Monster Fest Weekender Film Review: Miami Connection
Images courtesy of Monster Fest.
Bearing the distinction of being the youngest black belt holder in Korean history at the tender age of 13, Yung Kun Kim (better known as Y.K.) was a man with a dream. A taekwondo master on a mission to spread the philosophy that, through martial arts, one can learn self-discipline and healthily release anger. Landing in the States in the late 70s, Kim went about teaching others his ways, believing that this discipline would result in a reduction in street violence, and eventually teamed up with a fellow Korean filmmaker to make a film that would change the world.
Lost for decades, his magnum opus Miami Connection was filmed in the mid-80s, released in a handful of cinemas for three weeks, made almost no money, and was promptly forgotten about. Come 2012, the Alamo Drafthouse buys a mystery film reel from eBay for $50, puts on a few showings, and realises they have a hidden hit on their hands. The film follows a high school rock band as they use martial arts to take on cocaine-dealing ninjas, bikie gangs and rival bands in the swamps, train depots and carparks of Florida, in a plot so needlessly convoluted that it's often compared to Tommy Wiseau's The Room.
Having seen Miami Connection less than 24 hours after FFFA's closing night showing of New York Ninja, I was suitably excited for more 80s ninja-based action schlock. Kudos to the folks at Monster Fest for putting on quite a show, giving out Dragon Sound-branded t-shirts (our band of heroes, responsible for hits that include lines such as "steal all your cocaine, along with your life") prior to the screening. The film itself is an extraordinary experience in so-bad-it's-good filmmaking, where nearly every scene sears with so much passion, and yet so little experience. As a testament to Grandmaster Kim's philosophy, it's anyone's guess as to whether a scuffle is about to erupt into barely-scripted melodrama or gung-ho violence.
Unashamedly self-indulgent and barely cognizant of any sort of budgetary limitation (although not without its moments that'll have you thinking "yep, I suppose this IS a bad movie") Miami Connection is wicked fun for the midnight movie crowd that'll have you puzzling over how a movie like this even got made. The moral of the story? As explained via title card minutes after the gang dismember and maim a slew of narcotics suppliers, "Only through the elimination of violence can we achieve world peace".
Follow Eli on Letterboxd, Twitter and Instagram.
Miami Connection screened at the Monster Fest Weekender on Sunday 8th May, and is screening in cinemas from the 26th of May. Check out Monster Fest here.
