Okay, this is the second day in a row where I'm not totally convinced that I watched a horror film. But Raw Force is also known as Kung Fu Cannibals, and does in fact have zombie martial artists and monks that barbecue and eat women. So I guess it counts.
And unlike yesterday's film of questionable horror vintage (Virgin Witch), Raw Force is a heck of a lot of fun. I mean, it's really quite stupid, but its goofy tone and the way it revels in its exploitation roots makes it quite entertaining. It's a hefty helping of early 80's action cheese with a significant grindhouse/sleazy vibe. It's not going to win anyone over who isn't into dumb 80's movies, but it works as a fun, trashy, and dumb action film - if you're into that sort of thing.
Raw Force centers on a cruise ship... I guess leaving California? Our guests of honor (or at least our "heroes") are three guys from the famous Burbank Karate Club (yep) - three karate instructors who are just looking to kick back and relax on a nice little cruise to Asia. (That seems like it would take *way* too long, but whatever.) The ship is filled with a variety of wacky characters (what else would expect from an 80's cheesefest?) - a hilariously drunk guy, a woman from the LA SWAT team, Cameron Mitchell (the captain of the ship), the cook who knows martial arts (sadly, not Steven Seagal), and a bunch of debaucherous partiers. Anyways, several guests on the ship are all excited about stopping by Warrior's Island - a mysterious, isolated place where monks are said to worship long dead martial artists of the past... and some say... raise the dead! (Despite the supposed secrecy of the island, our karate guys have nice a brochure.)
But all is not well on Warrior's Island. A suspiciously Hitler-looking big bad and his Cheesy Henchmen are kidnapping women from the mainland and bringing them to the island in exchange for baskets of jade. The monks on the island, much like most monastic sects the world over, cook and eat the young women and somehow use them to raise the dead. But this whole money making scheme could be in jeopardy if a cruise ship shows up. So when the bad guys get wind of the ship, they try to hijack it and murder everyone on board. (It sounds serious - and I'd guess hundreds of people die offscreen - but Raw Force is goofy enough that you don't really care.) So a handful of survivors make it to Warrior's Island for a climactic showdown with not only our Hitler-esque bad guy, but also Kung Fu Zombies!
That sounds like a lot of plot - and sorry if I spoiled things. But really, given the vibe of the film, that's really the only way this thing could go. Story telling and twists and turns of the plot are not the strong suit of Raw Force - pretty much everything you expect to happen happens. But it's the ride that makes it worth it.
There's enough weirdness going on here to make you look past the numerous flaws in the film (wooden acting, bad script, overt sleaziness, iffy fight choreography). Although depending on how forgiving you're feeling, even the flaws can be rather charming. As long as you can embrace that weirdness, it'd be hard to not enjoy Raw Force. There are enough random moments with supporting characters to fill out multiple movies - the insane bartender who cracks ice with his head, Lloyd the Fred Willard-esque drunk, the tryst between the ex-mafia woman and the school teacher, the *entire* drunken party scene. Much like a drunken party, Raw Force is often messy, but still fun.
I guess the impetus for the film was to make a mash up of two popular genres at the time (Zombie and Kung Fu). Then you add to that the often bizarre vibe that came with Hollywood-produced exploitation films shot in the Philippines, and you can begin to see why Raw Force turned out like it did.
The fight scenes are pretty sloppy, but still enjoyable. The Burbank Karate Club doesn't seem super comfortable fighting onscreen... and one guy spends most of the film with his foot in a cast. My guess is that he legit injured himself, because the injury doesn't play into the story at all. At least the chef on the cruise ship seems a little more seasoned - his fight scenes are easily the action highlights of the film. But despite an amateurish feeling to most of the fight scenes, they still have a certain entertainment value - the folks are all trying, at least. I just love cheesy kung fu fights where some guy just stands there, weapon raised above his head, primed to strike. But really, he just needs to awkwardly stand there and wait for the hero to see him so he can get kicked or whatever. That pretty much sums up Raw Force in a nutshell.
Horror-wise, there's not a ton going on here. There are some sleazy scenes of the kidnapped women in a bamboo cage early on, but other than that, nothing really even approaches "horror" until we see a half-eaten woman on the island towards the end of the film. And of course, you have the big fight at the end, when the monks raise martial arts masters from the dead to take on the Burbank Karate Club & Friends. There isn't much zombie stuff here - they're pretty much just regular martial arts dudes, painted blue or wearing dirt-covered clothes. They move/fight just like living martial artists... so the zombie aspect is ultimately kind of pointless. I would have liked to see some limbs cut off and they keep fighting, or something. And while there is some gore, it doesn't seem like anything more than what you'd expect from any action/exploitation film of the era.
So don't go into Raw Force expecting a horror film. Or really, even a good film. You have to be open to plenty of cheesy 80's action (and equally cheesy storytelling) and a pretty sleazy exploitation vibe to get into it. But if you can stomach that sort of thing, there's a great deal of WTF'ery to enjoy here. Raw Force is certainly not traditionally "good," but it's still a lot of fun.
I would recommend this film.
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