The
Stranger
In the
height of the 90s martial arts cinema was in high demand still, the
medium blasted onto the scene in the '70s at the height of the Kung
Fu boom.
Throughout
the 80s it was all about making it more realistic with big stunts and
the inclusion of professional fighters and martial artists who could
deliver the action on screen to good effect.
Although
most of the 70's action was coming out of Hong Kong and Taiwan, as
the 80s progressed American films started to appear more often, in
part to the success of the likes of Chuck Norris and Joe Lewis.
So the 80s
were a mixed bag of Asian and Hollywood films, all shot on a budget.
This
continued well into the 90s right up to the millennium.
Now being
an avid watcher of these films I did try and see as many as I
possibly could, which was no mean feat, often visiting the rental
shop every day and even traveling into town to see any new releases
available on home media in the centre of London.
So here we
have a film from 1995 starring 5 Times World Kickboxing Champion
Kathy Long.
Surprisingly
it's one I never got to see and have just found on Amazon Prime.
Film-wise
Kathy Long made a few films in the '90s and even did the stunts for
Michele Pheiffer in Batman's Returns.
The
Stranger is set in a dusty desert town whose residents survive by the
money spent in town by a gang of bikers who venture out to rob, maim,
deal drugs, and so forth.
The bikers
basically do as they please and their leader Angel sees himself as
some kind of saviour.
The
Sheriff is a pitiful excuse who languishes in his own sorrow and
drinks his troubles away.
But when
one day a stranger comes to town, Kathy Long.
At first,
we see the stranger at a gas station just outside of town where she
gets accosted by two members of the biker gang. Dealing with them is
the only way she knows how she rides off towards town on her lowrider
motorcycle.
Reports
come into the Sheriff's office about the incident and before the
Sheriff can get out to see the result, the stranger rides into town
where she sets about her business.
The
stranger is there for a reason, one you have to figure out for
yourself. But it becomes apparent early on that Angel's gang is key
as she confronts another two bikers in town and asks where Angel is.
With Angel
out doing his dastardly deeds, the town is pretty much void of most
of the bikers and Angel is yet to find out that his compatriots have
come unstuck.
The
townsfolk fear this stranger may bring more harm to the town that
relies on funds from the gang.
The
Sheriff's girlfriend, the deputy, the Mayor, and some store owners
would like to see the back of her, but this won't be an easy task.
The
Stranger befriends a young girl who lives on the streets who just
happens to be the sister of a dead girl buried in the town's
Cemetary.
Who Is the
Stranger? It's on you to figure out, early on I guessed. The film has
a resemblance to another film starring a bigger name star at around
that time or maybe earlier I think.
I won't
tell you the film or the star as it will give it all away if you
haven't seen the film.
The main
antagonist, Angel played by actor Andrew Divoff brings an air of a
bigger budget film to proceedings, though his role is good and he is
well known, his lacking in being an action man or having any real
unarmed combat experience deals the film a low blow.
Kathy Long
has to be content with a showing of her skills by hitting stuntmen
and the use of some quick cuts gives an impression of her opponents
being better than they really are.
In fact, I
think the former champion could most probably beat all of the cast
members in a fight for real as her overpowering persona would be
enough for me.
The film
plays like a Western in truth, A stranger comes to town, the bandits
are running rife and the stranger deals out justice with a hard fall
for all.
It would
have been better to have a more competent Martial artist face off
against Kathy Long for the final as the film's pace more or less sets
it up for a big showdown.
Also,
lookout for a young Danny Trejo ( Machette) as one of Angels Gang.
I enjoyed
the film for what it was, a hark back to the 90s action genre when
special effects were the people doing the action. It could have been
better but it still offers that hitch that keeps you watching.
Kathy Long
did another couple of action films around this time, and we'll try
and cover these on-site as soon as we can attain them.
Whether
Kathy Long couldn't make it into the film market properly like the
likes of Cynthia Rothrock, Don Wilson and such like I don't really
know. Maybe she felt it was not for her or maybe it all happened a
bit too late for her as by the late 90s, fewer and fewer of these
types of films were being made due to studios wanting to play it safe
and the canvas of how films, were made, would change.
The
Stranger is a Modern Day Western where the protagonist is a
sexy-looking badass who breaks bones.
Review
Date April 2022
Review By:
Sertes Nake.
