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CHAMPION
OF DEATH (1978)
United
American
Directed by
Kazahiko Yamaguchi
Produced by Toei Corp
Written by Norifumi Suzuki
English Version Written and Directed
English Version Produced by Robert Santinelli
Cast: Sonny
Chiba
Video:
Widescreen (1.66:1)
Subtitles: None
Packaging:
Keepcase
Chapter Stops: 7
82 Minutes
Bruce Lee’s untimely passing was also felt hard in
Japan. The studios clamored for their own action icon, and Sonny Chiba
was just the ticket. Chiba struck gold at the box office with films like
THE EXECUTIONER, KILLING MACHINE, and THE STREETFIGHTER series. Next,
Chiba wanted to make a series of martial arts films revolving around his
real-life mentor, 
Masatatsu
Oyama, a legend in the world of Karate. He convinced Toei to produce
this series, beginning with the 1975 film, CHAMPION OF DEATH (KENKA
KARATE KYOKUSHINKEN in Japan). He even had his elder mentor on the set
to act as technical advisor for all the films, which chronicle the life
of the younger Oyama (played by Chiba) in post war Japan; and his
struggle to launch his new and more devastating form of Karate. The
other two films in the trilogy are KARATE BEAR FIGHTER and KARATE FOR
LIFE. United Artists picked up the American distribution rights soon
after, and hired Peter (SPEED RACER) Hernandez to handle the translation
and dubbing. Hernandez worked on the English translation of hundreds of
Asian films and TV shows, and his company, Titra Productions,
consistently delivered superior dub jobs. CHAMPION OF DEATH had a
successful theatrical run in the flooded martial arts market of 1978,
then was consigned to Cable TV. Over twenty years later, CHAMPION OF
DEATH re-surfaces on DVD from the United American label.
CHAMPION OF DEATH opens at a Japanese Karate tournament in 1949. The judges and elder Karate experts in attendance are not impressed at the current state of the art form. Suddenly, Masa Oyama (Chiba) enters the room in tattered clothing. He nods to the attendants, and they bring out a stack of 23 tiles. He impresses all those at the tournament by splitting the stack with one blow. He explains that he has developed an even more powerful brand of Karate, but the old Karate masters don’t see it his way. Instead, they would rather back Nakatsumi, an affluent fight promoter of questionable honor. But, since Nakatsumi has amassed a stable of champions, he gained much respect in Japan. Nakatsumi has his top fighter go against Oyama in the tournament. Oyama clearly gets the upper hand in the tournament, until his opponent breaks the rules. Oyama breaks the rules in return, and is expelled from the tournament.
While
traveling through Tokyo, Oyama sees Choko, a beautiful Japanese woman
greeting people outside a whore house. Years earlier, he had saved Choko
from two assailants who intended to harm her. Thinking that she is a
prostitute, an angered Oyama abducts Choko and then rapes her. His
justification is that he once saved her life, but now she has become a
whore. After the brutal act, Choko reveals that she is not a whore, but
works there as a translator because she understands English (and mostly
U.S. soldiers go to the whorehouse). Suddenly American soldiers appear
with rifles in hand to arrest Oyama. They are aware of his abilities,
however, and instead of taking him to a prison cell, they take him to a
warehouse to fight the top American brawler. The army official says that
if he can beat this guy, they will let him go. Oyama quickly disposes of
his opponent and is granted his freedom. Oyaka returns to the girl he
raped, and out of guilt offers to marry Choko to make it up to her. She
refuses.
Oyama gets a taste of life in the fast lane when he makes friends with a night club owner. Oyama drowns out his problems with alcohol. One evening Yakuza members bust into the club and begin to harass the owner. The criminals make the mistake of prodding a drunken Oyama into a confrontation. During the melee, Oyama accidentally kills the gang leader. He ends up in jail, but is quickly released as the jury ruled that he acted in self-defense. As Oyama leaves the police station, he passes by the wife and son of the man he killed. They curse him--which causes the guilty Oyama to snap. He vows to quit Karate and throws himself at their mercy. He goes to work on their farm, and ensures that their harvest is prosperous. Over time the wife forgives him and even the kid develops a fondness for Oyama. Eventually, the wife realizes that Oyama’s heart and destiny lay elsewhere, and she tells him to go. He returns to the city to find out that Choko has actually developed feelings for him. Oyama has no time to rejoice because Nakatsumi hires an assassin to prevent him from re-entering the world of martial arts. Oyama contacts Nakasumi’s school and challenges the entire student body to face him. As good as Oyama is, can even he stand up to an entire stable of Karate fighters?
