No Surrender Cinema: Blackbelt

If you’re an action movie fan and came across a movie named Blackbelt, featuring action hero Don “The Dragon” Wilson and perennial B movie villain Matthias Hues, you’d likely be overcome with glee. After all, the two were featured in some of the absolute best action movies of the 80’s and 90’s, and to see the two of them collide would be a dream match for fight fans. It was the type of excitement I felt when I first found this movie on cable, but little did I know how much it would stray from the normal plot points that this type of movie and these stars were prone to.

In my last review, I spoke highly of Don “The Dragon” Wilson’s performance in Bloodfist III, and how that movie was my favorite in the former kickboxing champion’s filmography. 1992’s Blackbelt would be the next in line of my favorite flicks starring “The Dragon”, and one I grew to appreciate more as I got older and saw just how dark the movie could be at times. Wilson plays Jack Dillon, ex-cop (we don’t know why), turned PI (we don’t know why) turned martial arts school owner (because “The Dragon”, that’s why!). He’s nominated by ex-partner Sturges (character actor Alan Blumenfeld, a familiar face who has played everything from Matt Parkman’s father on Heroes to the manager of MTV’s parody boyband 2Gether) to become the bodyguard for rising pop star Shanna (model/actress Deirdre Imershein). It seems that Shanna has gained the unwanted attention of psycho killer John Sweet (Hues), who makes his intentions known early in the movie by killing and carving up a hooker, writing a message in blood on the hotel room wall, and leaving one of the poor pro’s fingers in a gift box in Shanna’s dressing room. Subtlety is not exactly his forte.

What follows can only be called the martial arts equivalent to The Bodyguard, although Blackbelt was released months prior to the Costner/Houston blockbuster. Dillon takes the job, despite Shanna’s initial objections, due to her dislike for cops. See, her dad was a cop, and she hates him because he raped her. Now she’s surrounded by scumbags like her abusive boyfriend Bobby and mobster manager Eddie, both of whom are just using her to fatten their wallets. Seeing as neither of these guys seem overly concerned about love letters in blood and body parts turning up, Dillon takes the case despite the tension, which obviously enough turns to romance as the movie moves along.

If you thought parental rape for one character was a bit of creepy character development, then why not make it the backstory for two! It turns out our villain has mommy issues that would make Oedipus blush, and his obsession with Shanna stems from the fact that her new hit song is a cover of one that mommy dearest used to sing during their, uh, time together. Sweet’s inner turmoil is expressed in his rage, as we see him training and flashing back to his time as a youth being manipulated by his mothers advances. It’s a level of development that is rarely seen in movies like Blackbelt, and does raise Sweet above the cookie cutter heel status, making him come across like a much more formidable threat. We know that this guy is capable of some very bad things, and the darkness that drives him is going to make him a tough match for “The Dragon”.

Speaking of that match, it doesn’t disappoint, as Dillon faces off with every adversary in the movie (Bobby, Eddie, Eddie’s thugs, and Sweet’s old Army buddies) en route to the final battle. The fights in Blackbelt are somewhat simple, yet graphic, as the corn syrup flows freely, giving us some rather bloody beatdowns. Despite portraying a serial killer, Hues is able to show off his martial arts prowess in several fight scenes, and Wilson’s best showing comes in the climax, where he has to run through a gauntlet of henchmen while trying to save Shanna.

Let’s talk about Shanna for a moment here. Imershein is an attractive actress, but her character was just completely unlikable. She gets Dillon under her spell and then berates him several times for falling for her (including siding with her ex-boyfriend after she’s just slept with Dillon), so the sympathy really isn’t there when Sweet comes to capture her. Even after Jack dispatches of Sweet and co., he and Shanna seem to realize that whatever feelings they have for each other might not necessarily last. It’s far from a storybook ending for our kickboxing knight in shining armor. This guy has just killed for her, and nearly been killed himself ten times over, but the end of the movie pretty much tells us Dillon is going to be getting a one way ticket to the Friend Zone.

Blackbelt, despite its uncomfortable undertones, is an action movie that delivers on what’s promised by the title. Sure, you have to deal with seeing Sweet’s upbringing and Shanna being Shanna, but it never strays too far off course. “The Dragon” always delivers with his fight scenes, and Hues is as intimidating as ever as John Sweet. The action hits hard and fast, making the 85 minutes fly by. If you do decide to check it out, you would be better off ordering a copy from Amazon or Ebay (it can be had new for under $10) as the version on YouTube seems to be the trimmed UK cut, which omits a few minutes of violence from the run time.

I’ll leave readers with this fun fact regarding Blackbelt: it was popular enough that Corman remade the movie in 1994 as Angel of Destruction, swapping out Wilson’s character for a female lead. The main role went to Maria Ford, who played Wilson’s love interest in the first two Ring of Fire movies. Remember that in case we ever decide to spring a Bulletproof Action Pop Quiz on our readers! Angel of Destruction is also up on YouTube, but it’s more of a curiosity watch. Blackbelt is the superior movie by far, one that comes with my highest recommendation.