There are movies that come along that get you just from the title alone. When I heard about Gun Woman director Kurando Mitsutake’s latest Karate Kill I was instantly in. The name just screams fun, but can it live up to that title or will it fail to hit the right kill shot?

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Karate Kill follows karate master Kenji whose younger sister is kidnapped by a dangerous cult, and taken to the U.S. and he will stop at nothing to find her. Partnered with a mysterious shot-gun toting partner, Kenji must use his mastery of Karate to dismantle the cult members one by one in spectacular and bloody fashion, until he finds his sister. If you have seen Gun Woman, then you have an idea of what you might be into with this film, but I must say it was not as out there as I had expected. Make no mistake there are some insane moments of gore and craziness, but it was still pretty tame in comparison. I love that this story is so simple and offers up no nonsense in relation to getting things moving.

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Star Hayate brings a simple coolness to the role reminding me of a young Sho Kosugi. He says very little and lets his feet and fists do the talking and he is not quite about it. There are a ton of fights here and while they are not overly dynamic they are well executed and violent making them fun to watch. The cult and its leader are pretty silly throughout but also bring some craziness to the mix that allows for even more blood to flow. There is a strange relationship with is one armed partner that never really fully works, but it is so strange it works in this bizarre martial arts extravaganza.

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In the end I got exactly what I had hoped for, which was an insane right of karate and killing. If you love insane Asian cinema as well as an old fashioned karate revenge flick then this is the movie for you. Grab your copy of Karate Kill available now on Blu-ray and DVD exclusively at Target, Walmart, Best Buy and Amazon.