Bolt

THAT MAN BOLT-1973-A Karate expert/pro-fessional courier Jefferson Bolt (Fred William-son) locked up in a Macao prison is hired /black-mailed by a mysterious English man named Griffiths (Byron Webster) to deliver 1 million dollars from Hong Kong. When he lands in Las Vegas some mobsters try to kill him, so after a car chase he gets help from another mobster Connie (Jack Ging). At a casino he meets singer Samantha Nightingale (Teresa Graves) and after they have sex she's killed in an attempt on Bolt's life. He hightails it to Hong Kong where things get a little confusing when an Asian assassin is hired by Javanese merchant banker Kumata (Masatoshi Nakamura) to kill Bolt. 

The acting, dialogue and fights are sub-par but it also features appearances by Karate and kickboxing champions like Mike Stone, Kenji Kazama, Emil Farkus and David Chow. 

THAT MAN BOLT has two credited directors. One Henry Levin made his directing debut in 1944 with semi-horror movie CRY OF THE WEREWOLF. In the 1970's he directed several Matt Helm movies. BOLT was one of his last features. The other was David Lowell Rich who started in TV around 1950 and continuing till the mid '60's when he made some feature films like EYE OF THE CAT and THE PLAINSMAN. He went back to TV making many TV movies and in the early '80's returned to some feature film work including THE CONCORDE-AIRPORT '69. 

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Chiba Trio

KARATE BULL FIGHTER-1977-Sonny Chiba plays another unbeatable Karate drifter in this standard Martial Arts drama from Japan that's actually based on the real life of a Korean fighter who changed his name to Mas Oyama and founded the Kyokushin Karate Organization in 1953.

After killing a bull with his bare hands, Chiba wanders around the countryside getting into trouble with various dojos. Later he befriends a young boy (and beats up his father) and has to fight a bear (man in a bad costume)! There are lots of fights, some blood and Chiba gives his classic stare at the camera several times.

KARATE BEAR FIGHTER-(Kyokushin Buraiken)-This is actually a sequel to the above title with Shinichi “known as Sonny in The US" Chiba. Everyone is on his case because he’s such a great Karate fighter especially a certain Dojo. He beats up all the students. He beats up a father who abuses his son and helps the boy fish. (and catches them with his bare hands) For some reason he must fight a bear to get money for the injured father. Since he once killled a bull barehanded fighting a bear seems like a reasonable task I guess! Chiba does his usual staring and fights a lot.

KARATE FOR LIFE-1977-Sonny Chiba returns for the third time as Karate master Mas Oyama in the last of this martial arts trilogy based on a real person. It’s the best of the 3 with some great and violent fights. Oyama beats up a Karate school and gets involved in pro-wrestling and gangsters. Director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi made all three in the series.

The real deal!
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