Sonny Chiba

The Streetfighter (1974)

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• published: 09 Dec 2015
• views: 10519

I suppose the title of toughest movie star ever is probably quite a wide-ranging debate. There are, no doubt, those who would go for Clint Eastwood, Bruce Lee, Arnie maybe, or Van Damme, probably even some wags who’d nominate Chuck Norris (who for all his undoubted awesomeness, is not quite the towering colossus page after page of amusing internet anecdotes would have us believe). If I’ve missed your choice, sorry, insert his (or her – Cynthia Rothrock, for example) name here:____________. But here at BlocTV we are pretty unanimous that the grand final heavyweight brawler is none other than Sonny (Shinichi) Chiba. He made a career as an ultimate badass pounded into shape through a long series of blood soaked, flesh pulped bodies dispatched at the hands of antiheroic karate experts, samurais, police officers, yakuza and assassins. Even more recently, as Hattori Hanzo in Kill Bill, despite his mellow, venerable demeanour, there is little doubt he could kill everyone else in the movie without breaking a sweat if riled. What we have here is a film that makes a pretty good argument for the side of Mr. Chiba. I am talking about The Streetfighter (1974). Chiba plays Terry (or Takuma, originally) Tsurugi, a double-hard bastard for hire who doesn’t like it when he’s not paid what’s owed him. Who does? But Terry’s the sort of guy who’ll take any reneged payment out of your hide. You’ve been warned. Chiba plays Terry with a demented intensity. A seething rage bubbles under the surface of every word and gesture. You’re left in no doubt that this is a man who would bite off your nose as soon as soon as make small talk about the weather. Just as well really, seeing as he chooses to piss off the yakuza – who for some reason seem to be based in Hong Kong and funded by the mafia. It’s fair to say Terry’s a bit of a bastard. You certainly couldn’t imagine any Bruce Lee character threatening to make a woman work the streets to pay off a debt to him (or any other martial arts Lee/Li for that matter) and when was the last time Jackie Chan gouged an eyeball? Ok, maybe by accident when giving someone an overenthusiastic thumbs up. So then, he’s the bully with the heart of… well, not gold. Let’s not go overboard. But there is something beating within him other than the drums of death, as we learn when Terry is approached by the yakuza to kidnap Sarai, an heiress to a recently deceased tycoon, but, being a contrary sort, decides to take it upon himself to protect her instead. It is possible he only takes this course because it’s the one most likely to provide the most opportunities for dust ups, but a flash back in an aging, rotund karate master’s dojo suggests there’s more to it than that, and that Terry carries the injustice of a family betrayal. The rest of the movie shows Terry, not especially well aided by his friend Ratnose (Gerald Yamada) in his efforts to protect Sarai, who is at first reluctant to accept his somewhat uncouth help, but soon changes her mind when she witnesses his method for dispatching potential rapists. It’s not really clear what the relationship between Terry and Ratnose is, or how he’s supposed to be any help, but he does at least have a stick, and can drive, so I guess he’s probably better than no help at all. Just about. Unfortunately, due in large part to Ratnose’s inability to follow instructions, Sarai is captured by the bad guys (who they’ve just freed her from). Fortunately, however, Terry isn’t a man who gives up easily (or at all one suspects) and the scene is set for a dock/ship based one man rampage through anyone he sees that isn’t Sarai. Chiba takes this chance to cement his reputation as a hard man and unarguably earn his title as The Streetfighter. I mean, you just know by the end of it that this guy would fight on, black knight style, through any kind of injury or limb-loss. Jesus, if you punched his bloodied torso it would probably break your fist. Chiba’s Terry certainly doesn’t practice a pretty, balletic branch of martial arts. He forgoes the perfect stances and gracefully executed spins and twists prevalent in much cinematic choreography for raw, brutal efficiency. He’s more bludgeon than sleek blade. And all the better for it. Actually, I went to a ballet last autumn – kind of by accident, as it happens – and the one thing I kept thinking was how much it needed Sonny Chiba up there, chucking bodies across the stage with wild-eyed abandon. So, BlocTV viewers, you lucky people, get yourselves comfy and revel in a bone crunching, skull cracking, fun night in. By the way, during the film you’ll see a number of moments of brutal violence subsequently copied – but never bettered – in later fight movies. Why not see how many you can spot? - BlocTV