Killing Machine (Once Again)

[luar]

Have you ever read the online opinion's of the muggles (;)) who have seen the movie? Some of it makes me cringe but there are some hilarious moments.

Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B00023B1GM/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=&showViewpoints=1&colid=&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending)
Netflix (http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Killing_Machine/70012332?trkid=1660)
Epinions (http://www.epinions.com/mvie_mu-1092798/display_~reviews)

So how many times have you had to re-explain SK because of the movie?

[Tripitaka of AA]

So, presumably you've also seen the Amazon.co.uk reviews (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Killing-Machine-Sonny-Chiba/dp/B0009S4VWQ/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1206559443&sr=1-13) (scroll to bottom of page) including one from Dirk.

[Tripitaka of AA]

Or the Press Release from Optimum Releasing, regarding their box-set of Sonny Chiba movies (http://www.optimumreleasing.com/dvd.php?id=181)...

A more lengthy review on the DVDTimes site, here (http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=58615). Which appears to be written by a scholar of Film, rather than a scholar of chop-socky action movies!!

And another one here (http://www.firecracker-media.com/reviews/dvd_reviews/d_review1108.shtml), at Firecracker.

[Rob Gassin]

What about a review from the posters here.

Has anyone here seen the movie and care to share their view with the rest of us?

[Michael_Smith]

Gassho

Just ordered it....well it was going cheap!

If no one posts then I will let you know

Kesshu

[JL.]

Gassho!

I've seen it at Ade-sensei's. It's quite brutal and not very historical. But I liked how they explained Riki ai funi.
I recommend watching it, at least for the sake of completion. :)

Kesshu,
______ Jan.

[Michael_Smith]

at least for the sake of completion. :)


Gassho Jan

Intentional pun?!

Kesshu

[Rob Gassin]

Gassho Jan

Intentional pun?!

Kesshu

More likely a freudian slip ;).

[JL.]

Gassho!


Gassho Jan

Intentional pun?!

KesshuNot that I'm aware of. Did some double meaning slip by me? I couldn't find anything in the dictionary ... :(

Kesshu,
______ Jan.

[Rob Gassin]

Gassho!

Not that I'm aware of. Did some double meaning slip by me? I couldn't find anything in the dictionary ... :(

Kesshu,
______ Jan.

Sake - Japanese alcoholic drink.

[Leelanau]

What about a review from the posters here.

Has anyone here seen the movie and care to share their view with the rest of us?

I am a proud owner of 'Killing Machine.' It is one beautiful piece of entertainment. Sure, it's hardly historical and makes Shorinji Kempo seem much more brutal than it is. The beauty lies in how Sonny Chiba was a sho dan and generally sticks to sho dan techniques... and still manages to make it appealing to the pop-corn crunching martial arts enthusiasts around the world. I remember being sho dan and proudly stating, "yes, I can do all of those techniques." My pride swelled when Sonny Chiba boldly proclaims his epiphany about riki ai funi. Pure cheese. Awesome. ...Misleading to non-Kenshi, but awesome.

[Michael_Smith]

Gassho

Thanks Leela, that's encouraging.

My copy has just landed on my desk - God bless Amazon!
I'll let you all know what I think. I feel and Kung-fu Curry night coming on!:D

Kesshu

[Tripitaka of AA]

I feel and Kung-fu Curry night coming on!:D


See, it has affected his ability to articulate rationally already!

[Michael_Smith]

See, it has affected his ability to articulate rationally already!

Gassho

In the words of a very wise man.....D'oh!

Kesshu

[Steve Williams]

I've got a copy......

As to its content:
Historically accurate..... probably not
Good show of technique..... some, but not too much
Entertaining...... definately
Comical..... yes, especially the "rambo moment"


I would recommend all kenshi to try and get a copy, or at least watch it..... its nowhere near as bad as people claim..... but its never going to be oscar material either......

[Michael_Smith]

Gassho

I’ve just finished watching Killing Machine. In short, glad I’ve seen it, glad I own it, but glad I didn’t pay more than £5 for it.

