''Firecracker'' is a 1981

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expression a ...

directed and written by Cirio H. Santiago. The film follows a

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

martial-arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the prese ...

instructor who goes to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

to find her sister.

Synopsis

A Los Angeles martial-arts instructor goes to the Philippines to find her sister.

Cast

* Jillian Kesner as Susanne Carter, a Los Angeles martial-arts instructor *

Darby Hinton Edgar Raymond Darby Hinton (born August 19, 1957) is an American actor. His parents were actor Ed Hinton (1919–1958) and Marilyn Mau Hinton (1922–1982). Both of his sisters, Darcy and Daryn Hinton, were actresses from childhood.Everett Aake ...

as Chuck Donner *

Rey Malonzo Reynaldo Oliver Malonzo (born May 17, 1952), professionally known as Rey Malonzo, is a former Filipino actor, film director and politician in the Philippines. He was a famous action star doing mostly martial arts in his films during the 1970s up ...

as Rey * Ken Metcalfe as Erik

Reception

John Beifuss stated in his review "This ''

TNT Jackson ''TNT Jackson'', released in the Philippines as ''Dynamite Wong and T.N.T. Jackson'', is a 1974 American blaxploitation film produced and directed by Cirio H. Santiago. The script was originally written by actor Dick Miller, but Roger Corman ha ...

'' remake is more enjoyable than its predecessor, thanks to an outrageous sequence in which Kesner progressively loses her clothing during a battle with a pair of thugs, scored to a

jazz-rock Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music Music genre, genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, a ...

Filipino rip-off of the

B-52 The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Ai ...

's' ''Planet Clare''." ''Psychotronic'' indicated that the film, with ''TNT Jackson'', was an example of "the "American lady fighter avenges the death of her sister” routine right down to the topless kickboxing scene." The film is also said to reuse the plot of ''TNT Jackson''. A presentation of the film wrote: "The athletic and sexy Jillian Kesner is assaulted every ten minutes by thugs to practice her martial arts skills. The final showdown takes place in an arena where duels to the death are held ..The film's big

grindhouse A grindhouse or action house is an American term for a theatre that mainly shows low-budget horror, splatter, and exploitation films for adults. According to historian David Church, this theater type was named after the "grind policy", a f ...

moment: the blonde heroine loses her clothes while fleeing and fights her attackers in just her bra and panties."

References

External links

* {{1980s-action-film-stub 1981 films 1981 action films 1981 martial arts films American action films Philippine action films English-language action films English-language Philippine films Films set in the Philippines Films set in Los Angeles New World Pictures films Films about sisters