Am I Missing Something?

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

"The Story of Ricky" is one of those so-bad-it's-good movies. It is enjoyable to watch, with terrible effects, terrible writing, and terrible acting. Watch this if you want to see people punching through each other's stomachs and a person who keeps mints in his glass eye. This should be watched for entertainment purposes only, it's not a work of art whatsoever.

"Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky" is a Hong Kong martial arts film adapted from a Japanese manga that was released in 1991. This movie is a low budget action packed gore-fest that can be compared to Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" in relation to American cinema. This movie not only utilizes, but embraces the use of excessive violence and graphic bloodshed, leading me to believe that a majority of the budget must have been spent on fake blood. Action packed martial arts scenes and some of the lamest special effects in cinema solidify cult film status for "Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky," even if some viewers are just watching it because it is just that bad."Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky" opens with a transport vehicle bringing new inmates to a correction facility somewhere in Asia, although for some odd reason the name of the prison is written in Spanish. A black screen then appears with white writing informing the audience that the time period is 2001 and in this future all prisons are privatized and run like businesses. Riki-Oh, or Ricky as he is referred to in the English subtitles, emerges from the transport and enters the prison to begin his ten year sentence for murder. Ricky soon realizes that the prison is run by a tyrannical warden and his assistant, both of whom treat inmates like expendable resources. Ricky now must fight for his fellow inmates and his own freedom. clashing with four skilled fighters brawling his way through to the fiendish warden."Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky" is certainly not a typical Kung Fu movie. We have a hero avenging his girlfriend's death and protecting the weak, but we also have a villain with a prosthetic eye in which he stores mints. There are numerous fight scenes between our hero and villains, but there is also a scene where a dog is kicked so hard it splits in half. At times I found myself laughing at how absurd the movie was becoming with every minute that passed. At one point a villain stabs himself in the stomach and tries to choke Ricky with his own intestines, prompting the assistant warden in one translation to cleverly say, "I knew you had guts!" As over the top as this movie becomes it continues to increase in violence and does not lose pace by diminishing the bloodshed.Aside from six villains and Ricky this movie does not have any characters worth remembering. The warden's enforcers, known as the Gang of Four, all use different fighting techniques and seem to increase in strength from the first to fight to the last. The most memorable of the four is Huang Chaun, a deadly male warrior played by a female actress. It is completely evident Huang Chaun is a woman, but the filmmakers hilariously dub her voice with a man's to keep up the illusion. The assistant warden is a combination of villain clichés retaining an evil looking prosthetic eye and a hook hand, appearing much more interesting than the seemingly normal looking warden. The warden himself, a middle aged bald man with a chubby brat of a son, has a secret that luckily allows him to become a unique character by the end of the movie.Anytime a hero in a movie is strong to the point that they can literally punch through a person the viewer needs to watch with an open mind. "Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky" is cheesy and lacking in special effects, but it is also over the top and hilarious. I would recommend this movie to anyone with a high tolerance for extreme violence and gore, or someone who wants to see a man's eye pop out from being hit so hard in the head. If anything, at least this movie gives us the head crushing scene formerly shown on "The Daily Show" when Craig kilborn was the host. "Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky," heads might not roll, but they sure will get crushed!

Both Cinema Snob & Diamanda Hagen have review this movie, Hagen is the one that made me want to see the whole thing. You can't get it on DVD, or even buy a legal in-print copy, so don't be afraid to watch it online if you can't find a secondhand VHS.This is a contender for king of "so bad it's good." The special effects are over-the-top, the dubbing is hilariously bad, & I challenge you to find an actually comedy funnier than this action movie. You get the feeling that the movie is not taking itself seriously, but the actors play it straight. This is a great movie for an up-all-night party or a drinking game. Get a VHS copy & spread the gory bloody love.

Exploding heads, self-disembowelment and unstoppable punches. What are you looking for in your kung fu movies? If this is it then you've come to the right place! Unlike all those yawn fest karate movies where no one gets hurt and fighting scenes go on and on without a slightest drop of blood, Riki-Oh is a fountain of blood in a desert of boredom. Riki-Oh will take you on a blood soaked ride so violent and so beautiful you'll have a new description for what you want in a movie.Ricky is a martial artist expert who is going to jail for the murder of a man who was indirectly responsible for his girlfriends suicide. Once in the prison Ricky realizes the warden, an over-weight one eyed pornography addict is illegally growing opium and killing prisoners. Ricky is compelled to defeat the Gang of Four who rule over the four wings of the prison and free the prisoners. We quickly find that Ricky is an expert in Qigong a mystical style of kung-fu that gives him the power to literally punch and kick through people.The film itself is surprisingly beautiful. The shots all feel very symmetrical and well thought out, the colors work very well to create an almost comic book atmosphere and the scenes are dramatic and fast moving. What really makes Riki-Oh special is his Qigong kung fu style. He has the power to rip peoples faces off and punch through their stomachs. The gore is done in such an exaggerated fashion that instead of the film being gut wrenchingly disgusting it feels much more like a cartoon. And for good reason too! Riki-Oh is based on a successful Magna and two animated films. The adaptation is nearly perfect! The film is something that should be seen to be believed.This is director Lam Nai-choi's most famous film. Lam also directed the incredible Seventh Curse and is a favorite. His ability to mix comedy, gore and sci-fi is something extremely unique and feels fresh even today. His framing is thoroughly thought out in Riki-Oh and it shows the whole way through. The film is tight and fast moving. Other kung fu films and action in general should take notice! This film is a cult favorite for a reason.