Admittedly, the English dub of Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky can sound quite goofy. The American-accented voices don’t quite match the Asian characters, and because the characters are easily provoked into violence, they all talk in an exaggerated way. As such, the film is absurdly funny. It’s unclear whether or not that was intended. The action sequences are equally intense, choreographed and staged in order to maximize ridiculous spurts of blood, so it’s possible that the campy approach was on purpose. However, underneath this over-the-top, violent veneer, is a surprising premise that tackles the worries towards a privatized prison system albeit through some of the most wacky stunts ever put on film. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky won’t be the prison film for everyone, but there’s no denying its ludicrous appeal.
In 2001, where all correctional facilities have been privatized, martial artist Ricky finds himself victim to the corrupt system, found "guilty" of the manslaughter of an infamous crime boss.
After killing a crime boss, Ricky Ho, a man with super strength, is sent to a privatized maximum security prison that holds some of Asia’s deadliest men.
Prison films have a familiar format, but the action is so outrageous, Riki-Oh remains unpredictable all throughout.
What an incredible first leading role for Fan Siu-wong.
