Not content with simply ripping off Enter the Dragon, this Weintraub-Clouse collaboration also throws in elements of all those Jim Jones/Moonie/Bhagwan Shri Rashneesh-inspired cult movie cult movies. There is nary an original bone in the film's body, but don't let that stop you from enjoying it. What it lacks in the story department is made up for by the amount of action and the top notch (at least in terms of martial arts skill) cast.

Master Bong Soo Hong (who also starred in the hilarious "Fistful of Yen" parody in Kentucky Fried Movie) stars as Reverend Rhee, one of those charismatic cult leaders who has attracted a mass of wide-eyed young followers who are willing to sign over all their possessions in exchange for a blissful life of wearing a robe and sitting on the lawn. I had a neighbor who did that every morning, but no one ever called him a spiritual pilgrim. Of course, he augmented his ensemble with a six-pack of Natural Light and one of those cheap aluminum lawn chairs.

Movies love this Jim Jones-esque holy man figure, but they never put any work into him. They figure having him stride about in a robe saying, "My children" over and over is enough to convey that he is one of the most charming and persuasive men ever. It's not like Jim Jones got his congregation like that. He offered them more than "my child" statements as he smiled and touched their foreheads. His message was complex, touching on issues of racism, classism, and religious hypocrisy. The leaders in movies never seem to offer very much in return for the unwavering adoration of the masses -- except for Laura Gemser in Love Camp. In exchange for her followers' loyalty, she gave them the fact that she was really hot and rarely wore clothes. But I don't think anyone wants that from Bong Soo Hong.

As is usually the case, the cult is just a front for Bong's real business, which is running drugs and guns. If you have confused people giving you millions of dollars, why bother with running drugs? Religion is a lot safer and more lucrative than drug smuggling. And if you are going to smuggle drugs, isn't there a less conspicuous front than a religious cult that attracts the sons and daughters of the richest, most suspicious men in the world, then sequesters them in an island fortress surrounded by an army of karate experts? Even when the Mafia was involved with the Catholic Church, they had enough sense not to surround their churches with an army of ghee-wearing thugs sporting Louis Tiant mustaches.

The only plan the government can come up with to nail reverend Rhee is to send in an undercover team of martial artists. I wish the government did this more often. Let's see less covert action from the CIA, and a more from Michele "The Mouse" Krasnoo. At least the government picks a decent team, which is the real saving grace of the film. Pretty much the entire lead cast is comprised of real-life martial arts bad-asses.
Leading the group is Joe Lewis, who has a mean spinning back kick that earned him a world karate championship. Then there's Richard Norton, who became a regular villain in Hong Kong action films. And there's Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. Besides being one of the greatest kickboxer to ever compete, Urquidez also fought with Jackie Chan in two of the best film fights ever done, in Dragons Forever and Wheels on Meals. Throw in the fact that Bong Soo Hong himself is one of the greatest hapikido masters to ever live, and you have a cast that doesn't need to act since they can all fight so well.

Not that this is great stuff. It's adequate. Great for an American martial arts film, but average at best compared to Hong Kong. Still, despite its many drawbacks -- which include the acting, the writing, the ripping off of entire scenes from Enter the Dragon, and Clouse's typically uninteresting direction -- Force: Five is a decently enjoyable, no-frills karate adventure that delivers the goods.