105 - Street Fighter

(Original Air Date: February 19th, 2018)

Street Fighter^[a] is a 1994 action film written and directed by Steven E. de Souza, based on the video game series of the same name produced by Capcom. Distributed by Universal Pictures in the United States and Columbia Pictures internationally, the film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia (in his final theatrical film role) along with supporting performances by Byron Mann, Damian Chapa, Kylie Minogue, Ming-Na Wen and Wes Studi. Loosely following the plot of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, the film focuses on the efforts of Colonel Guile (Van Damme) to bring down General M. Bison (Julia), the military dictator and drug kingpin of Shadaloo City who aspires to conquer the world with an army of genetic supersoldiers, while enlisting the aid of street fighters Ryu (Mann) and Ken (Chapa) to infiltrate Bison's empire and help destroy it from within.

The film was commercially successful, with a worldwide box office gross approximately three times its production costs, and its home video releases and television broadcasts were also profitable, with the film earning Capcom a return of ¥15.5 billion ($165 million) from the box office and home media. It was not well-received by critics for its campy tone, unfaithfulness to the source material, and overblown effects. However, Julia's performance as M. Bison was praised by critics and garnered him a posthumous nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Saturn Awards. The film was Julia's final theatrical performance, as he died of stroke two months before the film's release; the film is dedicated to his memory.

 

HAIKU--
"Great video game.
Raul Julia's last movie
Vaya con Dios." - MC