Sister Street Fighter

Sonny Chiba's Street Fighter films combined the elegant style of Bruce Lee with the ugly grittiness of Charles Bronsan. The success of that grindhouse aesthetic probably brought Chiba the closest of competitors to inheriting the kung fu crown. But Toei Studios weren't taking any chances; the film became a franchise that very same year with Sister Street Fighter (1974), pushing protégé Etsuko Shiomi into the spotlight, with Chiba along for the ride for the sake of continuity.

A spin-off in name only - Chiba plays an entirely different character here - Sister Street Fighter has a breakneck pace, stuffing in enough hand-to-hand combat to fill two or three films. There's a semblance of a plot (one that is repeated almost verbatim on each sequel) that introduces us to Koryu (Shiomi), a cute but deadly martial arts student whose brother has been kidnapped by drug smugglers. Teaming up with members of a local kempo school, she must defeat a rogue's gallery of villains to take out the big boss and shut down the operation.

Directed by Kauhiko Yamaguchi (Wandering Ginza Butterfly), the film unfolds with all the campy energy of a Batman episode, introducing each bad guy with a colorful freeze-frame explaining his particular fighting style. It's a fun gag that ensures Shiomi, who lacks screen presence early on, doesn't have to carry the movie alone; her opponents share equal billing...although they're all too expendable. The fight sequences are quick and energetic with just enough gore to keep Chiba fans in their seats, although things are amped up for the sequels.

Speaking of which, Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread (also 1974), is really nothing more than an extension of the first film with a few more gruesome highlights (forget chopping through bricks...Koryu can slice through an arm!). The smugglers switch to surgically smuggling diamonds in the shapely buttcheeks of prostitutes (!), but the outcome is by and large the same. Once again, an army of colorful bad guys is unleashed against our heroine, who takes on a more maternal role this time, fighting for the daughter of his best friend.

But wait, there's more! Return of the Sister Street Fighter (1975) involves gold smugglers and more trained assassins, while Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist (1976) is a soft reboot of the franchise, with Shiomi taking a backseat to new sidekicks while '70s soft rock needle drops set the stage for a more emotional, character driven entry. While all the sequels are entertaining, you're better off not binging as the repetitiveness of the formula starts to show.

Arrow Video's Sister Street Fighter Collection collects all five films with unexpectedly awesome transfers that get better the further you go and a nice selection of extras including interviews with Sonny Chiba and the principal filmmakers. Also part of the package (but not included for review) is an illustrated booklet with new writing on all of Toei's karate films released in the U.S.