ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, December 24, 1994                   TAG: 9412290083
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: C8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

'STREET FIGHTER' IS A REAL KICK

"Street Fighter" is a martial arts action flick that's been jazzed up with smoke and mirrors and an unusually large ensemble cast. It's not the sort of thing that's going to win over any converts to the genre. But judging by the reaction of one Friday crowd, the young male target audience will be crazy about it.

As those kids were filing out of the theater, they were excited and happy, and they were talking about when they could see it again.

Writer-director Stephen de Souza's script, based on the video game "Street Fighter 2," leaves no cliche untouched. That gives a certain comfortable familiarity to this story of the megalomaniacal Asian warlord Bison (the late Raul Julia) who's holding hostages and demanding a $20 billion ransom.

He, of course, is out to conquer the world - that's what megalomaniacs are supposed to do - but he hasn't counted on the stalwart Col. Guile (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and his Allied Nations commando force. Tossed in to keep the plot bubbling along are the wicked arms dealer Sagat (Wes Studi); plucky journalist Chun-Li (Ming-Na Wen) with her sidekicks Honda (Peter Navy Tuiasosopo) the sumo and Balrog (Grand L. Bush) the boxer; and conmen Ken and Ryu (Damian Chapa and Byron Mann).

The pace is quick, and the tone is strictly tongue-in-cheek. In that department, Wes Studi and Raul Julia have the best moments. The fights are choreographed with the same sense of humor, bordering on slapstick, particularly when Bison goes ballistic during the big finish.

This is turning out to be a lackluster Christmas season at the movies, so don't be surprised if "Street Fighter" sticks around for a long time.

Street Fighter ***

A Universal release playing at the Valley View Mall 6. 95 min. Rated PG-13 for martial arts violence, mild profanity. 


 by CNB