Blonde Fist *** (1991, Margi Clarke, Carroll Baker, Ken Hutchison, Sharon Power) – Classic Movie Review 5189

Writer-director Frank Clarke’s 1991 film has a strong premise about a spunky Liverpool lass who takes up female boxing and it is rewarded with a knockout performance from the treasurable Liverpudlian legend Margi Clarke (writer-director Frank’s sister).

Sadly the story development is disappointingly a bit muddled and the handling can sometimes be on the tepid side. But there are many good scenes and funny lines along the way and the film remains totally worthwhile for Margi Clarke. She plays Ronnie O’Dowd, a sexy English single mum fleeing UK domestic problems to find her bare-knuckle fighter father in New York, while trying to grapple with her life through boxing.

After Margi’s Ronnie heads off for New York, she meets up with an old showgirl called Lovelle Summers, played by vintage movie star Carroll Baker, but this promising double act fades out because no one seems to know quite what to do with it.

However, the good-natured, funny script keeps the film on its toes for the first hour. But just when it should be going for the kill, it is gloves off for a soft finish. Nevertheless, it’s worth saying again, the film remains totally worthwhile for Margi Clarke’s knockout performance. No wonder she is referred to as ‘The Queen of Liverpool’, a nickname first coined by music promoter Malcolm McLaren.

She first came to prominence in Letter to Brezhnev (1985) and also appeared in Aki Kaurismäki’s I Hired a Contract Killer (1990).

Also in the cast are Ken Hutchison, Sharon Power, Angela Clarke and Lewis Bester, as well as early appearances from Stephen Graham and Tina Malone.

The newly restored Blonde Fist is released by Network Distributing, home of The British Film Collection, on Blu-ray and DVD on 13 March 2017.

It was filmed in six weeks on a Film Four budget of only £600,000.

Carroll Baker is of course the Best Actress Oscar nominated screen legend of Baby Doll (1956).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5189

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