CHAMPION
OF DEATH is a very untraditional Karate film, which therefore qualifies it
as a rather unique piece of martial arts cinema. The framework is more of
a character study, than an all-out action film. The hero of CHAMPION OF
DEATH is Masa Oyama, a rapist and killer. He also happens to be the
greatest Karate master in Japan’s history. In essence, CHAMPION OF DEATH
goes beyond the clichéd scenarios of Kung Fu and Karate cinema, and gives
the audience a real-life glimpse of the sometimes tragic circumstances
that surround the life of a martial arts master. As the plot progresses,
we witness Oyama’s flawed character evolve and come to terms with his
responsibilities. He kills a Yakuza member in a struggle, and finds he
cannot face the dead man’s family. He vows to quit Karate, and tries
desperately to help out the family in anyway that he can. Earlier he takes
a young man under his wing and teaches him Karate. Due to Oyama’s
Kyokushinkai techniques, the kid becomes lethal in no time. But the
youngster is not mature enough to handle his abilities, and it goes to his
head. The kid goes around beating people up and he gets arrested. Oyama
learns a valuable lesson about judging his pupils; he must also instruct
the philosophies of Karate as well as the self defense techniques
themselves. Early on in the film, believing that Choko is a prostitute,
Oyama rapes Choko. He soon apologizes and is so consumed with guilt and
shame that he offers to marry her. She turns him down, but over time falls
in love with him anyway.
Before you think that CHAMPION OF DEATH is a estrogen picture, let me assure you that the film contains plenty of action and violence that Sonny Chiba fans have come to expect. Sonny commits many acts of brutality, and spills blood more than once (though truthfully, he does not tear off limbs or rip out organs like he does in his other films). One of CHAMPION OF DEATH’s highlights is when Sonny mauls a raging bull using only his bare hands, something that Masa Oyama actually did in real life. The fight choreography in this film is much different than in Chinese Kung Fu epics of this time period. Whereas those fights have a tendency to go forever, Sonny’s fights are usually shorter and more realistic. He is stronger and quicker than his opponents and a few swift strikes are usually enough to overcome his opponents (much like real life fights). The conclusion of CHAMPION OF DEATH finds Sonny battling an entire school of opponents, which he promptly dispatches in about five minutes. Many times in Chinese Kung Fu pictures, a single battle can last much longer than that! CHAMPION OF DEATH was a great opportunity for Sonny Chiba to cross over from violent action star to real actor. More than just a mere physical presence, Sonny turns in an inspiring performance that manages to evoke sympathy despite the nature of his character. As the movie progresses, we watch as Sonny plays Oyama as a crude and callous bastard, to a teacher and mentor, and finally, a surrogate husband and father. As strange as it may seem for a real-life tough guy like Oyama to kowtow to a mother and child, Sonny pulls it off perfectly.
SIGHT
CHAMPION
OF DEATH was originally released in the 2.35.1 aspect ratio. The opening
credit sequence on United American’s DVD is 2.35.1 until the movie
begins, then the image is cropped to approximately 1.66.1. The print used
for the transfer features drab colors, but remarkably only a small amount
of wear. Occasionally, a few scratches appear, but for the most part the
picture is acceptable. Film grain is a major issue though. With the loss
of the complete widescreen image, the cinematography becomes a little
claustrophobic. Considering that CHAMPION OF DEATH takes place in 1949,
there is very little visual imagery to support this, nor is there any
expansive exterior cinematography. The image is clean, but not sharp. The
black level and flesh tones appear out of calibration. The drama and
mayhem that is CHAMPION OF DEATH plays out nicely in the transfer despite
these flaws. The Japanese actress who plays Choko is one of the most
beautiful Asian women I’ve ever seen, and worth the price of a rental
for that alone. Overall, the video could have been better, but considering
this DVD is coming from a low budget label, it could have been a lot
worse.
SOUND
This is a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack, which sounds like it was created from a mono signal. The result is that the mono signal emits from all speakers (as opposed to a regular two-channel mono mix which comes from the front speakers only). CHAMPION OF DEATH’s soundtrack is more restrained, without all those exaggerated sound effects that are so prevalent in Hong Kong Kung Fu films. The chops, kicks, and flips are easily audible, but like I said are not cartoonish in any way. CHAMPION OF DEATH features the vocal talents of Peter Hernandez’s Titra Productions. When this company handles an English translation you know the result is a quality dub job (yes, despite the myth, there is such a thing!). The English dialog comes through naturally in the mix. The uncredited score also sounds very solid and in the thick of things. The music sounds like suspiciously like the works of the late composer, Masaru Sato. The music, sound effects, and dialog are perfectly integrated.
FEATURES
No extras. No menus. No nothing.
CONCLUSION
CHAMPION OF DEATH is Sonny Chiba’s tribute to his martial arts mentor Masa Oyama. The film differs from most martial arts films in that it not only deals with the actual acts of violence, but the resulting consequences surrounding the violence. Sonny Chiba shines in a role that demonstrates his acting range outside the martial arts arena. While admittedly not for all tastes, CHAMPION OF DEATH is a must for fans of Japan’s meanest man. United American ‘s budget DVD is bare-bones as they come, but delivers an adequate representation which should suffice until a widescreen version emerges.
-- Tony Mustafa
| Movie: |
3.5 |
| Video: |
3.5 |
| Audio: |
3.5 |
| Extras: |
0.0 |
| Overall: |
3.5 |
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