Fight Films: Tokyo Fist
Added 2025-10-01 19:56:30 +0000 UTCA new series for the Patreon, where we discuss combat sports related films!
The first features Joe Greenwood, filmmaker and podcaster (and ardent combat sports fan) who joins me to talk about legendary Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto's strangely violent but utterly captivating Japanese boxing movie Tokyo Fist.
Joe and I will be back soon for another episode (most like the Benny Safdie-directed/Dwayne Johnson starring 'The Smashing Machine') where we will talk more about MMA and combat sports as well as cinema.
But please let me know your thoughts on this episode and any future recommendations for combat sports-related films for us to cover! For example, I've never seen the MMA film 'Warrior': is it worth talking about? Let me know in the replies!
Comments
Thank you so much for your kindness mate. Can’t wait to have you on a future episode! As for the ‘lost’ Heavy Hands it’s on this here Patreon feed mate! I got Ruebusch to dig it up and I edited it and posted it here
Kyle McLachlan
2025-10-03 16:48:33 +0000 UTCGreat episode on a great film and film-maker. It’s my favourite combat sports film and you could make an argument that it’s not even a boxing picture. (I know it is but the themes are so similar to both the Tetsuos) It’s so great on what living in Tokyo can feel like.- the disconnection and longing for any kind of sensation. Looking forward to more of these and the lost bit goes to the place where the lost Heavy Hands went.
James Lynch
2025-10-03 15:35:53 +0000 UTCWe do talk a bit about Sakuraba on this funnily enough lol! Hopefully I can find some good narrative-driven MMA films to cover on this new series. Something better than Here Comes The Boom anyway lol
Kyle McLachlan
2025-10-01 21:13:06 +0000 UTCHaven't listened to it yet but it's a great idea! One of the things which drew me to MMA were the stories and characters - the Brazilian Top Team vs Chute Boxe rivalry, Sakuraba as the Gracie Hunter, back in the day when fight cards had time to brew between cards and the promotions promoted their fighters.
Backpack Boom Bap (Tom)
2025-10-01 20:50:34 +0000 UTCIt’s so good! I’m glad at least one of my patrons is happy to have this episode drop into their inbox lol!
Kyle McLachlan
2025-10-01 20:21:34 +0000 UTCThere was some dude on r/Boxing a couple years ago who was utterly insistent that this was the best boxing movie ever made, and ngl he might be right. Glad someone is talking about it, really underrated movie!
Luke Z.
2025-10-01 19:57:53 +0000 UTC
