Cathardincu
Surprisingly incoherent and boring
Freaktana
A Major Disappointment
TrueHello
Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
Comeuppance Reviews
Breathing Fire is the family saga of the Moore clan. Michael Moore (Trimble), who is the original Michael Moore and not to be confused with the noted unappealing and unpleasant blowhard who stole his name, masterminded a bank heist and stole plenty of gold bars. He has one White son, Tony (Eddie Saavedra in unfortunately his only movie role) and one Vietnamese son that he brought back from 'Nam when he was serving there, somewhat distastefully named Charlie (Ke Quan). Both sons are Martial Arts enthusiasts and compete in local tournaments. When a young girl named Annie (Hamilton)'s parents are killed by Michael Moore, she goes on the run with Michael's brother David (Neil), who also served in Vietnam. They end up at Michael Moore's house, where David reluctantly trains them in his fighting style, and many baddies, including Thunder (Yeung) are fought against in the quest to unravel the truth about a highly-valuable piece of plastic pizza. You're just going to have to watch to understand, which you should do today...Usually when a movie is credited to three directors, that spells trouble. Just look at Slaughter High (1986). But in this case, it means silly fun for everyone. With its wacky and youth-oriented spirit, Breathing Fire wouldn't be out of place in the canon of Ted Jan Roberts. Instead of Ted Jan, we get Mark-Paul Gosselaar lookalike Saavedra, who gives us his own personal vision of what a Zack Attack should be. The movie also strikes a blow for the Americans with Disabilities Act, because it features a boy with a speech impediment (Ke Quan) in a fight scene with multiple midgets (excuse me, "little people"), and doesn't dwell on or exploit the fact. And any movie with a cross-dressing Bolo Yeung simply demands to be seen.The movie is chock full of great line readings, fascinating T-shirts, training sequences (a lot of which could easily be mistaken for torture), Vietnam flashbacks, and much more. There's a killer disco sequence, the token female baddie of the gang is of course here, and it all concludes in - you guessed it - an abandoned warehouse. And let's not forget the time honored "young person/people have to prove they're worthy to the great master before he'll work with them" subplot involving Ed Neil, not to be confused with Ed O'Neill (though both are Martial Arts masters - O'Neill is a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Why Al Bundy himself hasn't been cast in any Breathing Fire-type movies remains an open question). Ed Neil should have done more as well. A team-up with Ed O'Neill as Karate-kicking cops would have been amazing. It's never too late.Despite, or perhaps because of, the three directors, there are plenty of humorously abrupt cuts, and other...what look like shortcuts, on display. It all adds to the entertainment value, and the fight scenes have that Hong Kong-style fast energy. While that style of fight scene is more than welcome, it almost seems out of place in this kinda-sorta-quasi-almost kids movie. The whole "brothers in 'Nam" idea was an interesting concept, and could have been developed into a movie in its own right. But in the end, Breathing Fire is a wacky good time, with both Bolo and Trimble at their absolute best. (Side note: watch out for the Code of Silence (1985) poster at Tank (Wendell C. Whitaker in unfortunately his only movie role)'s house. )Breathing Fire has got the fights you want, the silliness you need, and the "totally 90's" vibe you can't get enough of. And the DVD is dirt cheap. What's not to love?
scott campbell
What can i say about this movie.My cousin and i have grown up watching it over and over again. Once you have seen this movie,you realise not to take it seriously and you find it hilarious.And the thing is,its not supposed to be that way.The acting is bad, the fights seen are shaky, bolo's involvement is minimal, Jerry Trimble- king of the kick boxers gets his ass kicked by the kid from the goonies though so its not all bad.plenty laughs in here though, from the fighting dwarfs, to Jerry Trimble's odd-ball house keeper.And the bank Robbert scene with bolo in drag makes the whole thing worth while. this film was a vital part of my youth, and i will continue to watch it from time to time so i can remember just how much fun it is.
Space_Mafune
Annie, a young teenage girl who was a witness to the murder of her parents by cold-hearted bank robbers seeks out David Moore, her father's old buddy from their fighting days together in Vietnam for protection as her father had warned against going to the police. David takes her to his brother Michael's house, not realizing Michael is secretly the leader behind the bank heist and the murder of Annie's parents. Michael also has two sons, one natural and one adopted from Vietnam, who befriend Annie and eventually receive martial arts instructions from David so they can aid him in her protection.They say if you cannot say anything good, don't say anything at all. If I were to abide by that rule, I'd have very little to say with regards to this one. Jonathan Ke Quan actually does a decent job as Charlie Moore who really is the only truly likable character in the film in that's he's funny and likes to have fun making him feel more real as a character than any other person in the movie. Also the training scenes and the fights are surprisingly well executed.It's too bad that the plot is filled with gaping plot holes (the worst of which is characters disappearing from the scene for long periods of time with no adequate explanation as to their whereabouts), the rest of the acting cast is atrocious and the fights, while shot nicely, are hardly convincing in reality especially in the case of the Moore brothers showdown with Bolo Yeung, who's all but wasted here as another faceless henchman.Forgettable.
afro_neil
Breathing fire is one of those films most people will write off as a bad kung-fu movie on first viewing. But after you've watched it a few times you too will see the light and never watch 'bad movies' in the same way again. The plot is ridiculous and the acting is at best cheesy, but that is what makes the film so good. There are countless goofs,pointless scenes and plot holes but spotting them is half the fun. The martial arts aren't all that great, but there are some memorable moves such as the 'bowling ball'. You also get to see the two lead characters on the receiving end of a kick in by two midgets which is pretty funny. All in all next time you're rifling through the second hand videos and this catches your eye don't hesitate to purchase this fantastic film, I guarantee it will give you, and your friends hours of fun.
