KUNG FU SHOWDOWN!

Ian Gonzales:

“I’m a master and you’re going to lose this game.” Sonny Chiba as Terry in The Street Fighter.

I first learned of Sonny Chiba while watching the Quentin Tarantino-penned True Romance. Clarence Worley’s obvious love for Chiba’s The Street Fighter films and the clip shown within the film got me jazzed for those flicks.

I snagged a VHS copy of The Street Fighter at Tower Records (they had the best VHS selection in North Jersey). I got home, ran to my room and popped it in the VCR. I’d seen some Bruce Lee flicks, most notably Game of Death and Enter the Dragon. While Sonny Chiba bore a physical resemblance to Mr. Lee, he had a quality in The Street Fighter that Bruce Lee did not – he was a scumbag.

Sonny Chiba wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and he wasn’t afraid to get his face beaten to a pulp. In The Street Fighter, Terry is the epitome of the antihero. Approached by the Yakuza and the Mafia to kidnap a young billionaire heiress, Chiba’s character (a mercenary named Terry) quotes them an exorbitant price. The crooks decide to try and kill Terry instead. Terry then goes on to defend the girl just on sheer principle. To this day, it’s still one of my favorite Kung Fu flicks of all time!

While Bruce Lee may be the most iconic martial artist and Jackie Chan the most prolific Kung Fu star, Sonny Chiba fought a bull and won. He is the most badass martial arts star and he will beat your favorite down any way he can.