surprisingly enough in this pair of Okinawa karate films. The two-parter was released on Jan. 29, 1956 as two thirds of a triple feature. Both halves run just under one hour. The fighting is actually pretty good for the time, and it's fun to see Takakura as an impatient, bearded karate rascal.


Ken Takakura's screen debut, following his admission into Toei ranks via the studio's annual New Faces program, came surprisingly enough in this pair of Okinawa karate films. The two-parter was released on Jan. 29, 1956 as two thirds of a triple feature. Both halves run just under one hour. The fighting is actually pretty good for the time, and it's fun to see Takakura as an impatient, bearded karate rascal.
1956-01-29
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7.3When a series of martial misunderstandings spirals into an international incident, a Chinese martial arts student struggling to relate to his new Japanese wife is forced to take on seven of Japan's most powerful martial arts masters, each an expert in a different discipline, ranging from karate to samurai to ninjitsu.
4.4To avenge the brutal murder of his brother, Jake Ray journeys to the Philippines, where his search for truth finds him battling both in and out of the ring. But the weapons are always the same: bare fists, bare feet. And the rules never change: last man standing wins.
6.0Mari Hirakawa is a woman who inherits her father's karate dojo. However, she finds out that Chan Keung, her father's former student, is also its heir and they fight to determine its sole owner.
6.5Two feuding brothers (one a policeman, the other a martial arts expert) of different political views, join forces to avenge the death of their father, a retired agent, killed by the mafia.
5.2High schooler Kei Tsuchiya joins The Destroyers when she decides that her longtime karate master is holding her back. She realizes her mistake but it's too late.
5.4Duke Togo (codename: Golgo 13) is a ruthless assassin who's accepted a tricky assignment from an American drug syndicate. His mission is to "rub out" Hong Kong's underworld kingpin. His main obstacle is the relentless Detective 'Smitty' Smith, determined to stop Togo no matter the cost. The result is an explosive adventure through the seamy, violent streets of Hong Kong.
6.8Takuma Tsurugi takes on the government, the police, the mafia and an international ring of kidnappers who aim to dispossess a beautiful young heiress of her millions.
5.5Terry Sugury is hired to recover one of two tapes containing a formula for making heroin for a price of 200 dollars a pound. But he gets double crossed. So he wants the tape back.
4.8Karate master and anti-drug vigilante Chiba returns to his home in Japan, where he holds a press conference announcing his intention to wipe out the nation's drug industry. He also offers his services as a bodyguard to anyone who is willing to come forward and provide information about the drug lords' activities. He is soon approached by a mysterious woman claiming to have important information and asking for Chiba's protection. She seems to be legitimate, but is she really what she appears to be?
7.0Sakata protects a little boy while coping with rival gangs.
5.5Kon Loong, a rickshaw boy, learns kung-fu from master Auyang Tin-Kin, for three years of practice. Kon Loong is recognized as the best among all the students. One day, when the master is out for a journey, another fighting association sends a challenge to the school, and Kon Loong accepts it. He goes with four other brothers, but they are badly defeated by their opponents, who hired the help of a Japanese karate fighter. When the master returns, he will have to save the school's honour, in a duel against the two other schools.
3.9Andrew Garret is a cop trying to reveal the background of secret killing fights named "Game". He takes part in the fights under the nickname Gladiator. One of the Game bosses, Parmenion, wants him to fight with the ancient sword that once belonged to Alexander the Great against his own fighter Mongol to recall the 2000 years old duel between Alexander and his enemy whose re-incarnations he believes to be Andrew Garrett and himself.
5.3In Okinawa, Ayaka Kurenai was born in the world’s greatest legendary Karate family. When she was a child, her family was attacked by a mysterious gang that seeks legendary black belt. Her father Soujiro Kurenai was killed and her younger sister was taken in front of her. Time has passed. In Yokohama, she was spending her life as a normal high school girl, hiding her real name and her status as a heir of the legendary Karate family. However, one incident brought her a fateful encounter with her sister who was separated in their childhood. But, her sister was raised as a heartless killing machine by the mysterious gang who took her. .
5.1Fabrizio De Angelis leaves it all on the sweat-stained mat at the strip-mall karate studio that hosted the bone-crushing, senses-shattering, kickpocalypse between arch rivals Kevin and Jeff! The final battle would have been pretty lame (well, lamer than it was) if it hadn't been built toward with an unceasing increase in tension as Kevin and Jeff clashed in competitions where the stakes only got higher and higher and even freaking higher! Why, by the time that Kevin had bested Jeff in the race through the Tunnel of Death (neither of them died making the tunnel's name an unfortunate misnomer), I was thinking that surely nothing could top that! Well, nothing but a training montage!
2.6Larry Jones is challenged by competitor Mustafa to a karate fight in Greece.
3.6The world-champion in boxing Dany Wagner saves Sandra right before some criminals could give her a shot of heroin to get her addicted. After that he stops a bank robbery with his friend Andreas. They plan to fight the underworld of Nuernberg together.
6.3Brazil is a contract killer, willing to take any job if the price is right. Flint left the assassin game when a ruthless drug dealer’s brutal attack left his wife in a coma. When a contract is put out on the same coldblooded drug dealer, both Brazil and Flint want him dead – one for the money, the other for revenge. With crooked Interpol agents and vicious members of the criminal underworld hot on their trail, these two assassins reluctantly join forces to quickly take out their target before they themselves are terminated.
7.0Maximus is twelve and captain of the National Ukrainian Karate Full-Contact Youth Team. They are the underdog favorites as they prepare and go into the ring against the much more ...
0.0Take your Karate training to the next level! In this highly anticipated 2-DVD set, Kenji Yamaki - one of only 14 people in the world to have endured the 100-man kumite - explains and demonstrates his stylized yamaki-ryu take on classic kyokushin karate.
9.7Assistant professor Orlan Sands is rescued from muggers by Spithrachne, the leader of an evil spider-themed cult. As payback, Orlan is asked to steal a magic urn discovered as an artifact in an archeological dig. Knowing he'll be killed if he refuses, he turns to his friend Jack Chase, a martial arts champion, for protection. Unfortunately, Jack is killed by Spithrachne, and his newly-engaged fiancee Maggie blames Orlan for Jack's death. But Orlan still needs protection, so he asks voodoo priest Brother Banjo for help, and help he gets...Jack, raised from the dead as a ninja corpse!