Sister Street Fighter (1974) - A Review

 

This movie kicks butt!

Sister Street Fighter is a martial arts movie released in Japan in 1974 and stars Etsuko Shihomi, Sonny Chiba, Bin Amatsu, Masashi Ishibashi, Emi Hayakawa,  Hiroshi Miyauchi, and Xiè Xiùróng. It was directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi. Sister Street Fighter was rated X for violence when released in America, and has nothing to do with The Street Fighter (1974), starring Sonny Chiba (even though he has a role in this movie).

Etsuko Shihomi as Tina Long. She is amazing in this.

In Sister Street Fighter, Etsuko Shihomi plays Tina Long, a martial artist who is in search of her missing brother, Lee Long (played by Hiroshi Miyauchi) in Japan. Lee Long is also a martial artist in the Shorinji kempo school, and was investigating the Central Export corporation before he went missing. As you can imagine, the head of Central Export, Kaki (played by Bin Amatsu) is one evil and corrupt business man. The way he makes his money is pretty outrageous (you have to see the movie to believe it), and he has multiple martial artists to protect him, including Amazons!

Tina goes on a fight-filled quest to find her brother, encountering bad guys around every corner. There is a martial arts master who hates the Shorinji kempo school, Hammerhead (played by Masashi Ishibashi), who becomes a thorn in Tina's side. Tina is not alone in her quest, she gets help from students at the Shorinji kempo school; Sonny (played by Sonny Chiba) and Emmy Kawasaki (played by Emi Hayakawa). Sonny, in particular, is a ferocious fighter. Can Tina uncover the illegal activities Kaki and Central Export are up to, and can she find and rescue her brother...?

Sonny Chiba (center) provides back up!

Though the movie is called Sister Street Fighter, and it has the star of The Street Fighter (Sonny Chiba) in a major role, and Etsuko Shihomi also had a role in The Street Fighter... this movie has nothing to do with the previous movie. Some would call it a spin-off, but is it really if the American movie company New Line Cinema renamed the movie Sister Street Fighter to capitalize on the success of The Street Fighter? It doesn't really matter to me, I guess. What matters is if I enjoyed it, and I did!

I'll just say it: Sister Street Fighter is just a fun action movie, nothing too deep. It is a showcase for Etsuko Shihomi and her martial arts skills. She plays Tina Long as a strong, determined, and caring woman on a mission to find her brother and bring down Central Export. Sonny Chiba has a somewhat small (but major) role in this movie, but his scenes are very memorable! He kicks butt like nobody else! The villains come out of a manga or anime; some of them are really over the top evil or are just plain crazy characters. Though the movie may seem goofy or less serious than something like The Street Fighter, there are some very violent deaths in this. Also a warning, there is a rape scene in this. I can understand why the movie was rated X when it came out in America, but I still think it shouldn't have been edited. It is pretty violent by today's standards, but it is not shocking like it would have been back then.

 By the way, I watched the original English dub of this movie, so I definitely need to watch Sister Street Fighter in its original language with English subtitles. I feel like I wasn't getting the whole story with the dub. Maybe I will review that version of the movie in the future.

Etsuko Shihomi shows no mercy towards disrespectful men!

The action is fast and furious in Sister Street Fighter! There are a lot of fight scenes in this movie! Etsuko Shihomi is awesome in this, and she gets to show off her martial arts skills throughout. Her first fight scene in the movie is against a bunch of men in a restaurant who "want her attention", if you know what I mean. Naturally, she destroys them, and you learn from this fight that Tina is not someone to be messed with! Sonny Chiba has some great fight scenes in this movie as well. He may not be as wild as he was in The Street Fighter, but he still fights with ferocity. The final fights are when things get crazy, with many graphically violent deaths. The action is good in Sister Street Fighter, but just don't expect Hong Kong style choreography.

So, should you watch Sister Street Fighter? I say yes! It's not the best movie in the world, but it has an amazing star (Etsuko Shihomi), crazy characters, an interesting story, and plentiful fight scenes. When you think of the best ever action stars, Etsuko Shihomi should be in the conversation. She is great, and I feel is really underrated nowadays.

Reviewed by David Williams