This was an interesting and funny script. But the movie was entirely mishandled. This should have been treated as a dark comedy in the same vein as "The Whole Nine Yards" or "Get Shorty". The director just didn't get the jokes! Was this really a chop-socky film? The martial arts scenes should not have been made so prominent. There were a couple of scenes that stand out. Stuart Steel was very convincing and evil in the "have some more cocaine" scene. I can't recommend the film as it is. However, it is not without merit and could be remade into something that would be fun. I feel like the audience member in "The Producers" who has to stop her husband from walking out....."Harry...it's funny!"
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jeatroff27 February 2005
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KDWms21 June 2003I'm the first to admit that I've evaluated very few martial arts films, but I suspect that even the experts of this genre will agree that this is pretty lame. This is the story of a non-Asian, made wise to the ways of that type of combat via much tutoring by The Master. Then, The Master's kid dies in the wreck of a car driven by the pupil, whereupon the student begins a life on the wrong side of the tracks, vending cocaine under cover of running a nightclub. Much of the movie displays this variety show and bullying by the self-absorbed businessman. The physicality appears very staged throughout the picture, prior to a particularly unrealistic conclusion, although it is rewarding for those who like to see justice done. Maybe a black mark - but certainly no black belt - in my opinion.
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daniel-mannouch10 July 2020Do I need to say it? Just look at this DVD cover. Just say no to drugs and this film, an astounding "Nu Yawk" product from the director of Joe Spinell vehicle, The Undertaker. The Force Within is simultaneously an incomprehensible Goodfellas knock off as well as a incomprehensible vanity project of one Stuart Steel who pulls off triple duty as co-screenwriter, executive producer Kung fu master bad dude with a heart of gold who just so happens to have some prostitutes of questionable age on the side. What is this film!? Really?
The awful VHS picture quality just helps the mood along as scuzzy low angle stripper sequences play side by side against a ventriloquist who Jeff Dunham probably stole his act from, bridged together by a couple of acting grads and gym bunny hons playing Gotti with the audience. This is terrible. This is simply terrible.
The fight sequences are forgettable, the cinematography is awful, though I can't really confirm that, and the acting is an utter amateur hour, apart from Mr Steel, who gives it his all, which is not much, most likely fuelled by the delusional notion that this was his big break.
The sum of its parts definitely make up the whole in this case as though there are some crazy moments here and there, the Force Within's terrible qualities are simply too many to handle. Even in HD, this film would be a slog. It's too indulgent and way too padded out. Maybe it has some New yAWK charm, but this party is way dead, and Gulliani's footsteps echo in the background much like this film's terrible sound design. -
mikehurt6 December 2008I gave it a low mark because thats what it technically deserves, but if you like movies that make you laugh this one will. It is Awesome! There's a lot about the script that isn't bad, the story could have been turned into something really f@#$#$g funny but the writers didn't make it happen though and the same goes for the atmosphere created, the cinematography is not very good, but there is a scene that stands out. It'll jump out at you. I think it's second unit stuff. And the story line is and characters are very Bogart meets Kung Fu theater but thats what makes it charming. Well anyways, this is a really funny movie that will inspire you to do something. Ha ha ha.
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PeterMitchell-506-56436416 December 2012This is quite possibly one of the worst put together movies I've ever seen. And why do I say "Put together?" Anyone? Because that's just what I mean. It's as if certain scenes were just added, and just pushed anywhere, or crammed, whatever. Talk about Z grade. This one makes Sweet Karma look genuinely good. At least we have some nice naked titties, as seen in the opening credits, where a dancer satisfies the viewer's eye, as we cut back and forth to a guy, getting worked over. The nice looking women are the best thing, the only thing in this dreck. Nick, a bad arse, into selling drugs, girls, using his strip place as a front, also, if you can believe this, teaches a karate class for kids. Good on ya, Nick. Nick, his girls always eager to supply his sexual yearns and desires, has his own special honey, only sweet SIXTEEN, he keeps as a pet, where as she occupies herself with puzzles, magazines, eating different cereals, whatever. Bored with this, and Nick's constant absence, she turns to sniffing coke. Nick, whose got a few hassles, has a recurring pain in the arse in the form of men, who are trying to get our underage girl back to Daddy, where they keep ending up statistics. Nick's really good with his hands, in many ways. The latest guy who's sent to get the girl was trained by the same guy who trained Nick, where may'be Nick has met his match. We have bad cops leaning on Nick, plus a rival mob boss with fine tastes, who Nick is stalling to pay, where the bad cops are sent in to fix this problem, which Nick himself takes care of, which really means one less bad cop. The violence is so unrealistic and laughable, especially in CU-I had to ask myself, "Are you f.....g kidding me?" Apparently, "No" As in some of the acting, it's passable, some dialogue laughable, where in some other cases the lines are purposely humorous, some are actually quite intelligent. But this whole movie is a mess of scenes. Hopefully to budding filmmakers out there, in reference, watch this to see how not to make a movie like this, but if you're using this mess as a reference how to make one, give this view a miss, totally, cause if you do, god help ya, with your first flick.
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jdamarquette27 December 2006Everything about this film is amazing. The timing of each line, the martial arts and fighting sequences and the soundtrack and most importantly, using clips from old martial arts films in a montage to represent a characters life. Its so artistic, most directors never think to only film half the actor in a shot, but this director does more than that, he uses zoom in an erratic fashion, he slows down fighting sequences that are already slow, and he's opted for a script that is beyond belief. Stuart Steel is so good in the two scenes he's in, and that boy loves his sunglasses. Its ingenious to use a bit of porn when the storyline gets a bit mundane. My favourite bit was the cake being smashed into a baddies face, and the big middle finger, unmissable. Sound quality is exceptional too!!! GO DOWN TO YOUR LOCAL £1 SHOP AND BUY THIS, TRY AND GET SOME MORE JUST LIKE IT TOO! This film is the funniest piece of rubbish i've ever seen, I have never cried with laughter for more than 30 minutes before until I saw this.
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The best film I've seen in such along time. James marquette is so right in his review, it just speaks of quality from the get go and doesn't lapse at all. The carefully chosen extracts from other classics such as 'random budha with a lazer' and 'dramatic generic toss pot makes a film' simply enriches this masterwork with such elegance its hard to ignore. The part with the cake and the giant finger "prod" are surely the moments of genius described in the other review and would be at home in any Spielberg or stone classic.
I think this film has made me a better person, i feel I've learnt so much from it to the extent of almost being an epiphany or religious experience,.
look, there's a cow moo