Fighting Mad (1978)

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Cirio H. Santiago (July 5, 2019) has a movie called Death Force, which we previously examined. After the Vietnam War, the movie was re-released on video with a new title, Fighting Mad. It is more known for it’s blaxploitation than Carsploitation and more Kung fu than Rambo. As with every war movie made by Cirio, it is guaranteed to cover all bases. This film fits perfectly with our ‘Philippines War week’ of reviews. Now it will be added to the mix.

In this movie, an American army soldier returns home from the Vietnam war, only to be saved by two Japanese soldiers from World War 2. The Japanese soldiers train the American soldier in samurai warfare. As with many movies, the film is also known as The Force and The Black Samurai. This film is solely a mixture of blaxploitation and the Kung fu genres with little social commentary sprinkled in.

The Japanese soldiers that did not surrender following World War II has always sparked a strange interest in me. The two soldiers in this movie aid Inglehart, who plays Doug, learn the art of fighting, which without a doubt he will never be able to use again.

It turns out that Doug alongside his friends McGee (played by Leon Isaac Kennedy, with whom he starred in Penitentiary as Too Sweet) and Morelli (Carmen Argentina, from Grave of the Vampire) had been smuggling gold during their trip from Vietnam for a crime lord. Doug’s boar gets dumped after he is left behind by his friends, who end up stabbing him and slitting his throat. Fortunately for him, the Japanese soldiers he met earlier are eager to show him that violence is the ultimate solution.

Doug’s wife, who is played by Jayne Kennedy, is apparently wanted by McGee. Kennedy starred in several movies, graced the cover of Playboy and was voted by Coca Cola USA as the Most Admired Black Woman in America. In reality, he was married to the actor playing McGee, Leon Isaac Kennedy. Back in the day, and before the internet age, the two appeared in a sex tape that was so famous, it was referenced in a sketch from the Mr. Show. That tape was where Wyck yd Scepter was caught on tape.

We simply posted the screencap so that the review itself does not face issues when flagged in Amazon.

The soldiers aiding our hero are Joe Mari Avellana, who was the Scourge in Wheels of Fire, and Joonee Gamboa, whose characters are always exchanging insults with each other.

She’s in Playboy. He’s out of Prison. Jayne Kennedy and Leon Isaac in Fighting Mad is a bit misleading I must admit, because he’s the villain, but what can you do? The tagline is what sells it.

Santiago is to blame or praise for this. He made more movies than we’ve probably reviewed on this site like Wheels of Fire, Demon of Paradise and Stryker and a whole bunch of Rambo knockoffs we are getting to before the end of the week.

You can get Fighting Mad on Mill Creek’s new Soul Team Six blue ray/DVD collection, along with five other films. It’s also available under the title Vengeance Is Mine on a double disc with Vampire Hookers from Vinegar Syndrome. Or you can watch it on Amazon Prime.

Mill Creek sent us the Soul Team Six set, but we were intending to purchase it already. This doesn’t matter for this review.

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