Angelfist
Angelfist is a 1993 martial arts[1] action film starring Catya Sassoon, Michael Shaner, and Melissa Moore. Directed by Cirio H. Santiago, the film was produced by Santiago and Roger Corman.
| Angelfist | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Cirio H. Santiago[1] |
| Written by | Anthony L. Greene[1] |
| Produced by | Roger Corman Cirio H. Santiago |
| Starring | Catya Sassoon Michael Shaner Melissa Moore |
| Cinematography | Joe Batac |
| Edited by | Edgardo Vinarao |
| Music by | Stephen Cohn |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Concorde-New Horizons[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film has been described as a "reworking of T.N.T. Jackson".[2]
Premise
In Manila, a United States colonel is killed by the Black Brigade, a terrorist group. A martial artist who witnesses the murder is also killed. Her sister, a Los Angeles detective, travels to Manila and fights in her stead in a martial arts tournament in order to find her killer and avenge her death.[1][3]
Reception
In his book on martial arts in American cinema, M. Ray Lott said Catya Sassoon's role that in the "subgenre of the female martial artist", Angelfist was "much more interested in showing her as a sexual object" than would be the case in a film with Cynthia Rothrock, the usual figure in that subgenre. Her nude appearance resulted in her being "almost launched as soft-porn action heroine". Lott called the film itself "a titillating exploitation vehicle for undiscriminating action audiences" and acknowledged that "[i]t knows its target audience".[1]
References
- Lott, M. Ray (2004). The American Martial Arts Film. Jefferson: McFarland. p. 212. ISBN 9780786418367. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- Yeatter, Bryan L. (2007). Cinema of the Philippines: A History and Filmography, 1897-2005. McFarland & Company. p. 164.
- Cettl, Robert (2009). Terrorism in American Cinema: An Analytical Filmography, 1960–2008. Jefferson: McFarland. p. 29.