LADY BLOODFIGHT (2017) ***

Amy Johnston is the real deal.  She’s been a stunt double in many comic book movies, but with her starring role in Lady Bloodfight she proves she is ready for the big time.  In addition to her considerable martial arts skills, she has a likeable screen presence.  The film itself is worthy of her talents.  It’s a strong enough vehicle to make you want to see her kicking ass again real soon.

It’s essentially an all-women version of Bloodsport.  Johnston is a tough American woman who goes to Hong Kong to find out what happened to her father years ago.  Inevitably, she gets roped into fighting in a Kumite tournament, the very same one her father died participating in.  

The story is an old hat, but writer Bey (The Medallion) Logan and director Chris (Kiss of the Dragon) Nahon hit all the right notes in a competent and entertaining fashion.  I particularly liked the training montage in which Johnston uses a large bell as a punching bag.  I guess the message is that she has to ring the bell literally in order to ring her opponent’s bell figuratively.  

The fights are well-choreographed and efficiently edited.  There are only a couple of instances where the camera is a bit too shaky or too close to the action.  Nahon is smart enough to keep the camera back when Johnston does her spin and flip kicks so you can see them in their full glory.

Much of Logan’s script is straightforward and predictable.  However, the film has fun playing with some of the expected conventions of the fighting tournament genre.  For instance, when her teacher abandons her, it’s the villain who winds up giving Johnston a big pep talk before a crucial match.

Although her character is a bit one-note, Johnston still does a terrific job.  The fact that she can take a thinly-written character and make you care about her speaks volumes to her talent.  The scene where she confronts the thieves who stole her purse is particularly well done.  She doesn’t want the money back, only her last remaining photo of her father.  Johnston is so good in this scene that from then on, we’re totally with her on her journey.  Not only was I was rooting for her character, I will be rooting for her as an actress as well.  I for one think she’s destined to breakout and become a star.