It’s very entertaining and I echo the sentiments of those who have watched it and commented here. It will not win any Oscars, but having watch Statham in the Transporter 2 before hand, Killing Machine does seem like a master piece

Kesshu

[Tripitaka of AA]

You could, if you wanted, even have it on a Blu-Ray high definition disc, see here (http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews35/killing_machine_shoguns_ninja_blu-ray.htm) for a review and some screen shots.

[Ewok]

Sister Street Fighter is listed on the same site (http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews35/sister_street_fighter_blu-ray.htm) as now being in HD. Everyone looks very shiny and blue looking at the screenshots...

SSF is a great movie (http://youtube.com/watch?v=YA2rOPxKbrI&feature=related) - I need to train harder to get my strikes to sound like that :laugh:

[hwijaya]

Gassho,

This film (Killing Machine a.k.a. Shorinji Kempo) was shown in Indonesia long time ago, and made me started Shorinji Kempo. I hope I can do Ippon Sei Nage as smooth as shown by Sonny Chiba. Also, in the film there is a kenshi with one arm training Shorinji Kempo. I think there was a real one arm Sensei in Honbu long time ago, but he already passed away....I forgot his name. Anyone remember?

Kesshu,
Herdi Wijaya
South Bay Shorinji Kempo

[colin linz]

Sister Street Fighter is listed on the same site (http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews35/sister_street_fighter_blu-ray.htm) as now being in HD. Everyone looks very shiny and blue looking at the screenshots...

SSF is a great movie (http://youtube.com/watch?v=YA2rOPxKbrI&feature=related) - I need to train harder to get my strikes to sound like that :laugh:
Our local community TV station plays SSF regularly. Someone there seems to have a liking of Sonny Chiba films. They had The Body Guard on just last week.

[Rob Gassin]

I think there was a real one arm Sensei in Honbu long time ago, but he already passed away....I forgot his name. Anyone remember?

Kesshu,
Herdi Wijaya
South Bay Shorinji Kempo

Hi Herdi,

Ueda sensei I think. Has he passed away? I thought he had some differences with the direction SK was heading in and left hombu. Then again, this might just be rumour. He was/is the pre eminent shakujo expert.

Cheers,

[colin linz]

My local community TV station runs Sister Street Fighter regularly. They also run a few of the others in that series. The Killing machine gets the odd run as well. They seem to like Sonny Chiba films.

[Ewok]

Hi Herdi,

Ueda sensei I think. Has he passed away? I thought he had some differences with the direction SK was heading in and left hombu. Then again, this might just be rumour. He was/is the pre eminent shakujo expert.

Cheers,

Ueda-sensei seems to be a fairly prominent member of Shorinji Kempo - much of the book "Shorinji Kempo no Susume" (Amazon Linky (http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E5%B0%91%E6%9E%97%E5%AF%BA%E6%8B%B3%E6%B3%95%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B9%E3%82%B9%E3%83%A1-%E3%83%99%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9%E3%83%9C%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%83%9E%E3%82%AC%E3%82%B8%E3%83%B3%E7%A4%BE/dp/4583045662/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207895508&sr=8-1)) are comments and quotes from him. I can't find much about what he has been up to lately, might need to wait until Ade is around...

[colin linz]

I believe he has retired from teaching.

[Anders Pettersson]

Ueda sensei I think. Has he passed away? I thought he had some differences with the direction SK was heading in and left hombu. Then again, this might just be rumour. He was/is the pre eminent shakujo expert.

Ueda-sensei surely didn't have any differencies with Hombu.

Ueda-sensei received his 9th dan at Kagami biraki in 2005, as can be read in this report (http://www.shorinjikempo.or.jp/wsko/report/64.html) (in that report it mentions two people, but according to the Kaiho three people received kyu dan at this time and that is also mentioned here (http://www.shorinjikempo.or.jp/wsko/report/63.html)), as one the the last three people that have recieved it as of today (total of eleven people have reached 9 dan).

In 2005 Ueda-sensei retired as doin-cho and closed his Naoshima doin. At the Kagami biraki in 2004, on can read in this report (http://www.shorinjikempo.or.jp/wsko/report/34.html) that he had been teaching for 45 years. As far as I know he closed his doin due to health, but I think that he still is alive.

/Anders

[Rob Gassin]

Ueda-sensei surely didn't have any differencies with Hombu.

