Riki-Oh — It's Later Than You Think

“Advice to successful artists”

Media type: Film
Title: Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
Author(s): Lam Nai-choi
Publisher: Golden Harvest
Year: 1991

Riki-Oh was one of the first bits of schlock I ever saw, getting on 20 years ago. I’ve always remembered it fondly, but on rewatching it last night, I see what a high-water mark for schlock it really is.

The Story of Ricky is a 1991 Hong Kong adaptation of the 1989 manga of the same name. It follows the titular hero as he gets himself sent to prison in order to avenge the death of his girlfriend. The film is set in the then-near-future of 2001, when prisons have become private businesses run by a corrupt and sadistic elite. Watching this from the vantage point of 2026, that angle seems to fit our boring dystopia pretty well, but what’s lacking from the actual late-capitalist hell we’ve been sentenced to is the absurd kung fu violence and oddly comforting style of handmade gore we find in Riki-Oh’s private prison. I’m afraid I can’t do justice here to the wonderful practical effects work that brings these bizarre imaginings to life on screen, but I can say confidently that this film is the centre of the venn diagram comprising Fist of the North Star, the Mortal Kombat video game series and the music of the Wu-Tang Clan.

The scroll is not infinite.
There is an end, and you have reached it.

おめでとう