"Sister Street Fighter: Fifth level fist" isn't strictly part of the "Sister Street Fighter" series anymore, as it does not continue the story of the same characters, but it's good fun for its own qualities. Etsuko Shihomi plays Kiku Nakagawa, daughter of a family who wants to see her married soon, but she prefers to attend her martial arts lessons and kick some butt. When drug smugglers kill Jim, brother of her friend Michi, and instead of waiting for the cops, Michi and Kiku take revenge into their own hands. The gangsters pretend to run a film studio and make movies by daytime - an opportunity to ridicule the circumstances of cheap, fast productions. The fourth and final movie of the "Sister Street Fighter" series makes good use of its comedy elements, from the crazy film crew to Kiku's father who secretly helps her, but would be happier if she was living more traditionally (he is a kimono salesman) and first of all, he is very afraid of her mother. I voted 8/6/8/7 for the 4 "Sister Street Fighter" movies, if you count this one as part 4.
6 Reviews
The Sister Street Fighter series:Part 4: Fifth Level Fist.
morrison-dylan-fan7 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Having found the third SSF to be a drop in quality from the vibrant second in the series,I expected the final film to follow the trend. Learning of returns behind the camera, and it being a sequel in name only,I got set to
View on the film:
Concluding the run on a solid note,Arrow present a fine transfer,with the picture quality remaining crisp, and the switch from English language, to subtitled Japanese being smoothly performed.
Creating a bookend after having made the first in the franchise, (also reviewed) director Shigehiro Ozawa returns for this sequel in name only,and whilst the violence and sleaze of past SSF has been toned down,Ozawa unveils new flourishes, such as a lively touch for mad-cap 4th wall breaking sequences whip-panning around a corrupt film studio. Stylishly zooming in on the baddies, Ozawa strikes a graceful note for the final film he directed, via gliding along the Action set-pieces to allow each move to be crispy viewed,only to all be crunched down on a icy ambiguous freeze frame final image.
Appearing to be made with a more international audience in mind, the screenplay by returning SSF1 writer Motohiro Torii,and new to the series Isao Matsumoto hit a terrific one-two punch of keeping Nakagawa to the SSF standard of being a expert street fighter, while leaning towards inspiration from American cinema, such as a Blaxploitation boyfriend, a mix of English & Japanese for the dialogue, and the edging of Film Noir in the seediness of the baddies. The one constant in the SSF series,Etsuko Shihomi gives a excellent performance as Nakagawa,who Shihomi has discover not only a need to win at street fighting,but also against a studio system.
View on the film:
Concluding the run on a solid note,Arrow present a fine transfer,with the picture quality remaining crisp, and the switch from English language, to subtitled Japanese being smoothly performed.
Creating a bookend after having made the first in the franchise, (also reviewed) director Shigehiro Ozawa returns for this sequel in name only,and whilst the violence and sleaze of past SSF has been toned down,Ozawa unveils new flourishes, such as a lively touch for mad-cap 4th wall breaking sequences whip-panning around a corrupt film studio. Stylishly zooming in on the baddies, Ozawa strikes a graceful note for the final film he directed, via gliding along the Action set-pieces to allow each move to be crispy viewed,only to all be crunched down on a icy ambiguous freeze frame final image.
Appearing to be made with a more international audience in mind, the screenplay by returning SSF1 writer Motohiro Torii,and new to the series Isao Matsumoto hit a terrific one-two punch of keeping Nakagawa to the SSF standard of being a expert street fighter, while leaning towards inspiration from American cinema, such as a Blaxploitation boyfriend, a mix of English & Japanese for the dialogue, and the edging of Film Noir in the seediness of the baddies. The one constant in the SSF series,Etsuko Shihomi gives a excellent performance as Nakagawa,who Shihomi has discover not only a need to win at street fighting,but also against a studio system.
