Before Jet Li and the late R&B singer Aaliyah combined martial arts with the tale of Romeo and Juliet in ROMEO MUST DIE (2000), world champion kickboxer Don “The Dragon” Wilson fused the two in this very underrated tale of star-crossed lovers in the mean streets of Los Angeles.
In the streets of Los Angeles, two rival gangs settle their differences in an underground fight ring. The Surfers are led by Brad (Dale Jacoby) and Chuck (Vince Murdocco) while the Asian gang are led by Terry Wu (Steven Vincent Leigh). The two gangs are both comprised of members skilled in the martial arts and they engage in kickboxing fights every night.
Terry’s cousin Johnny (Wilson) is the local doctor who is a martial artist himself, but is more of a pacifist. One night, Johnny meets Julie (Maria Ford) at his aunt’s restaurant. Julie is Brad’s sister and Chuck’s fiance. Mistaken for a waiter, Johnny serves Julie and even gives her a fortune cookie. At a local masquerade ball, Johnny, dressed as the Phantom of the Opera, runs into Julie again and the pair begin to have an attraction, much to the chagrin of Brad, Chuck and Terry.
Meanwhile, the rivalry between the gangs have hit an all-time high. When Asian gang member Kwong (Eric Lee) is beaten by the Surfers for showing up in Venice, Terry retaliates by beating up Surfer gang member Bud (Gary Daniels). A rumble in Chinatown between both factions leads to a challenge match between Brad and Terry a month from now.
Julie eventually breaks off her engagement with Chuck and shows her true feelings for Johnny, who shows Julie the lighter side of his Chinese background. When Johnny learns of the challenge match, a plan to fight Thai style with broken glass (shades of KICKBOXER) to scare Brad off backfires and Terry is killed in the challenge match. Fearful, Julie breaks up with Johnny, but Johnny eventually wins Julie’s heart and when he is challenged by Brad in the underground ring, Johnny must hold back his pacifism and fight Brad in a match not only for revenge, but for honor as well.
For his debut film with PM Entertainment, Don “The Dragon” Wilson and a cast of martial arts champions stand out in this tale that nicely mixes martial arts action and the tale of Romeo and Juliet. Instead of the Montagues and Capulets, we have the Surfers and the Asian Gang. What makes the film interesting is the opening sequence, in which we see the gangs settle their differences in the ring, whereas most gang rivalries occur only on the streets. While there is an eventual rumble in the streets of Chinatown, the ring shows a sense of honor and dignity despite the hatred between both factions.
While he showcased his skills in a lot of films, “The Dragon” doesn’t have many fight scenes. As a matter of fact, his climatic fight against Dale Jacoby is his only true fight sequence despite having sparring sessions in the film against Steven Vincent Leigh, who plays his cousin. The other notable members of the Asian gang are Eric Lee, who plays Kwong, a drunkard who uses in his opening fight against Vince Murdocco a little drunken boxing and Ron Yuan, who gets creamed by Gary Daniels in his fight scene. In the rumble scene, look out for a quick glimpse of martial artist extraordinare Dave Lea, who was Michael Keaton’s fight double for Tim Burton’s BATMAN (1989) and would choreograph the fight sequences for the last two installments of the CROW film series, SALVATION (2000) and WICKED PRAYER (2004).
The chemistry between Wilson and female lead Maria Ford is definitely worthy as she somewhat plays it off shy with Wilson and grows throughout the film. However, Ford’s character is very vocal as she is against both her brother and soon-to-be ex as fighters in the ring. She likes the fact that Wilson doesn’t have to prove himself as a fighter but when he is forced to eventually fight, she stands by her man.
What really stands out is the fight sequences in the film. While Hollywood is mainly known for their quick cuts and close up actions, Paul Maslak, the film’s fight coordinator along with Wilson and Lee serving as choreographers, did something that would become PM Entertainment’s trademark for fight scenes. They would show impact from two or three different angles and for the big high impact shot, cut to two different angles followed by a super slow motion shot. This is notable when Daniels delivers a flying knee strike to Yuan’s head in their fight sequence. The A-listers can truly learn a thing or two from these guys.
The film would spawn two sequels, RING OF FIRE II: BLOOD AND STEEL (1992) and RING OF FIRE III: LION STRIKE (1994) with Wilson returning as Johnny and some of the prominent cast members here only returning for the first sequel. Nevertheless, compared to ROMEO MUST DIE, RING OF FIRE is clearly a better fusion of exciting martial arts sequences, the rivalry between factions, and the tale of Romeo and Juliet.
by Albert ValentinRelated Topics:
Don "The Dragon" Wilson • gang violence • Ring of Fire (1991) • romance • Romeo and Juliet • underground fighting • war
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