Ueda-sensei received his 9th dan at Kagami biraki in 2005, as can be read in this report (http://www.shorinjikempo.or.jp/wsko/report/64.html) (in that report it mentions two people, but according to the Kaiho three people received kyu dan at this time and that is also mentioned here (http://www.shorinjikempo.or.jp/wsko/report/63.html)), as one the the last three people that have recieved it as of today (total of eleven people have reached 9 dan).

In 2005 Ueda-sensei retired as doin-cho and closed his Naoshima doin. At the Kagami biraki in 2004, on can read in this report (http://www.shorinjikempo.or.jp/wsko/report/34.html) that he had been teaching for 45 years. As far as I know he closed his doin due to health, but I think that he still is alive.

/Anders

Thanks for clarifying this Anders Sensei. I think that the rumours regarding differences with Hombu, in the case of Ueda Sensei, and some other senior SK instructors, is because they left/retired at about the same time the logo was being changed and a (?perceived) change in direction was taking place. In any case, Ueda Sensei is well on the way to becoming one of the 'legends' of SK.

Cheers,

[hwijaya]

Gassho,

My apologies to all - especially to Ueda Sensei -- I got wrong information - I was thinking someone else.

Kesshu,
Herdi Wijaya
South Bay Shorinji Kempo

[luar]

Funny I just started watching it again this week and though I had this for a few years, I never noticed the photo of Kaiso in the Trailer section and the notice that the opening notice that this film is fictional. My current version is from the Sonny Chiba Collection and I believe a previous version I had never had this notice.

Incidentally I just heard there is a new Blue-Ray release. :)

[luar]

BTW, there are two images on the DVD that are not in the movie nor in SSF. The first is the nage that is on the cover and the second is the flying geri. Both are images of him wearing a hoi. Anyone know if those are from another film or just from never released outakes?

[Tripitaka of AA]

I linked to the Blu-Ray release earlier in the thread, is that the one?

Also, if you have the theatrical trailer on your version, did you see there are two scenes featured in the trailer that aren't in the movie!?

One is where Otaki (the older ex-drunk, ex-soldier, who was looking for his wife), is venting his frustration on the punch-bag at the dojo - having just discovered that his wife is alive, but had remarried in the belief that he was dead - and "Mr Soh" comes in to talk to him. In the movie (or my version at least, freshly bought on DVD for £3.98 from Amazon :) ), he just talks to him and Otaki breaks down in tears and says "She's dead". In the trailer, they seem to have launched into a full blown fight and Embu style throw-about, with Otaki being brought to his senses by Kaiso's "special" form of counselling. Is that the source for the stills you mentioned?

The other scene that isn't in the movie, is a scene that shows Tomoda (the younger ex-soldier who is just 'armless) in the marketplace, and seems to show him trying to break-up a gambling stall, probably run by the yakuza who later throw him out of the bar.


I have been reading about this on here since I joined E-Budo and I finally bought a copy last week. It was my special treat. I've since been trying to add some extra info to the IMDb database, but it takes a week or two to go through.

[luar]

I have been reading about this on here since I joined E-Budo and I finally bought a copy last week. It was my special treat. I've since been trying to add some extra info to the IMDb database, but it takes a week or two to go through.

Well this is roughly the basic reason I started this thread. There are times where I have been approached by outsiders who have seen the movie, take it as being based more on fact and then I spend a really good deal of time trying to straighthen everything.

[dirk.bruere]

Well this is roughly the basic reason I started this thread. There are times where I have been approached by outsiders who have seen the movie, take it as being based more on fact and then I spend a really good deal of time trying to straighthen everything.

Yes - but I still have not discovered whether So Doshin cut off some guys balls and fed them to a dog.

Dirk

[Nina]

Very entertaining movie, but sometimes a little too instructional, when it came to the principles.

...So Doshin cut off some guys balls...

That was one scene my father saw, when he should make a copy of the movie, he maybe still wonders what SK is about :laugh:...

[dirk.bruere]

Very entertaining movie, but sometimes a little too instructional, when it came to the principles.

That was one scene my father saw, when he should make a copy of the movie, he maybe still wonders what SK is about :laugh:...

Tell him that SK is about giving people what they deserve :)

Dirk