Chiba's Cult Classic

True to its cause of championing grindhouse cinema, indie film collective SCUM (Society for Cult & Underground Movies) will be bringing The Street Fighter (1974) back to the big screen next week. The action-packed thriller shot Japanese actor Sonny Chiba to fame internationally, and has inspired numerous filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino. Chiba plays Terry Tsurugi, a tough mercenary and kungfu exponent hired by the Yakuza to kidnap the heiress of a dead oil tycoon. But all hell breaks loose when the deal falls through and plans to double-cross Tsurugi goes awry. The Street Fighter has achieved cult status for all sorts of reasons including its chopsocky fight scenes and dodgy English dubbing. In the US, it has the dubious honour of being the first film ever to receive an X rating for violence.

The Street Fighter (in Japanese with English subtitles) screens at Chye Seng Huat Hardware Coffee on Oct 4 at 7.45pm. Book tickets at https://thestreetfighter.peatix.com.