Black Pearls is a 1991 Canadian martial arts film directed by Ron Hulme, and starring Jalal Merhi, Monika Schnarre, Lazar Rockwood, Bolo Yeung and Jamie Farr.
Merhi stars as a college graduate who renounces his upper class lifestyle to learn martial arts in Hong Kong, and take down the local drug cartel responsible for the death of his brother.
[2] Merhi approached Jamie Farr, with whom he shares Lebanese origins, while he was in the Toronto area for a play at the Stage West hotel theater.
[9] For the tournament that makes up the middle of the film, the main martial arts schools in Southern Ontario were invited to bring their best members, about fifty in all.
Merhi met Bolo Yeung through Gary Chau, a Chinese–Canadian student of Mo Chow who had his habits in the colony, while he was there to capture establishing shots.
[5]: 16:54 [11][12]: 26:32 Merhi trained with Yeung and, using some of the money he had brought with him, quickly made a deal to add him to the film, although the latter would not do any fighting for a special appearance.
[26][27] In the U.S., the film was part of a double feature with Ron Marchini's own drugs-and-karate flick Death Machines from discounters EastWest DVD, for which a retail source quotes a May 5, 2005, street date.
Craig MacInnis of the The Toronto Star focused on the film's "creative casting" of Jamie Farr and especially Monika Schnarre, who "save[d] Black Pearls from being another dreary chop-socky adventure".
[30] Reviewing the tape a few weeks later, his Star colleague Rob Salem was not as forgiving, describing the film as "very silly" and among "the worst Canadian cinema has to offer".
Halliwell's Film Guide lambasted a "[r]idiculous martial arts action movie, lacking any visible or aural merit; its star is not only inadequate but often incomprehensible — though, given the dialogue one can hear, that may be a blessing.
[33] British syndicated column Video view criticized the "nonsensical" plot, "appallingly dub[bed]" dialogue, an "a 'star' who is entirely devoid of charisma".
[35] Bill Palmer's Encyclopedia of Martial Arts Movies deemed the acting "amateur" and the story "stupid", but granted that "there are some decent fights.