The characters and storyline of RIKI-OH: STORY OF RICKY are based on a hyper-violent Japanese Manga (comic) called Rikki-O. The term ‘hyper-violence’ is relative to the Japanese Anime and film industry, meaning high-impact and unbelievably gory death scenes. If you have ever seen VIOLENCE JACK or FIST OF THE NORTH STAR, you know what we are referring to. The film version of the Rikki-O Manga is actually a Chinese/Japanese co-production that premiered in Hong Kong as LAI WONG in 1991. The film was directed by genre specialist Ngai Kai Lam, who has a track record of combining violent supernatural-themed films with traditional Kung Fu, such as THE SEVENTH CURSE, SAGA OF THE PHEONIX, and GHOST SNATCHERS. Golden Harvest retitled the film as RIKI-OH: STORY OF RICKY for international distribution. RIKI-OH: STORY OF RICKY’s combination of fantasy, martial arts, and extreme gore turned into an instant cult phenomenon. The VHS bootleg released by Video Search of Miami was one of their best selling titles for years, until RIKI-OH: STORY OF RICKY became available on import LaserDisc and DVD. Media Asia’s import version of the DVD has been difficult (and expensive) to obtain in recent times, so Media Blasters has come to the rescue with a North American release with a much more reasonable price tag. Hong Kong film enthusiasts will be elated to know that Media Blaster’s DVD (the first such live-action title released under their aptly named Tokyo Shock banner) is the exact same version of the Media Asia import, right down to the menu systems and extras. Except for the packaging and the actual label on this DVD, this disc is literally a duplicate of the import!

RIKI-OH: STORY OF RICKY was a breakthrough role for the leading man, Fan Siu Wong. He made his first film appearance at age 2 and went on to become a popular child actor. His father is a veteran character actor, Fan Mui Sang, who appeared in numerous films as diverse as MAGNIFICENT BUTCHER, and Michael Cimino’s YEAR OF THE DRAGON. At the age of 14, Fan Mui Sang sent his son to study martial arts in Mainland China. On his return to HK, Stanley Tong cast him in both STONE AGE WARRIORS and PROJECT S. Fan Siu Wong’s film career never really flourished, but he had a successful career in television in the hit Hong Kong series, FIST OF POWER, NEW STORY OF SHAOLIN, and SHAOLIN HERO FONG SAI YUK. STORY OF RICKY also stars Japanese actress/martial artist Yukari (ANGEL OF VENGEANCE) Oshima as the effeminate fighter, Rogan. Phil Kwok of FIVE DEADLY VENOMS fame stars as inmate Lin Hung. Gloria (FLYING DAGGERS) Yip has a small role as Ricky’s doomed girlfriend.

RIKI-OH: STORY OF RICKY takes place in an alternate world in the year 2001. While fleeing from pursuing opium dealers, Ricky’s girlfriend (Gloria Yip) plunges to her death. Naturally, Ricky mourns the loss, and plots revenge against the leader of the drug-dealing lowlifes. When Ricky locates the drug lord on the streets, the slimeball shoots Ricky multiple times. But the angry twenty one-year just keeps coming, and dispatches the guy before the eyes of some prostitutes. This event leads the young man to be sentenced to life in prison—but this prison is different from the kind we know. In the world of RIKI-OH: STORY OF RICKY, the prison system is a franchised corporate entity. The corrupt Warden rules this jail with an iron fist, and has set up a leadership system called the Gang of Four; a group of super-deadly mercenaries who rule the various sections of the prison, and who also assist the warden with his illegal opium operation. Upon entering the facility, Ricky is immediately beset by bully inmates, prison guards, and Gang of Four members.

