Five bone-crunching classics to honor Sonny Chiba, the toughest of tough guys
With the passing of Sonny Chiba, here are five movies to acquaint (or re-acquaint) yourself with the original Street Fighter
The martial arts world lost a legend this week with the passing of Sonny Chiba. Though probably best known to North American audiences as Hattori Hanzö in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, Chiba’s career spanned more than six decades and hundreds of onscreen credits. Throughout the 1960s, Chiba made no less than 50 movies and TV shows in his home country of Japan—and that was before his international breakthrough in the ’70s. The guy worked.
Often compared to Chinese martial arts superstar Bruce Lee, Chiba had trademarks that were very much his own. He was meaner, dirtier, and his movies were more violent than those of his contemporaries. Chiba even has the distinction of starring in the first movie to be rated “X” based on violence alone. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Chiba’s work frequently gets shout-outs in Tarantino’s blood-drenched kung fu epics and grindhouse-worshipping pulp romances. Chiba reigned supreme throughout the ’70s, producing a slew of karate classics that were as gory as they were angry, ingesting street-level, gangster-movie fury to the genre.
But we don’t expect you to watch 200 movies this weekend. There’s only so much time. Still, we wanted to give our readers a sense of the breadth of his work, highlighting classics like The Street Fighter as well as stylish schlock like Wolf Guy: Enraged Lycanthrope and Doberman Cop. On screen, Chiba simmered with rage, pushing audiences against the wall like they were so many nameless goons. So protect your midsection, and for the love of God, don’t let your throat get ripped—here are five movies to honor the late, great Sonny Chiba.
The Street Fighter (1974)
Sonny Chiba gives the martial arts world their own Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson-style antihero with The Street Fighter. The first film to be rated “X” because of violence doesn’t disappoint in that regard. Chiba is a hungry dog on the loose as the mercenary Takuma Tsurugi, who pits street punks against the yakuza because as Tsurugi puts it: “I hate punks worse than anything, and I would love to see the mob destroyed!” Once Chiba gets the scent of blood, it’s clear that only vengeance will satiate his rabid attack. The movie escalates a series of double-crosses, spaghetti-western style stand-offs, and brutal hand-to-hand bouts over a lean, 90-minute runtime. But as the saying goes, it’s not over until Chiba rips a throat, and, boy, does he ever. [Matt Schimkowitz]
Availablility: The Street Fighter is available to rent on Amazon. However, the version on Amazon, at least, is pretty poor, including such interruptions as reel changes. Perfect for the grindhouse atmosphere, but for a proper transfer, check out the Shout! Factory Blu-ray.
Wolf Guy: Enraged Lycanthrope (1975)
Please, don’t let the delightfully clunky English-language title fool you. This unbelievably stylish, savage, and salacious exploitation pastiche follows Chiba into Death Wish territory—except, you know, a version of Death Wish about a werewolf who doesn’t transform and is fighting a phantom tiger. Wolf Guy is truly an Enraged Lycanthrope, but it has the flourishes that make movies like Don Siegel’s The Killers so captivating. The subject matter is tough—revolving around the gang-rape of a young woman by a psychedelic rock band and leading to a massive, international conspiracy and drug ring—and told with the vibrant and lurid neon of noir, whip-fire camera movements, and a heroin-tinged score that’s jazzy, psychedelic, and weirdly subdued at times. At the center is Chiba, a frayed wire ready to shock, showing neither remorse nor pity for those who stand in his way. [Matt Schimkowitz]