What can I say about The Story of Ricky? This is one of the all-time great gore flicks that ranks up there with Dead Alive for the mayhem that ensues onscreen. Rather than going the usual route with zombies or other horrors, this movie takes place in a prison and combines kung-fu with exploding heads, entrails, and splatter. I have seen this movie many times since I first experienced it in the early 90's and I still get a kick out of all the effects and what a tough mofo Ricky is. This guy takes more abuse than Ash in Evil Dead 2. As an example of how tough this dude is, he gets his arm injured in one scene and ties his own veins together to stop the bleeding. If that doesn't say badass, I don't know what does.

Siu-Wong Fan stars as Ricky, a guy who has been sent to prison after killing a drug dealer. He establishes his toughness quickly by messing with a trio of prison thugs. This leads to Ricky quickly becoming enemies with the warden as well as the small group of prisoners who have named themselves the "Gang of Four" and who essentially call the shots. Ricky repeatedly tangles with the gang and the warden whenever he feels they have wronged other prisoners. Later, when he discovers they are growing poppies to turn into opium, he gets really pissed. Ricky gets into many fights and endures everything from numerous beatings to being covered in cement to being buried alive for days on end. Through it all, it seems like nothing can stop this guy from attempting to make things right in the corrupt penal colony.

The effects are the main draw of this flick and they deliver in every respect. Ricky does not just punch people but he punches through them. He punches through the guts, through the arm, and through the head. It is never explained where he gets his strength other than a brief flashback where he learns to channel his supernatural powers through martial arts training that involves a graveyard and punching through tombstones that are flung at him. In addition to Ricky laying the beats on people we also have a skinning, a giant blender/meat grinder that is put to good use, arms chopped off, a blade in a face, a dog getting kicked in half, and much more. Even without all the gore, the kung-fu fight scenes are pretty impressive especially with the Gang of Four which includes a feminine kung-fu master (played by actress Yukari Oshima ), a dude who throws metal blades, and a giant brute named Tarzan. Of course, when you combine gore with kung-fu, it makes for a wicked combination.

The Story of Ricky is based on a manga and director Ngai Kai Lam keeps it real by having the movie look like a live-action comic. The set designs look like comic book backgrounds with not a lot of detail and the insert gore shots look like frames from a comic. It is surprising that Lam has not directed much since this flick as it has become a gore classic over the years. Equally surprising is the fact that Siu-Wong Fan did not have a bigger career. He was in some other movies such as the Ip Man series but based on his looks and skills, I would have expected him to be more of an action hero. In any event, his portrayal of Ricky is a great mark to leave on the world of cult cinema. This movie will always be one of the best movies from the classic era of over-the-top old school gore effects that a generation of us grew up with. (Josh Pasnak, 2/14/11)

Directed By: Ngai Kai Lam.
Written By: Ngai Kai Lam.

Starring: Siu Wong-Fan, Mei Sheng Fan, Ka-Kui Ho, Yukari Oshima.