Art of Fighting

Original Title: バトルスピリッツ 龍虎の拳
Romanized: Batoru Supirittsu - Ryouko no Ken
Literal: Battle Spirits - Fists of Two Mighty Warriors

Plot Synopsis

On the mean streets of Southtown, Ryo is a dirt-poor martial artist who's been reduced to hunting for lost pets to make ends meet. His rich playboy buddy Robert has no such worries, but when the two of them witness a man who upset Mr. Big getting offed, they're both in hot water. Things go from bad to worse when the mean men think that the pair are in possession of a diamond they're after, and kidnap pretty young Yuri as collateral. The two street brawlers are going to have to get down and dirty if they want to save the girl, or stay in one piece, for that matter.

Quick Review

Rating: 1.5 / 5
Reviewer: Marc
Review Date: 2004-10-28

Art of Fighting is yet another somewhat dated-looking, cheesy action flick from the early 90s. The plot is a tired retread, the visuals lackluster at best, and the whole thing lacks any sense of style or quality. Fortunately, it's more of a buddy flick than a martial arts movie, the action is a bit more creative than endless brawling, and the two loser heroes pretty much don't take anything very seriously, making the whole thing more fun than it probably deserves to be.

If you enjoy cheesy but good natured action flicks, you might well enjoy Art of Fighting, and it's not a bad one to heckle with some friends. If you want quality of any kind, though, your odds of finding it here would please a casino.

US DVD Review

The DVD, one of USM's earliest, is minimal to say the least; The video is a little harsh but otherwise decent, and it includes English and Japanese audio tracks plus a poorly translated English dubtitle track. There's also a track index, but no Japanese cast, and no special features at all.

Content Guide

Mildly violent, but too silly to be of much worry to parents. Probably in the 10 and up category, if that.

Violence: 2 - There is one murder, but nothing is graphic or very serious.

Nudity: 1 - Nothing significant.

Sex/Mature Themes: 0 - None.

Language: 1 - Not worth mentioning.

Notes and Trivia

Based on a series of "Ryouko no Ken" video games by SNK, released on a variety of systems between 1991 and 1996.

Availability

Available in the US from US Manga Corps on a hybrid DVD. Was also available on subtitled and dubbed VHS.

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