Raw Force is not a great movie; yet, on the other hand, it is also a really great movie. Sometimes two things can be true at once, and this film is a living testament to that. Did the filmmakers set out to create such an anomaly? Most likely not, yet the end product both confounds and excites its audience at the same time. Strange, but true.

Somewhere in the Pacific(?), there is a place called Warriors Island where a bunch of monks reside, raising their dead to do kung fu, while purchasing white women for food. Meaning cannibalism. A cruise ship happens upon the island’s waters, where pirates attack it; after that, it crashes, and the survivors must defend themselves against the monks, more pirates, and the undead zombie kung fu fighters.

There is something for everybody to love in this movie, as everything, including the kitchen sink, was thrown in for good measure. As mentioned, a lot of kung fu and karate takes place throughout the entire affair, whether by tourists on the boat or those on the island. As poor as the production values are, and as poor as it looks, the action sequences were always thrilling and more than entertaining. There is a ton of nudity and toplessness for a good dose of exploitation, with there being few moments where there is not at least a single pair of breasts for someone to ogle, including starlets Camille Keaton and Jewel Shepard. Blood and gore abound, including death by zombie, sword, axe, and more; it never fails to capture viewers’ attention.

The horror is pretty low-key in this outing, with the zombies not scary in the slightest and cannibalism kept to a minimum. It needed more horror, blood, gore and so forth and definitely more cannibalism, and if either had been featured a little more prominently, this strange hybrid of a picture would have made for a better horror movie than it turned out to be. That said, the action and exploitation were more than enough to keep it going and make it better than it had any right to be.

Cameron Mitchell stars as Captain Harry Dodds and is wasted here, much like everyone else in the film. Keaton has a bit part, which is a shame, as does Shepard. While a stronger cast would have been appreciated, this is the type of film that does not rely upon those who star within it, merely on what makes it to the screen and here, be it zombies or breasts or blood, that is the x-factor.  The action is fast and the choreography pretty decent, and it keeps the film moving along at a brisk pace, and while the acting may not be top tier, it takes a backseat to everything else that takes place on the big screen.

Some might dislike Raw Force, or Kung Fu Cannibals as it is also known, while others may love it. It is poor quality, whatever director and writer Edward D. Murphy intended, but it is always captivating and always ridiculous. It never lets up, and it keeps its audience watching no matter the lunacy that comes at them. A solid, hodgepodge wreck of a film, if there ever were one.

3.5 out of 5