Entertaining action thriller unrelated to the franchise
kluseba27 June 2019
Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist is only an entry in the critically acclaimed franchise about empathic, resilient and tough martial artist Li Koryu on paper. This movie doesn't involve the same characters at all. There are however three similarities between this film and the three previous movies. They are all produced by Toei Company, they all feature Etsuko Shihomi as lead actress and they are all about a female martial artist who faces off against a sinister criminal organization.
In this case, the protagonist is actually named Nakagawa Kiku. Her parents desperately try to marry her to a socially awkward banker and then to a misogynist police officer who claims that women certainly desire cooking meals for their husbands and raising children because all women are the same. The protagonist couldn't care less however and prefers training at her karate dojo where she is however stalked by a clumsy undercover police officer. It only makes sense that she enjoys spending time with her best friend who she considers being her sister and her half-brother. The siblings share the same Japanese mother from Okinawa but the sister's mother was a white American soldier while the brother's father was a coloured American soldier. They got racially intimated as children and moved away but dream of returning home and opening a restaurant to prove by their actions that they are good people. Their ambitious dreams are shattered when the brother is hired as a hitman by an organization that smuggles cocaine hidden in Buddha statues to assassinate an international narcotics investigator. The brother manages to kill the investigator but is surprised in the act by the protagonist and other witnesses and has to go into hiding. Since he has now become a liability, the organization that hired him decides and manages to get rid of him. His sister is heartbroken and her best friend decides to help her have her revenge while the misogynist police officer and the clumsily stalking officer also get involved.
If compared to the Sister Street Fighter films, this movie features less fight scenes and rather focuses on its numerous characters and their ties. The film also follows the police investigation that takes place in art shops, during parties and in a Korean bar. The movie actually shows a lot of cultural diversity and criticizes racism towards multiethnical children, features several dialogues in English with Japanese subtitles and shows Korean dance and music performances. The misogynist police officer sticks out like a sore thumb. The movie also has a few mildly humorous scenes involving the clumsy officer and the protagonist's father who is afraid of his wife and helps the protagonist get out of embarrassing situations from time to time.
The movie certainly has its merits since its characters are intriguing and locations diversified. However, most people would never have watched the film if its misguiding title weren't associated to the internationally successful Sister Street Fighter series. While being decent, the movie certainly lacks the drive of that franchise and the protagonist pales in comparison to the charismatic Li Koryu.
After all, it certainly isn't essential to watch Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist. If you have watched the original three Sister Street Fighter movies, you don't need to watch this one. However, the movie is entertaining enough thanks to its investigative plot and fascinating characters. The final fifteen minutes or so feature some decent fight scenes but the rest of the film is certainly lacking in that department. This movie is a solid action-thriller of the seventies but can't be considered a great martial arts movie. I would recommend this film to fans of Japanese cinema and culture and those who can't get enough of Etsuko Shihomi who finds yet again the perfect balance between empathy and brutality.
In this case, the protagonist is actually named Nakagawa Kiku. Her parents desperately try to marry her to a socially awkward banker and then to a misogynist police officer who claims that women certainly desire cooking meals for their husbands and raising children because all women are the same. The protagonist couldn't care less however and prefers training at her karate dojo where she is however stalked by a clumsy undercover police officer. It only makes sense that she enjoys spending time with her best friend who she considers being her sister and her half-brother. The siblings share the same Japanese mother from Okinawa but the sister's mother was a white American soldier while the brother's father was a coloured American soldier. They got racially intimated as children and moved away but dream of returning home and opening a restaurant to prove by their actions that they are good people. Their ambitious dreams are shattered when the brother is hired as a hitman by an organization that smuggles cocaine hidden in Buddha statues to assassinate an international narcotics investigator. The brother manages to kill the investigator but is surprised in the act by the protagonist and other witnesses and has to go into hiding. Since he has now become a liability, the organization that hired him decides and manages to get rid of him. His sister is heartbroken and her best friend decides to help her have her revenge while the misogynist police officer and the clumsily stalking officer also get involved.
