MIAMI CONNECTION (1987)
“Miami Connection,” a 1987 indie martial arts film directed by Woo-sang Park and Y.K. Kim, is a gloriously chaotic blend of action, music, and ’80s excess. Set in Orlando, it follows Dragon Sound, a synth-rock band of taekwondo-fighting college orphans—Mark (Y.K. Kim), John (Vincent Hirsch), Jim (Maurice Smith), Jack (Joseph Diamand), and Tom (Angelo Janotti). By day, they jam to catchy tunes like “Friends” and “Against the Ninja”; by night, they battle a ruthless gang of motorcycle-riding, cocaine-dealing ninjas led by Yashito (Si Yim). The ninjas, clad in black and wielding katanas, dominate Florida’s drug trade, clashing with Dragon Sound after the band takes a gig at a club coveted by Jeff (William Ergle), a thug tied to Yashito and the brother of John’s girlfriend, Jane (Kathy Collier).
The plot spirals as Jeff’s jealousy over Jane fuels a turf war. Dragon Sound, armed with martial arts prowess and unbreakable friendship, faces ambushes—fists fly in parking lots, heads roll in parks. Subplots bloom: Jim reunites with his long-lost father, and the band dreams of a world tour. The action peaks in a bloody forest showdown, with Mark slicing through ninjas and Jeff meeting a grisly end, leaving Yashito’s empire in ruins. A coda preaches peace through violence’s end, flashing “Only through the elimination of violence can we achieve world peace.”
Shot on a shoestring by Kim, a taekwondo grandmaster, the film flopped initially, nearly bankrupting him. Rediscovered in 2009 via a $50 eBay print, it exploded into cult fame through Alamo Drafthouse screenings. Its earnest ineptitude—wooden acting, wild editing, and a killer soundtrack—makes it a “so-bad-it’s-great” gem, radiating sincerity amid the ninja-fueled madness.
