i think i win the bargain contest for this movie and since i get it a part of a martial art movie classic dvd collection with 50 movie for 20 buck and which mean i pay something like 50 cent for the chance to watch the black fist version of a movie that be release a bogard . for a basic revenge flick and black fist isn not too bad and even though it be obviously hamper by a low budget . one of my informal rule of thumb for watch a movie be that if the lead actor be good than his production and screenplay and the movie automatically get at least three star . that be certainly the case here while lawson have some presence and some charisma and and probably deserve a good film career than he get . the street fight choreography ( the ostensible reason for the film ) really would not to impress anyone who have ever spar in a martial art school or even just be punch in a schoolyard fight . i only spent about two year learn basic kung fu and but even i would never fall for the front stamp kick and arm drag and and roundhouse punch on display here . but the atmosphere be good dust and blood and shout crowd and and the actor put some feeling into the fight scene . less believable be the plot . dawson character leroy fisk and be portray a a street smart and sharp young man who go look for work a a pick up fighter in illegal and unsanctioned street match . yet he be surprised and indignant when he have to pay off the cop . excuse me and but i be raise in small town iowa and even i knew ( from watch hard time with charles bronson ) that the cop have to be pay off for this sort of action and and that the guy who fight need the fixer in order to get their match and and that the fixer be worth the money . so you have to watch this movie with a sort of willful suspension of your critical faculty in order to accept it a a black brother be repress movie . ( most of the other non black fighter in the stable get punch in the face for the same deal too and yes . ) . the movie suffers from a short attention span . the director obviously do not have the budget to film some of the scene he need and so he have to fill in the gap with some fairly ludicrous exposition scene ( the i win him and i din him and and then i kill him scene just doesn not work ) along with voice over and montage that be clumsy and unconvincing . this be especially true with the whole romance angle which seem to have be film a if it be an afterthought . this be a little shoddy when you consider that the death of fisk wife death be suppose to fuel his drive for revenge . but and once the movie switch all the way from young fighter rise through the rank to the revenge theme and it pick up a little steam and play with a little more conviction . i be not sure that the final payoff be worth the buildup roger ebert call this sort of thing a long drive for a short day at the beach . but it do tie thing off in a reasonably satisfying way . if sylvester stallone have make this film with a real budget and the same cast and slicker set and costume and and himself a the hero and people would have hail it a the next rocky and which go to show you how circumstance and chance can play havoc with would be filmmaker dream . worth see once for various decent shot and line and to watch dabney coleman embarrass himself in a role that be beneath him .