Film Review--Street Fighter (1995)

Street Fighter
written and directed by Steven E. de Souza
starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, Ming-Na, Damian Chapa, Kylie Minogue, Roshan Seth, Wes Studi, Byron Mann, Peter Navy Tuiasosopo

Yet another film based on a video game, Street Fighters tackles the presence of man who is portrayed as an Evil Warlord by the proper world and as a man of peace by the dictator himself. General M. Bison (Julia) has plans on taking over the world and forcing every population to bow down before him in a grisly display of universal capitulation before the throne of the mighty one. He is facing a direct threat by the Allied Nation forces who are led by Colonel William F. Guile (Van Damme) who are hellbent on bringing him down because he has kidnapped a number of AN workers and is demanding 20 billion dollars.

The film focuses on the antics of a number of personages as they attempt to thwart the machinations of Bison and his forces. Chief among these is a local reporter named Chun-Li Zang (Ming-Na) who has a serious, long-standing grudge against Bison for a crime against her family. She’s also adept at martial arts and slinking about in sexy get-ups that are definitely a must see.

The film offers some decent martial arts fighting although it isn’t particularly special. It lacks elegance and any poetry but it isn’t bad as far as it goes. Van Damme certainly knows how to look most impressive when he’s delivering a drop kick or smashing someone’s skull. But, what makes him stand out is certainly his charisma which is patently obvious throughout the film. He immediately establishes a likability which is necessary for any heroic figure if he or she is to capture the audience and drag them along to the fight. In this case, Van Damme does this rather well; unfortunately he doesn’t have much to play with.

The story is one dimensional as it all targets the devilment of General Bison. In great Hitler fashion he is seen pondering the glorious structures he is to build once his world empire is effectively established. He is a gleeful man, filled with whimsy, and utterly unable to understand just why everyone keeps calling him a warlord. Certainly he used to be a drug lord but he simply wants everyone to get along peaceably. Of course this cannot occur until the world is his and he decides what goes and what stays. Perhaps its due to the charm of Raul Julia but Bison comes off as a wholly sympathetic character who is far more intriguing that all of the others save perhaps Guile (and that is again up to charm and charisma which few action heroes can match).

So, everything ends up at Bison’s compound and eventually a terrible battle ensues. It’s predictable, trite, and lacking in legitimate thrills. It’s like every other mediocre fighting sequences that has ever been filmed. It’s rudimentary, styleless, and coarse. It’s also cartoonish and comical at times. Bodies fly unpoetically about as the heroes make their push into the heart of the grinning beast.

As is often the case in these films the villain is far more fascinating than anyone else trudging through the film. Bison is simply a man with a divine purpose. He wants to create the ultimate soldier in order to facilitate his designs on world domination. It’s an understandable plan but of course we are supposed to consider it demonic and a grave threat to the integrity of the human race which it no doubt is in Bison’s hands. But there is just something about the way Bison prances about like a tit. His gestures are too grand, too demonstrative. At one point he even laughs manically after laying out the fabric for his master plan. In many ways it’s a caricature of the mad despot although he doesn’t actually flail his arms about or succumb to a hissy fit like a disgruntled little girl mad with power.

The film contains many familiar elements and does nothing particularly unusual with them. It’s a generic heroic mission against a tyrannical power with pretenses for global domination. The bad man must be stopped and his plan foiled. It’s up to the heroes to penetrate his lair and take him down. There are a few attempts at witty banter, many fight sequences, and one character who puts himself into direct contact with the enemy thereby risking his or her life for the good of all.

Overall, the film is nothing more than a vehicle for Jean-Claude Van Damme to represent as the anchor of a feature who can carry the weight all by himself. For the most part he succeeds but he does have some help by Ming-Na and Raul Julia who demonstrate their commitment to the project throughout the film.