Dragonfight (1990)

"There are no heroes, just a bunch of goddamn pawns." - Falchion

A man fights back against a corporate game of killing.
Starring: Paul Coufos, Robert Z'Dar, Alexa Hamilton, Michael Paré, Charles Napier

Link to IMDB

Falchion

In the near future mega corporations around the globe are more powerful than the governments, and they've created a type of gladiatorial combat sport to gamble money and show their power.
A sleazy corporate lackey named Moorpark is in charge of finding the fighters, and he's chosen a big guy named Lochaber for the American business men while the Japanese have picked the highly trained Falchion.

The two men head to the designated battle zone (in this case the Arizona desert,) and prepare for battle. There's one problem though; Falchion has decided he's sick and tired of fighting for the greedy corporations that have no honour, and he refuses to begin the tournament with Lochaber.
Lochaber, on the other hand, only cares about winning money, and he tries to force Falchion to fight him by killing an innocent passer-by!!

Lochaber

Falchion's on the run now, but he gets some unexpected help from a feisty lady named Sandy, her bumbling uncle, and a bad ass park ranger. All of these characters work great together and form an unlikely team as Falchion tries to escape.

Meanwhile, Lochaber's gone full crazy and is killing every civilian he comes across... (Gee, there sure are a lot of people wandering around this supposedly isolated desert.) This also gives us a sub-plot of Moorpark scheming what to do now that the corporations have a murderer on the loose.

As more innocent lives are being taken, Falchion knows he's going to have to face his rival to protect his new friends and keep his honour, but Lochaber's proving to be an unstoppable force that's driven by the mystical voodoo powers of a sorceress! Say what!?... Yeah, things get bonkers!

As that last bit suggests there's some random mysticism thrown in here, which only adds to the awesome ridiculousness of the whole movie. There's a lot to laugh at, with wack dialog and exaggerated acting coming at you from every direction.
The plot is dirt simple but fast paced, highlighted by fist fights and sword duels, and it remains engaging.
I really liked the theme of Falchion trying to preserve truth, justice and honour in a corrupt world. Everything about the movie just seems to click together effortlessly like pure gold, even though this is nothing more than straight to VHS trash.

"It's got nothing to do with honour, we're talking about money." - Moorpark

Sandy                                  Uncle                                     Ranger Badass                            Moorpark

I've got to mention the stellar cast. Not only do we get Z'Dar as a great over-the-top villain, check out these supporting actors: James Hong as one of the corporate leaders, Charles Napier as the park ranger, and George Buck Flower as Sandy's goofy, inebriated uncle (and the narrator.) This is B-movie royalty, here!
They may not get a lot to do, but it's still awesome to see them all in one movie.

Be sure not to miss:
- The Uncle always has a beer in his hand, even in scenes where it makes no sense.
- How is all the fighting being filmed for the corporate guys to see? Are there hidden cameras on every rock?

Internet review:
"It's got Robert Z'Dar in chainmail, wielding a battleaxe. Sometimes that's all you need." - Maki

Should I watch it?
Perfect for when you want some simple fun.

Where can I find it?
Here on YouTube.

Dragonfight gets...