Assassin's Fist - Street Fighter Fans Rejoice!

 By Nate Originally posted on RetroNate.blogspot.com

"A live action Street Fighter Movie that DOESN'T SUCK! Sorry Jean Claude!"

Can it be true? A live action Street Fighter that doesn't suck? Street Fighter Assassin's Fist ventures to go where no Street Fighter movie has gone before. From the ashes of "The Legend of Chun Li" and "Street Fighter" Starring Jean Claude Van Damme, can a Kick Starter concept do what it's multimillion dollar counterparts could not - make a Street Fighter movie that doesn't suck?

Can Assassin's first do these 2 icons of FIght Game history justice? Follow me to find out!

Street Fighter is the world's best fighting game, near and dear to the hearts of it's fans for decades. However, like Makauly Caulkin, Hollywood has done nothing but ruin something that was so great, with back to back live action movies that failed to resonate with fans or pay homage to the great source material. Leave it to Joey Ansah, the original mastermind of Assassin's Fist and Hollywood Stuntman (who has worked with the likes of Matt Damon) to set out to make a Street Fighter movie true to the source, for fans by fans. After getting the green light from Capcom, a successful Kickstarter campaign and some key sponsorships, Street Fighter - Assassin's Fist released for the masses (for free) on YouTube on May 24 2014. 

The Review

To be honest, I didn't not have much hopes for Assassin's First at first. In a world of horrible fan-made tributes, I wasn't expecting much. So I was highly sceptical and began mentally picking apart things from Episode One. Things like "Why is Ryu's Gi so clean?" or "Those sparring gloves look too new!" However, by episode 3, I became fully immersed into this world and just began to enjoy the ride. I even began re-watching the first 2 episodes so I could enjoy them without my "inner troll". I began to truly see the vision of what these people were trying to capture. 

Akira Koieyama, who's portrayal of Master Gouken (old) was very heartfelt and honest, an anchor for the entire film.

The actors did a great job overall in their rolls, especially in the young Gouken/Gouki saga. I loved how they didn't go "Hollywood" and did a lot of dialogue in Japanese, it helped keep an authentic experience. Although you may expect this movie to focus on Ken and Ryu's beginnings, the young Gouken/Gouki saga gave the film weight and depth. If Ken/Ryu were the face of Assassin's Fist, young Gouken/Gouki's story was the soul of the movie. It reminded me of classic kung-fu movies of dis-honor and revenge which I truly enjoyed. However, the actor that truly stole the movie was Akira Koieyama, who's portrayal of Master Gouken (old) was very heartfelt and honest, an anchor for the entire film. 

The fighting and action were great overall. I thought a lot of moves, such as the Tatsumaki (Tornado Kick) translated really well. A few Shoryuken (Rising Dragon Fist) did look suspicious, but almost intended, like a homage to wire movie from classic Kung-Fu flicks. AND yes, the Hadoken (the fireball*)  turned out fan-freakin'-tastic! I know the crew did countless renditions and test to find the perfect version for the movie!

A minor gripe, there were times Akuma felt out of place.

As everything can't be perfect, my biggest gripe with Assassin's Fist was the treatment of Akuma. More nitpicking than criticism, there were some moments when Akuma made me metnally shake my head, saying "that looks a little out of place." It did slighly remove me from my state of immersion in the movie. Their rendition of Akuma could use a little more work in my opinion in terms of look, possibly less makeup. It's also odd to see Akuma doing bicep curls with water pales. Akuma always carried an aura of mystery to me, maybe a little less you see of him would do more in effect. This is a minor issue for me and didn't ruin my overall experience. 

"It's the best Street Fighter live action movie ever made (Sorry Jean Claude)"

One could tell this movie was made by people who truly appreciated and respected the source material. All the little things really went to show the time and attention to detail that went into crafting this labour of love. The little things like when Akuma called Ken and Ryu "cubs", references to Dan and Gen and even the Mega Man 2 appearance, it makes Street Fighter geeks like myself squeal in excitement (on the inside). Overall I thought it was a great series, great homage to Street Fighter and is a solid movie. It's the best Street Fighter live action movie ever made (Sorry Jean Claude). Of course there will be people who like to point out what's wrong in their opinion, but put your inner troll aside and just enjoy this ride. 

8.5/10 
You can watch Episode 1 of Assassin's Fist here!

-Nate

*I hate when people use "fireball" as it's not an accurate description of the "Hadoken" move, which more accurately translates to "wave palm technique" It's just the look of the Hadoken in the game that resembles a "fireball" I just want people to know I know the difference.