If compared to the Sister Street Fighter films, this movie features less fight scenes and rather focuses on its numerous characters and their ties. The film also follows the police investigation that takes place in art shops, during parties and in a Korean bar. The movie actually shows a lot of cultural diversity and criticizes racism towards multiethnical children, features several dialogues in English with Japanese subtitles and shows Korean dance and music performances. The misogynist police officer sticks out like a sore thumb. The movie also has a few mildly humorous scenes involving the clumsy officer and the protagonist's father who is afraid of his wife and helps the protagonist get out of embarrassing situations from time to time.
The movie certainly has its merits since its characters are intriguing and locations diversified. However, most people would never have watched the film if its misguiding title weren't associated to the internationally successful Sister Street Fighter series. While being decent, the movie certainly lacks the drive of that franchise and the protagonist pales in comparison to the charismatic Li Koryu.
After all, it certainly isn't essential to watch Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist. If you have watched the original three Sister Street Fighter movies, you don't need to watch this one. However, the movie is entertaining enough thanks to its investigative plot and fascinating characters. The final fifteen minutes or so feature some decent fight scenes but the rest of the film is certainly lacking in that department. This movie is a solid action-thriller of the seventies but can't be considered a great martial arts movie. I would recommend this film to fans of Japanese cinema and culture and those who can't get enough of Etsuko Shihomi who finds yet again the perfect balance between empathy and brutality.
The Fifth is the fourth and different than the three
ckormos112 January 2020
Our girl, Etsuko Shihomi, plays a different character in this movie. So don't call it a sequel to the other Sister Street Fighter movies, or do, who cares? All of the movies are about a female martial artist versus big crime organizations. The story here is our girl is all about the karate and her parents are all about getting her married. The bad guys are making a movie as a cover to their drug smuggling. Our girl gets involved by way of her brother in law's bungling.
The fights are few and infrequent until the final fight that lasts about 15 minutes.
The only reason I found for watching this movie was to say I watched all four. I also found nothing worth adding to the other excellent reviews already posted. I rate it just below average for the year and genre.
The fights are few and infrequent until the final fight that lasts about 15 minutes.
The only reason I found for watching this movie was to say I watched all four. I also found nothing worth adding to the other excellent reviews already posted. I rate it just below average for the year and genre.
Nothing like the trilogy
Leofwine_draca7 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
FIFTH LEVEL FIST was released as the fourth film in the popular SISTER STREET FIGHTER series, but it's actually an unconnected action movie that just happens to feature Etsuko Shihomi as the lead. I found it a lesser film than the comic book trilogy; this one's more focused on familiar plotting, and the action scenes are few and far between. Shihomi herself takes a back seat in the proceedings which tell of a drug smuggling ring working out of a film studio while the cops investigate. There's a lot of back and forth and some casual everyday sexism from the supposed hero before a lively climax which doesn't disappoint, although sadly it's the only time when this feels like a true SISTER STREET FIGHTER production. At just 76 minutes in length I was surprised at how much of a slog this felt to sit through.
Sister from another ... movie
kosmasp18 June 2020
From the start you can tell this is not really another sister street fighter. In the other movies you had a credit scene, where our main character was having a sort of "training session" (though I guess it might have been a bit of a Bond ripoff or something else the makers felt paying tribute to).
She also seems to be someone else here. Not to mention that we veer a bit away from the other movies main storylines. Generally a good thing, just that it doesn't work quite as well as they probably imagined. This tries to go more drama and more humor. And adds a bit of english to the spoken languages to add some flavor to the mix too ... not really bad, but not as bonkers and crazy as the others either, which made them quite "unique"
She also seems to be someone else here. Not to mention that we veer a bit away from the other movies main storylines. Generally a good thing, just that it doesn't work quite as well as they probably imagined. This tries to go more drama and more humor. And adds a bit of english to the spoken languages to add some flavor to the mix too ... not really bad, but not as bonkers and crazy as the others either, which made them quite "unique"
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