But Ricky is not a normal inmate. Not only has he been trained in a deadly form of martial arts, he also possess superhuman strength. He can kill a man with a single blow, and bullets only slow him down. Ricky dispatches the prisoners sent against him in a variety of bloody ways, but the Gang of Four proves equal to the task. When the Gang of Four torture and kill Ricky’s prisoner friends, Ricky sets his sights on the Warden’s private opium nursery. This infuriates the Warden, and he promises to make Ricky’s death his number one priority. The Gang of Four finally captures Ricky, and the inmates are forced to bury him alive. The Warden promises Ricky if he can survive underground for a week, he will grant Ricky a pardon. When the time comes to dig him up, everyone is shocked to find Ricky alive. Of course, the Warden does not give Ricky his freedom. Instead he orders the Gang of Four to finish him off. After a particularly bloody and violent brawl, Ricky takes out the Gang of Four. Ricky slowly stalks the Warden, thinking him easy prey. But the Warden has secret of his own, as he mutates into a towering monster even stronger than Ricky. The battle for supremacy of the future begins!

This should give you a taste of the hyper violence you’ll find in this motion picture:

• In an effort to kill Ricky, his opponent takes out a knife and cuts open his own stomach. As his guts are spilling out, the dying man uses his large intestine to strangle Ricky!
• An inmate gets hit in the face with a giant machete.
• Ricky punches a guard so hard that his eyeball pops out of it’s socket!
• One of the Warden’s flunkies has his arm hacked off with an ax.
• In the prison’s kitchen area, a man is pushed into a meat grinder and his blood turns the walls to crimson.
• A man is pushed into a bed of nails which ‘staples’ the guy’s hand to his face!
• An inmate has his jaw ripped off.
• An inmate gets his tongue removed.
• A member of the Gang of Four crushes an inmate’s head like a ripe grapefruit!
• Ricky punches a big fat attacker, reaches into his spilling guts, and removes the guy’s organs!
• The Warden shoot inmates with bullets that cause the victim’s faces to swell up, and their bodies to explode!
• A guy gets his cranium cracked in half, and his brain matter pops out!
• A gentle inmate is skinned alive by one of the Gang of Four.
• Another prisoner gets his nose caved in!
• A member of the Gang of Four receives a blow to his jaw so hard it sends the jaw into the guy’s skull which removes most of the flesh on his face!
• Ricky punches a guy through his rib cage, sending organs flying everywhere!

The plot of RIKI-OH: STORY OF RICKY is rather thin—the story merely exists to provide some continuity to the bloody carnage. And there are moments in the film where logic takes a vacation. Still, there are some significant themes buried here like oppression, revolution, and fighting the odds for one’s beliefs. Director Ngai Kai Lam juggles these elements very well—especially considering RIKI-OH: STORY OF RICKY is a pastiche of such varied genres, such as the prison picture, the martial arts movie, and even the monster film. RIKI-OH: STORY OF RICKY also has the distinction of being the most faithful live-action adaptation of a Japanese Manga. There was a brief period in the early 1990’s where Manga and Anime mainstays were adapted as Hong Kong live-action films, such as Crying Freeman, Wicked City, and Dragonball Z, but RIKI-OH: STORY OF RICKY is clearly a superior and more faithful adaptation than the others. Fan Siu Wong proves to be a capable lead actor with a determined physical presence. Yukari Oshima is also memorable as the androgynous Gang of Four member, Rogan (as the character is referred to in the English dub). Since this male character knows the martial arts and has a feminine streak, the producers got real life martial artist actress to play Rogan with a butch haircut. But there is no mistaking Oshima, since her beauty and martial arts grace are evident.

Although there is a lot of martial arts pageantry and posing in RIKI-OH: STORY OF RICKY, you can’t categorize it as a martial arts film. A motion picture must have some form of fight choreography or sparring for it to be considered a martial arts film. You cannot call Ricky’s ability to crush his opponent with one blow a form of martial arts—there is no choreography involved. Merely some stunt coordination comes into play (courtesy of long-time actor/martial artist Phil Kwok), along with the requisite splatter from the special effects crew. Except for an occasional questionable dummy effect, the graphic special effects are very wet and convincing. RIKI-OH: STORY OF RICKY features more violence than several European cannibal thrillers combined: crushed heads, exploding bodies, exposed brains, eyeball violence, disembowelment, decapitation, suicide, manual organ removal, and more (if you can think of any extreme way to maim the human body, you’ll find it here). The violence is so over-the-top that it quickly becomes less horrific and more humorous like Peter Jackson’s BRAIN DEAD or Sam Raimi’s EVIL DEAD 2.

-  Tony Mustafa 

BACK TO: