Chris Nahon’s action film effectively lives up to its title. It features sexy ladies fighting in bloody fashion, and on its own limited terms provides the sort of violent entertainment geared to fans who enjoy watching movies like, well, Lady Bloodfight. Fans of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 1988 cult classic Bloodsport, which this film closely resembles, will best appreciate this distaff version starring ace stuntwoman Amy Johnston, who possesses the gorgeous looks and superb physicality to carry the vehicle.
Johnston’s character, June, establishes her badass bona fides early in the film when she efficiently dispatches a rude male customer at the diner where she works. Desperate to help her mother, whose miserable state is signaled by her heavy drinking and smoking, June travels to Hong Kong, where her military father mysteriously disappeared years earlier. Her goal: to compete in the Kumite, a brutal female martial arts competition offering a substantial monetary prize.
Jane soon finds herself being tutored by Shu (Muriel Hofmann), who specializes in instructing her pupils in the spiritual aspects of martial arts. Meanwhile, Shu’s former rival Wai (Kathy Wu), who approaches the discipline from a far more deadly point of view, mentors Ling (Jenny Wu), a petty thief. The competition features numerous international competitors, including a saucy — what else? — Australian (Jet Tranter) and a vicious — what else? — Russian (Mayling Ng). Watching over the proceedings with great interest is gambler Mr. Sang (Kurt Kishita), who by the film’s end reveals himself to be even more villainous than he initially appears.
Bey Logan and Judd Bloch’s screenplay proves far too complicated for what is essentially an excuse to showcase plenty of extremely buff women bashing each other’s brains in. Director Nahon (Kiss of the Dragon) keeps the action suitably fast and furious, even if he overly panders to male viewers by including apparently requisite locker room scenes in which the women are even more scantily clad than when they’re fighting. And that’s saying something.