So you want to see "Roaring Fire" for Sonny Chiba? Forget it. He appears for no more than 10 minutes in total and has only 1 fight scene. Maybe you want to see it for Etsuko Shiomi? Forget it again. She has a thankless role and gets killed off halfway through (I very nearly stopped watching the movie at that point, but I went ahead and finished it). Or you could actually want to see it for Hiroyuki Sanada. Well in that case, you might actually be satisfied. I won't deny his physical talents, but he doesn't show enough personality to be the sole lead. The movie is a pretty schizophrenic mess, mixing slapstick comedy, bloody violence, pro-wrestlers, hopping heroes, a blind martial artist, a Nazi lady with a whip, a fight on the top of a moving bus, and Chiba as a narcotics cop who doubles as a magician / ventriloquist....and it still manages to be boring! (*1/2)
Review of Roaring Fire
