Yet another roller-coaster of non-stop ass-kicking madness, this spin-off from the STREET FIGHTER franchise points the series in a totally opposite direction but doesn't fail to be any less thrilling than the previous instalment. The fact that Sonny Chiba is no longer in the leading role is eased by the fact that he does appear in the cast, albeit playing a different character, and yes, he does get to kick and kill a number of bad guys using his patented furious style. The "sister" of the title – played well by Etsuko Shihomi – is a human dynamo of action, with Shihomi's martial arts skills up there with the best and the acting element not too bad either.The plot is as complex and as irrelevant as ever, with a bunch of drug dealers smuggling heroin inside human wigs (what the -?) and a kidnapping which leads to mucho revenge and madness. The film takes great delight in having Shihomi battle a variety of weirdly-dressed bad guys. First there are a sect of fighters with cone masks which cover their faces; then a number of lethal weapon guys with nunchucks and the like; even some people in leopard skin caveman wear show up to fight for a bit. There's a killer preacher, a guy in a fishnet top. By appealing to public demand, the makers of this movie score a hit in a classic re-run of the showdown between Tsurugi and Junjo at the end of the first movie – yep, the guy playing Junjo is back as another baddie, and Chiba gets to kick his backside one final time.Choreography is excellent, packed with off beat camera angles, good staging, and a wealth of interesting and exciting locations. The action never lets up, fusing together the successful combinations of sex (a parade of topless starlets) and violence (gratuitous bone-breaking) to provide a satisfying whole. Over half of the film consists of fight scenes making it impossible to dislike, and the only thing missing is Chiba's theme tune from the first three movies – it would have been great to hear that one last time as well. Otherwise, this is a great movie, really exciting, that never lets up and delivers all that it promises.

Note--This review is based on an English-dubbed version of this movie. Usually dubbed movies stink compared to subtitled ones, though this one wasn't bad. The worst aspect of the dubbing was the stupid voice they gave Sonny Chiba in a few BRIEF scenes. It just sounded very wimpy. As for Chiba, there are undoubtedly a lot of "Chiba-philes" out there who will watch this film because it's part of the Street Fighter series. However, be warned, he is barely in the movie at all--appearing briefly three times and amounting to perhaps five minutes on film. I assume either they added Chiba to the film later to cash in on the success of the Street Fighter films or they just paid Chiba for a couple days work because that's all he wanted to do. Regardless, many have unscrupulously marketed this as a Sonny Chiba film, but it really isn't. Plus, what you do see of this great martial artist is far from his best work.So instead, watch this movie just for its merits without Chiba--which it does have in spades. While not among the very best martial arts films, the action is significantly better compared to the average film from Hong Kong from the same time period. And while the story about drug dealers is just okay (it's really just an excuse for all that kicking and crunching), it's also better than the silly plots of many Hong Kong productions as well. Now I am NOT saying the Hong Kong films aren't fun to watch, but many have the most outlandish plots ever to appear in martial arts films (blind assassins, guys with three foot long tongues, fighting gorillas, etc.). SISTER STREET FIGHTER is much more direct and down to earth--with a very conventional plot and setting. What was unusual about this film, and I appreciated it, was the collection of both styles and masters in various styles of martial arts. In fact, during one portion of the film, they freeze the frame to tell you who this master is and their style. A nice touch. However, there were also some real odd-balls among these "greats"--such as the guys who wore black baskets on their heads and the ladies who dressed like Fred Flintstone!!! You have to see them to believe it!My most serious negative is that while the action is good, the lady protagonist's style isn't Chiba's--and she doesn't deliver as many crunching death blows as Chiba--it's more a kinder, gentler version of martial arts. Plus, the plot itself is nothing new and isn't all that engaging. Also, parents take note, there is some nudity in this film as well as the expected violence. Think twice before letting the kids see this one.

Not only is the movie great for martial arts fans but its also fun for fans of tokusatsu (Japanese science fiction) as its full of tokusatsu actors/actresses. Shihomi, Etsuko played Mari in Kikaida-01. Miyauchi, Hiroshi (star of Kamen Rider V3 and Kaiketsu Zubat, the Blue Ranger in Goranger, Big One is JAKQ, mentor in Ohranger, cop in 3 metal heroes series) plays her brother. She beats up on Oba Kenji (Battle Kenya in Battle Fever J and star of Space Sheriff Gavan) who works for Ishibashi, Masashi who was Iron Claw in JAKQ and the 2nd highest ranking villain in Battle Fever J. The music is even by Kamen Rider composer Shunsuke Kikuchi.

In many ways a film that a nine-year-old would have made, SISTER STREET FIGHTER has very little grasp on reality or coherent storytelling, but who cares? When a movie is this entertaining, all bets are off!Sonny Chiba protegee Etsuko "Sue" Shiomi stars as a badass who goes up against a dizzying array of villains, each crazier than the next (my favorites being the basket-headed dudes). The plot really is beside the point here, so drink a few brews and enjoy!!!