B OR NOT TO B #8 - No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers (1990)

No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers – Martial Arts Treat Without Surrender
Director: Lucas Lowe
Cast: Loren Avedon, Keith Vitali, Rion Hunter, Joseph Campanella

I saw No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers for the first time on TV many years ago, and I fell in love with the film immediately. It is like the Golden Globe winner of b-movies. Re-watching this film after so many years feels as good as it felt the first time. It is a low-budget 90s’ film, so it has its fair share of flaws, but who cares when get to see some solid ass-kicking at regular intervals.

The film has garnered a cult following among b-movie fanatics, and in my opinion, it is one of the best martial arts films to come out of the states. The film is nothing less of an old school Hong Kong kung-fu movie with nicely choreographed fights and action set pieces. The fight choreography Tony Leung Siu-Hung is top-notch, and it is the first time I ever saw a bad guy going up against two good guys, something which was brilliantly executed many years later by Gareth Evans, Iko Uwais, Donny Alamsyah, and Yayan Ruhian in the 2010s’ The Raid: Redemption.

The film stars two of the most underrated action stars of the 90s’ - Loren Avedon and Keith Vitali. Both of them never had a thriving career like they might have imagined. They play the role of prodigal brothers hell-bent to track down the killer of their father Franco played by the brilliant Rion Hunter while Joseph Campanella plays the role of the father. The film also stars Aasif Mandvi in one of his earlier roles. It is a simple revenge plot with its fair share of loopholes, but none that matter.  Do not expect any mind-boggling story or extraordinary acting in the film, but it is not an ounce short of a guilty pleasure.

This is the first film by director Lucas Lowe who has worked with Loren Avedon in The King of Kickboxers. Sadly, Lowe disappeared like almost everyone else associated with this film, and this is what makes this film special since it is one of those b-movie gems where a bunch of unknown talents came together to make one of the most memorable action movies of all time.

No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers is a film strictly for fans of martial arts, and b-movies for obvious reasons, and to be honest if you happen to be either one, then chances are you have seen it already, but if not, what are you waiting for?

Note: B or not to B is series of articles based on the B Action movies of the 80’s and 90’s. I am a big fan of these movies because they have a certain flavor not everyone can cherish. Many may cite them as sheer work of misdirected minds, but to me, they are a  source of real inspiration. These movies never had the budget to back them but still, the action and stunts were no less than any big studio. This is my tribute to some of the unsung films of the past.

Soumit 'The Top' Nath