Kill or Be Killed

A famous martial artist, Steve Hunt James Ryan, travels to the desert for what he believes is an Olympic-style competition. That event turns out to be a trap laid by Baron von Rudloff [Norman Coombes], an ex-Nazi general who remains bitter about the humiliating defeat of his martial arts team at the 1936 Summer Olympics by Japanese star Miyagi [Raymond Ho-Tong], who bribed the judges with diamonds at the time. Steve wants to escape when his girlfriend and fellow karateka, Olga Charlotte Michelle, is deemed unsuitable to continue as part of von Rudloff’s team. But when von Rudloff’s sympathetic dwarf henchman Chico [Daniel DuPlessis] is assaulted by von Rudloff’s fighters, Steve steps in to help Chico, who sees the good in Steve and decides to help him and Olga escape. The plan succeeds, and with Olga free, von Rudloff sends Chico on a globe-spanning mission to recruit the strongest fighters to his cause.

Meanwhile, von Rudloff hires Ruell [Ed Kannemeyer] to kidnap Olga, who is now training with her teacher Lorraine, in a bid to pull Steve back onto his team. Miyagi learns of Steve’s dilemma and offers him a chance to return, but only as a member of Miyagi’s own squad. Steve accepts the offer, and both teams begin their rigorous training camps in preparation for the looming showdown. Steve returns to the arena under Miyagi’s banner, yet constantly finds himself at odds with von Rudloff, with Miyagi leaning heavily on Steve’s abilities to carry the team’s effort.

As the tournament unfolds, Steve meets resistance from Baron von Rudloff, but also gains momentum as he exacts his revenge on Ruell. In the final bout, von Rudloff forces Steve to confront Olga, turning a personal conflict into a high-stakes test of skill and loyalty. Steve hatches a plan, built with the help of several teammates, to slip away with Olga and flee the siege. Yet, despite Steve’s hostage-wielding attempt, the towering monster fighter Luke [Douglas Baggott] overpowers him, and the two fighters—along with others from both sides—are captured and imprisoned in the Baron’s underground dungeon. Von Rudloff learns that Chico played a pivotal role in aiding Steve and Olga and remains bitter, even as Chico reminds him that there is a form of victory inside defeat, a notion the Baron refuses to accept.

Eventually, the allied fighters stage a daring breakout from the castle, and Steve trails the Baron to the desert for a final showdown with Luke. The desert duel tests every skill Steve has, and he emerges victorious, crippling the Baron’s hold on the escape. In a final, grim moment, Von Rudloff finds a gun and, unable to accept defeat, ends his own life, leaving Steve, Olga, and their allies to reckon with the fallout and the sense that survival came at a high cost, yet a hard-won sense of triumph persists.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 11:13