Directed by: Simon Nuchtern
Starring: Sonny Chiba, Etsuko Shihomi, Jirô Chiba
Vi-va Chi-ba Vi-va Chi-ba… The cool thing about this pack of movies is that it includes the original trailers (well, maybe not original, they’re in English), and I thought for sure that people chanting “Viva Chiba” wouldn’t have actually been in the movie. I was wrong. How weird.
Chiba plays himself, more or less. He’s a kung fu star who decides to become a private bodyguard to anyone privy to the massive drug trafficking going on, so he can help put a stop to drugs forever. He ends up guarding this woman who isn’t just privy to it, but actually a major part of the drug ring… and of course, he falls in love while still being conflicted about the whole “helping deal drugs” thing.
There really weren’t that many fight scenes in The Bodyguard (or, apparently “Karate Kiba.” I love how all kung fu movies have fifteen different names), deciding to focus more on story and character development. And… honestly, it was pretty boring. Not just for a kung fu movie, it was just slow paced. I mean, it was all right, I guess, I might’ve just been in more of a chop socky mood when I saw it.
Films in Boxes 
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