Stuck in Iowa

The Plot
Gore almighty! The movie is based in the future (2001) where the prison system is ran differently. Riki has been sent to prison for taking out a drug lord that was responsible for the death of his girlfriend. Once he gets to jail he finds out that everybody is out to get kill him. Why? I’m not 100% sure but I think it’s to prove how tough prison system is. The prison has corrupt guards and the prison is ran with a chain of command where one inmate in each of the four main cells is the leader under the control of the warden who doesn’t appear until the end of the film. While the warden is gone his 2nd in command tries to act harsh and not only is he missing an eyeball, he uses his fake eye as a breath mint holder. After a lot of deaths Riki comes to find out the truth about who really runs the drug ring responsible for his lovers death and oh no Riki can’t have that so he goes on a rampage to avenge her death. All throughout the movie there’s a lot of kung-fu action and a lot of gore. I was impressed with the creativity, the bloodshed, and the martial arts. One of my favorite scenes is when Riki is fighting the tough cell leader, gets his forearm sliced, and Riki shows how much of a bad ass he is by grabbing his tendons - one with his hand - one with his teeth. He ties them together and BAM he’s ready to kick some more butt.

Things I Learned From This Movie
- with enough force you can punch through walls and people
- prisoners get about 10 minutes to shower OR go to the bathroom OR wash their clothes
- even though ‘Riki’ is kind of a kids name, Riki-Oh is one tough guy. It’s proven when he is buried alive.
- if you’re beat in a match you can still have the last laugh by disemboweling yourself and choking your opponent with your guts
- nails to the head and eyes won’t kill you
- prison gauds are corrupt
- you can be buried alive for 7 days with only air, and when you’re unburied you can immediately beat the crap out of everybody.

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Final Thoughts
An oldie but a goodie. If you love martial art action flicks then this is a movie to own. The story line is a little weak but all the fighting and gore make up for it. You’re probably wondering why I gave it a 4/5 rating, well it’s a different genre and cannot be compared directly with the latest drama/comedy/etc movies.

Movie Details
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
Starring: Fan Siu Wong, Bin Shimada, More
Director: Ngai Kai Lam
Rated: Not Rated
Length:90 minutes
Original Release Date:1991