Plot: An infamous criminal known as Tap-Tap has just been released from prison, but he has no intentions of turning his life around and in fact, he already has his mind set on revenge. After all, it was Johnny Tough who provided the witness report that put him behind bars, so now that he’s out, Tap-Tap wants payback. But Tough earned his name and then some, as he is known around the area as a high level martial arts expert, so he is no pushover. And no one even knows where Tough has been of late, which is why Tap-Tap reaches out to a human trafficking crime boss, who engineers a kidnapping scheme to lure out the kickboxer. But will the plan work and give Tap-Tap the vengeance he wants, or will Johnny Tough overcome the odds once again?

Entertainment Value: This low budget martial arts movie was made in South Africa in the 80s, at a time when outside cinema wasn’t available to most of the locals, so they made their own movies. One More Shot has all the regional film earmarks, from non professional performers to stilted dialogue to outlandish action scenes, all of which add up to a lot of fun. If you need slick, high polish style films, then you likely won’t connect with this one, but fans of b movies, outsider cinema, and just plain wild films should find a lot to like with One More Shot. The martial arts scenes alone are worth the price of admission, as the action is silly and hilarious, but has that homegrown, regional charm that is hard to resist. The bad guys are a sight to behold, kind of redneck style villains that have beer bellies and not much in terms of martial arts skills, but they’re more than willing to be knocked down like bowling pins by our heroes. Add in some rockin’ 80s music, authentic Zulu dance performances, and some colorful characters, making sure One More Shot warrants a strong recommendation.

A movie like this can lean on the cast to be effective, as enthusiasm and energetic turns can work wonders in b movies like One More Shot. So the performances here might not be classic thespian efforts, but I appreciate that most of the cast seems to have shown up with a desire to put on a good show. Even our henchmen, who aren’t the most animated folks around, manage to be colorful and fun to watch, even if it is just taking a fall like a champ. I would rather watch people going all out to entertain than checked out stars who seem disinterested, so the cast of One More Shot was a pleasure to see in action, because you can tell they wanted to be there. And the material makes an effort to put the emphasis on the action scenes, which come often and while ridiculous, never fail to entertain and mystify. The training montages, the henchmen, and Tap-Tap’s menace are just part of the fun in One More Shot.

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