Naked Fist | 1981 | USA/Philippines | Cirio H. Santiago

More widely known as Firecracker, Cirio H. Santiago’s fist-fighting exploitation picture is actually a virtual shot-for-shot remake of his previous blaxploitation cheese-fest from 1974 TNT Jackson with the soundtrack of Shogun Assassin thrown in. The main protagonist is played by Jillian Kesner, wife of cult filmmaker Gary Graver, whose character Susan travels to the Philippines to locate her sister, who has gone missing whilst investigating rumours of an underground fighting ring. After meeting the charming Chuck, Susan’s own investigations lead her into a variety of trouble with the locals who challenge her own skills of pugilism to the max. Her blossoming romance with Chuck may soon be ruined however by the shocking reality of her sister’s fate. While some may find the film juvenile for its Benny Hill-esque method of removing Kesner’s clothes prior to each fight sequence, the DPP instead took issue with the sex scene which involved using knives to erotically slash clothing off.