''Low Blow'' (released in the Philippines as ''The Last Fight to Win: The Bloody End'') is a 1986 film edited, shot, and directed by

Frank Harris Frank Harris (14 February 1855 – 26 August 1931) was an Irish-American editor, novelist, short story writer, journalist and publisher, who was friendly with many well-known figures of his day. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to the United State ...

and released through

Crown International Pictures Crown International Pictures (CIP) was an independent film studio and distribution company formed in 1959 by Newton P. Jacobs. History Jacobs was a branch head of RKO Pictures until 1947, when he formed Favorite Films, an organization which relea ...

. It is about a private investigator that goes on the hunt for a girl who has been taken in by a religious cult. He recruits a team to help him in his quest to rescue the girl. It stars

Leo Fong Leo Fong (; 23 November 1928 – 18 February 2022) was a Chinese-American martial artist, actor, Boxer (boxing), boxer, and Methodism, Methodist minister (Protestantism), minister who had been making films, acting, and directing since the early 1 ...

, Cameron Mitchell, Troy Donahue,

Akosua Busia Akosua Gyamama Busia (born 30 December 1966) is a Ghanaian actress, film director, author and songwriter who lives in the United Kingdom. She played Nettie Harris in the 1985 film ''The Color Purple'' alongside Whoopi Goldberg. Family and early l ...

and

Stack Pierce Robert Stack Pierce (June 15, 1933 – March 1, 2016) was a Hollywood actor who was previously a boxer and professional baseball player.Speakers InternationaStack Pierce His acting career began in the early 1970s with television roles in th ...

Plot

A young heiress is in the clutches of a weird religious sect which is based in a rural compound. The cult leader (played by Cameron Mitchell). At his side is a lady called Karma (played by Akosua Busia) who has a vocal prowess. She is also the lover of the leader. Joe Wong (played by Leo Fong) is a former policeman, who has been hired by her businessman father to bring her back to him safely. He teams up with a group to help him which includes a Vietnam vet and a pro-boxing champ.

Cast

Production

The film was directed by Frank Harris. Leo Fong produced the film and Hope Holiday was the associate producer. Leo Fong also wrote the story. The film also features Billy Blanks in his first film role.

Release

''Low Blow'' was released in the United States in 1986. In the Philippines, the film was released as ''The Last Fight to Win: The Bloody End'' by Movierama Films on October 13, 1988, connecting it to the unrelated film ''

Fight to Win Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

''; the film poster miscredits Jean-Claude Van Damme as its writer and director. It was released on Vestron in both Beta and VHS formats in 1986.

Critical reception

Fong's performance in the cult film was called a tour de force head-scratcher by

Cnet.com ''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...

. It featured on Red Letter Media's "Best of the Worst" web series in 2015.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

References

External links

* * * {{Frank Harris 1986 films 1980s action drama films 1986 martial arts films 1986 drama films American action drama films American independent films Crown International Pictures films Fictional cults Films directed by Frank Harris Films shot in California 1980s English-language films 1980s American films