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Day of the Panther
A martial-arts expert goes after a criminal gang and its boss, who were responsible for the death of his partner.
Release : | 1988 |
Rating : | 4.5 |
Studio : | Mandemar Group, Virgo Films, Danetan Pty. Ltd., |
Crew : | Art Direction, Director of Photography, |
Cast : | Edward John Stazak John Stanton Michael Carman Matthew Quartermaine Paris Jefferson |
Genre : | Action |
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Reviews
good back-story, and good acting
Film Perfection
Absolutely Brilliant!
A Major Disappointment
The scene opens with Linda (Linda Megier) and Jason Blade (Edward John Stazak) being initiated into the ancient and secret Order of the Panthers, a crime fighting martial arts thing. Blonde Linda does undercover surveillance in Hong Kong...then off to Australia. On of the two don't make it past 20 minutes (the one that has a stunt double which looks like a man in a blonde wig) and Jason has to avenge her death. We know who kill Linda...at least we think we do as we see a guy throw a knife in her general direction. Guns are rarely used...hey! It's a martial arts film. Jason works carrying suitcases filled with flour and blank paper for the guy who tossed the knife. Bad guys get to wear cool Halloween masks. No sense letting someone you are trying to kill, see your face.It was pretty boring stuff. I watched it on a 50 film unit and it could have used restoration. Cliché, formula, and poorly acted.Guide: Brief sex. No swearing or nudity.
Very bland Australian action flick that really goes nowhere fast as Edward John Stazak's lifeless performance as high-kicking Jason Blade leaves little to distinguish it from other 80's kung-fu flicks. When Blade's partner is chased by thugs in goofy masks and eventually killed by a crimelord's second-hand man, Baxter, he flies back to Australia to seek revenge. Blade, his blonde female partner and her father were all trained Shaolin Monk style by the Panther sect of the Chinese Triad. Funny, I thought the Triads were bad guys too. Anyway Blade teams up with his departed partner's dad and his spandex wearing niece Gemma to take down Perth's underworld boss Damien Zukor whose biggest crime is his atrocious wardrobe. Two idiot detectives tail Blade and act as comic relief assuming you think stupid comments and terrible policework is amusing. Eventually Blade gains the trust of Zukor and goes undercover as one of his enforcers. From there it follows the same connect-the-dots formula that makes this a real snoozefest. There's little doubt that Mr. Stazak is a very capable martial artist which is clear during one of his many spins kicks however I'm not a twelve year old so it gets old real quick. The real mystery is the fact that this was immediately followed by the sequel "Strike of the Panther". Who exactly was demanding this? Another problem I had was the lack of boomerangs, marsupials, mates, or any other Australian stereotypes that we Yanks like so much. This panther doesn't pounce. It sleepwalks instead.
I picked up this movie on DVD as it was 99p in 99p stores in Norwich. I watched it with my brother and it truly is crap. The acting is bad by everyone. The lead is played by an "actor" who looks like Stephen Hendry. (He's a Snooker World Champion for all the Americans). Any film that is cheap and Australian is bad. The woman looks like some cheap hooker they picked up off the street and the bad guy is definitely a pimp! I loved those men in masks! Damn I would not be scared if they were after me! Seriously though they do belong in a circus. The martial arts are OKish but you know "Jason Blade" (sorry that name makes me laugh) is going to win the fights. I keep this movie as it is a reminder that TV can be bad... sometimes. Watch this movie just to laugh. The clichéd baddies and the poorly delivered lines cheer me up every time I'm down. Bad.
Without doubt one of the best movies ever made ! Set in beautiful Perth Western Austraila it rightly holds the title of the best movie ever made in that fair, if remote, city. Starring that well known son of Boroloola Kadeem Hardison, who is one of the few remaining exponents of the ancient northern Australian martial art of Beltemtokumbukta, it snarls its way through a part of the 1980's where yacht salesmen are important people in town. Oh it's all too too real, frightenly so. I'm utterly serious when I say that this movie is so faithful to the Australia of the time I almost thought it was a documentary, really. I was back there. Stunning is the only word to even come close to describing this cinema gem. Enjoy it in the spirit of filmic perfection it so richly deserves. Note this movie was nominated in 1988 for the prestigous Palm 'd Bunge at the eclectic Missabotti film festival. Anyone who pretends to know film must see this movie. Really.Austria, Austria .... it's in Europe, unlike Australia.