Hester Street (1975)

False Advertising Again
Great movie, terrible film to dvd transfer and not subtitled as listed.

Shihomi Etsuko Bloodbath
This was the first in a series of movies that went under the title of "Onna hissatsu-ken," or "Lethal Fist of the Woman," intended to showcase the talents of Shihomi Etsuko, a female Japanese martial artist trained in Shaolin Kenpo. It is not a Sonny Chiba film, and as other reviewers have pointed out, he only has a small part.

That said, the movie is best enjoyed on its own campy terms. It takes itself perfectly seriously, although it's nothing more than a pastiche of elements swiped from contemporary Hong Kong films-- and pretty much every villain tries his level best to imitate Bruce Lee's deadpan fighting style. In true Japan style, however, the fights are over the top, extremely bloody, and sometimes just ridiculous. In short, it's hilarious. The fights get more and more brutal (and laughable) as the day-glo blood pours. This movie is sure to satisfy those looking for surreal, cheesy fun, but certainly won't appeal to people looking for a high-quality martial arts film. I really enjoy watching the star, since she always manages to appear so sincere in her roles and isn't a bad martial artist. Sadly, her talents were squandered in increasingly formulaic and silly movies.

Please note that I can't vouch for the quality of this release, since I've only seen the Japanese original.

WHY DID THEY REDUCE CHIBA TO CAMEOS FOR THIS GIRL?
THIS GIRL CAN FIGHT, BUT FIRST OF ALL, WHY DID THEY SHORTEN CHIBA'S PRESENCE TO A CAMEO JUST TO DEVOTE A MOVIE TO A GIRL WHO CAN'T HOLD HER OWN AGAINST HALF THE MEN IN THE MARTIAL ARTS INDUSTRY? HERE'S THE WACK PLOT; A COP DISSAPEARS WHILE TRYING TO BUST A MAJOR DRUG CARTEL, AND IT'S UP TO HIS SISTER TO FIND HIM. DON'T BE FOOLED. DESPITE THE PRESENCE OF SONNY CHIBA'S PICTURE ON THE COVER, CHIBA VERY SELDOMLY APPEARS IN THIS ONE. LET'S FACE IT, THIS ONE RUINED WHAT COULD'VE BEEN A BETTER SERIES OF SEQUELS. NOW REALLY, I FIND IT STUPID THAT THIS GIRL CAN FIGHT HER WAY THROUGH ALL THESE MEN LIKE IT'S ALMOST NOTHING. THE FILMMAKERS REALLY SHOULD'VE THOUGHT LONG AND HARD BEFORE THEY DECIDED TO REPLACE SONNY CHIBA AS THE STAR FOR THIS LAME GIRL. HOPEFULLY, THEY WOULD LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES BY THE TIME ''THE STREET FIGHTER'S LAST REVENGE'' WAS RELEASED.