Summaries

Synopsis

In New York City, Chuck Wells (Jim Kelly) and Ralph Dart (Richard Roundtree), the owners of International Martial Arts, Inc. (IMA), a dojo in Los Angeles, California, enter their best student in a martial arts tournament for a grand prize of $400,000. While the match is in progress, Chuck learns of organizer Frank Rossi's attempts to predetermine the outcome, and of his alliance with gangster Gabe Mario (Tom Signorelli), who contributed half of the prize money. When Rossi discovers that Chuck overheard the arrangement, he deploys his henchmen, who leave Chuck with a non-lethal bullet wound to the chest. Despite the organizers' attempts at cheating, the IMA contestant wins, and Ralph is promised delivery of the prize money the next morning. However, Mario reneges and withdraws the money from its escrow account.

At a local restaurant, Ralph confronts the promoter of the fights, Joe Spangler (Joe Spinell), who feigns ignorance to anything illegal going on as well as Mr. Rossi's involvement in rigging the matches. With little to go on, Ralph leaves. Mr. Spangler then makes a phone call to Rossi to deal with Ralph and his friends.

Meanwhile, the wounded Chuck makes his way to the alley behind a tavern, where his girl friend, Teri (Paula Sills), is a bartender. He instructs Teri and her co-worker, Sally (Laura Loftus), to notify Ralph of the shooting, and to contact J and Cal, two of his associates in California. Ralph and Teri drive Chuck to a cabin in a wooded area, unaware that Bob (John Gruitz), one of Rossi's thugs, is following them. Bob reports to his boss, who sends an army of henchmen to confront the group in the morning. During the altercation, a thug named Hank rapes Teri and takes her hostage.

A few days later, J (Jim Brown) and Cal (Fred Williamson) arrive in New York where they enter the tavern and notify Sally of their arrival. Hank attempts to intimidate the two Californians, but is quickly discouraged by their martial arts prowess and firepower. When J and Cal learn that Mario has the prize money, they drive to the gangster's office building and fight off his thugs, then kill Mario and retrieve the prize money.

Cal returns to his hotel room to find Sally in the shower, and they make love. Afterward, he and J catch two of Rossi's men in the act of sabotaging their car, and chase the culprits to the parking garage. They aggressively question the attendant, also a Rossi operative, about Chuck and Ralph's disappearance, and he directs them to the cabin. Upon reaching their destination, J and Cal meet a young boy named Frank, who informs them that his father has given their friends refuge. However, they also discover that Chuck has sustained a second gunshot wound and needs urgent medical treatment.

Once Chuck is hospitalized, J and Cal abduct Rossi at his home, then return to the parking garage, where they are joined by Ralph. Rossi's thugs lie in wait, resulting in a gun battle that leaves many of them dead, along with their employer. The attendant reveals Teri's location before being crushed under a car, and the three go to rescue her. Hank and Bob are fatally shot in the ensuing gunfight, while Ralph, J, and Cal sustain non-fatal injuries.

In the hospital, Ralph invites his friends to join him on a mission in Japan, but they decline, citing a sudden aversion to gun violence.