Horishijin said:
"The Blood of Heroes"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094764/
It was apparently originally released as "The Salute of the Jugger" and is some 14 minutes longer. Anyone see that version?
I think this version is (or was) available in Australia. I recall the only time I've seen part of it was one time when my friend Tiff and I visited another friend's house, and found her asleep (it
was 3 a.m., to be fair) but her boyfriend awake, watching
The Salute of the Jugger.
The amusement factor, at the time, was that Max Fairchild (Gonzo, if that was indeed the "principled bad-guy champion" character) is best-known in Australia as the face of Beaurepaires Tyres in a series of funny ads, and that in the New Zealand version of the ads the character is played by a different actor - who was a regular substitute teacher at my high school.
To add two of my own choices:
The Devil's Advocate, which is not only my favourite film but also remarkable for being the first (of two, so far) in which Keanu Reeves actually
acts. Against Charlize Theron and Al Pacino, he holds his own, which is bloody remarkable. I love the story and the ending is killer - from Mary Ann's hospitalisation to the final frames, it doesn't let up.
The Gift, which is the second of Keanu's two acting performances. It's surprising that, given the prominent cast, this film doesn't get more attention. Think about it: it features one of the lead actors from
Dawson's Creek, the star of
The Matrix, Galadriel, a host of other fairly prominent actors, and it was directed by the guy responsible for
The Evil Dead and
Spider-Man! It's really quite solid, and too often overlooked.
