Strike of the Panther

My review was written in March 1989 after watching the film on Celebrity video cassette.

This sequel to "Day of the Panther" is an uninteresting Aussie adventure pic. The two films were shot back to back in 1987, but one would have been plenty.

Opening ten minutes of "Fists of Blood" are devoted to recapitulating the events in "Day" by reusing the old footage. Sequel has stalwart martial arts hero Jaon Blade (Edward John Stazak, his acting still wooden) trying to rescue his girlfriend (pretty redhead Paris Jefferson) from the clutches of heavy Jim Richards, who has ecaped from his jail since Part One.

Other than for the appearance of tough cop Rowena Wallace, a striking platinum blonde, nonstory exists as an undiverting series of comic book climaxes. Any hope of making the Blade character into a long-running phenomenon is dashed by the absence of suitable challenges with which to prove his mettle.

Helming is under par for the usually reliable Brian Trenchard-Smith. Repetitive music score is another minus.