It Came From Hollywood says: “A full decade before martial arts pictures became a “thing.” I’m claiming that not only is Karate, The Hand of Death the first martial arts picture, but it also created the cinematic trope of the American guy, who is fluent in the Japanese language and culture along with being a master of martial arts, forced to clear his name of a wrong-doing he is accused of while also kicking some ass! Cannon Pictures didn’t invent this sub-genre; Joseph Brenner did, and Allied Artists released it!”
