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There is a really sappy and bizarre song that says “At least the war is over” and this is pretty much my sentiment as I finish the Bloodfist series. With the 8th entry, which was filmed in Ireland, Don Wilson sports a mushroom cut and flannel shirts to kick people’s asses. This time he plays a kung fu CIA agent who battles spies who force him back into action when his teacher cover is blown, which puts him and his son in danger.

The first thing to notice about this film, is that Don Wilson and John Patrick White (as his teenage son) are easily the most highly unlikely father and son duo since probably ever. For one, John Patrick White doesn’t look even slightly Asian and he looks like he’s 29 years old, and Don Wilson looks maybe 35 or so, making one wonder if Don Wilson was 6 years old when he fathered his first son, or if there was a time machine device that Don Wilson used to go back to when he was 6 years old and then father his son, I don’t know but it’s a head scratcher. Anyway, John Patrick White is far, FAR too old to play a teenager in high school, and this makes it hard to take seriously.

Also there is the forced sentiment as White and Wilson are at odds because Wilson wasn’t there for him because of his CIA connections and blah blah blah. When the bad guys start sniping for our father and son duo we get ample opportunity for son to see that his dad can kick ass with the best of them and was a super spy at one time. Of course, this is all ridiculous but somehow this movie feels like it’s catering to the kid market. I guess Don Wilson has a bunch of fans that are little tykes, it would explain it since kids can’t contemplate good acting or stories. But I digress…

Also of note is that the film is shot in Ireland and despite the sometimes interesting backdrop, the problem is that the film is directed with such dreary basicness that he fails to make the movie or scenery come alive. Indeed, the film is mainly Don Wilson kicking the crap out of various henchmen, interacting with his obnoxious son and finding out that it’s hard to get out of the CIA. Everything is filmed with competence, the story does make sense and the acting is okay, I guess. I can even give a pass to Don Wilson and John Patrick White because their roles are so ridiculous and the circumstances surrounding them so dumb, that nobody could seem credible when playing such roles.

Also of note is the name of certain characters in the film. Don Wilson plays George MacReady, there are also characters named Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell, which is hilarious because these names are actually the names of various film noir icons. Because I’m sure most people who rent Bloodfist 8 will get the film references.

The action sequences are okay but rarely exciting. Basically, you’ve seen this type of movie before and done with more energy and life. This Bloodfist sequel is actually probably the best entry since part 3, but really, aside from a few comical moments and an alright climax, the film is basically what it is. Mainly a routine martial arts/action time killer with a disposable star at the end of his career and although the film tries hard with character development, the action sequences and the intrigue of spy films, the bottom line is that it’s merely for those converted to the cause of the Bloodfist series.

Also, Wilson is actually better at phoning in his performance than when he tries hard as an actor, which means not memorably awful to be hilarious and not nearly strong enough to sell the concept. It’s sort of sad to see Don Wilson barely muster enough energy to say his lines in this (and Part 7). He attacks them with a laziness that hints that even he realizes that the material is beneath him. But it was 1997 and the decline of action movies started to take its toll, causing Don Wilson to realize that his career was a lost cause, so he just walked through it all as if he was asleep… and really if you’re working on something you can’t do even when you try your hardest, why attempt to pour your energy in it? It’s sort of like how that kid in school works hard with the teachers and can’t cut the mustard, so he just coasts by with the minimal of effort until he can go out and sell carpet for a living.

It just begs the question though, such as why people like Doug Bradley (Pinhead), Jim Varney (Ernest P. Worrell), Warwick Davis (Leprechaun) and kickboxers of various calibers cling to their one success that defines their careers. Sure, it’s good to be working again but it’s got to be boring to do the same damn thing over and over again with scripts more and more clichéd.

Bloodfist VIII: Hard Way Out (1996)
4/10

Tags: 1996, action, bloodfist, don "the dragon" wilson, kung fu, latest movie review, martial arts, recent, sequel, shitty movies