Day of the Panther + Strike of the Panther

Umbrella Entertainment

Day of the Panther + Strike of the Panther

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This special limited edition spot gloss and embossed slipcover (designed by Robert Sammelin) is limited to 2,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.

Umbrella Entertainment has been a 100% Australian-owned and operated distributor for over 20 years. Their vast home entertainment catalogue features an extensive range of Australian classic, cult and exploitation films restored under the eyes of the original filmmakers. All sourced from national archives, underground collectors and local basements.

Get ready for an Ozploitation double-bill like you’ve never seen before!

Shot on location in Hong Kong and Australia, DAY OF THE PANTHER and its sequel, STRIKE OF THE PANTHER, explode from the screen in a flurry of bloody fists, spiked bats, nunchucks and mullets! Packed with dangerous stunts and muscle cars smoking it up on suburban Perth streets, DAY and STRIKE are a double-bill of rarely seen Ozploitation mayhem that will leave you gasping to rewind and check what you have just seen. Starring Australian screen icons, John Stanton, Rowena Wallace and Michael Carman, Umbrella Entertainment have dug deep into the vaults of Australian cult cinema to unearth this indie assault, filmed back-to-back in Australia's bicentennial year of 1988.

Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith (The Man From Hong Kong, Frog Dreaming), these long forgotten Australian action gems have been resurrected and scanned in 4K from their original 35mm interpositive elements. For the first time, these cult time-capsules have been remastered in HD and presented in their original aspect ratios.

DAY OF THE PANTHER
Martial-arts expert, Jason Blade (Edward John Stazak) goes after a criminal gang and its boss, who were responsible for the death of his partner.

STRIKE OF THE PANTHER
Jason Blade is back! After rescuing the daughter of prominent businessman David Summers, from a brothel in Dalkeith, he forms the Crime Task Force to assist in the capture of Jim Baxter (James Richards, Agent Provocateur). When Baxter kidnaps Blade's girlfriend, Gemma Anderson (Paris Jefferson, The Counsellor) Blades seeks revenge but Baxter has found refuge in a deserted power station and wired it with enough explosives to destroy half of Perth.

directed by: Brian Trenchard Smith
starring: Edward John Stazak, John Stanton
1988/ 180 min (combined) / 1.85:1 / English DTS-HD MA 2.0

Additional info:

Region Free Blu-ray
Day of the Panther Trailer
Strike of the Panther Trailer
Booklet with new writing by director Brian Trenchard Smith

Overall rating: 4.4125876 / 5 from 143 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

This limited edition double feature of Australian martial arts films, Day of the Panther and Strike of the Panther, is highly praised for its fun double bill, excellent art, and great action scenes. Customers appreciate the quality of the release, the enjoyable fight scenes, and the overall entertainment value. The films are a throwback to classic Ozploitation cinema, offering a unique and exciting viewing experience.

Summary topics

Double Feature Enjoyment: 28%
Double Bill Satisfaction: 4%
Slipcover and Cover Art: 7%
Action Scenes Quality: 7%
Release Quality: 14%

Review topics: ["quality","looks","feel","presentation","value","packaging","buy","set","work","features","movie","release","film","flick","bill","acting","fun","art","scenes","slipcover","sequences","day of the panther","plot","ozploitation","script","stunts","booklet","title","budget","extras"].

Review highlights

"Great double bill here, love the movies, the packaging and the booklet." — Jakob P.
"Fun martial arts and Ozploitation double feature." — Michael S.
"Day of the Panther is a fun film with cool action scenes and love the artwork in the slipcover ." — robert p.

Reviews

Double VHS Action Fodder

"Movies: Day of the Panther: Some neat fights, and a couple of fun dance scenes with music that really reminds you this is an 80s movie. Engaging enough until the last act when the plot kind of falls apart. Strike of the Panther: The first ~15 minutes of this movie are just a recap of the previous movie, but I honestly don't really mind. It sort of condenses the first movie to a highlight reel and the narration by John Stanton is overall solid. The plot here is also a bit more compelling, as well as becoming sillier by the end, which increases the enjoyment. The end result is that you don't really need Day of the Panther anymore because this completely makes it obsolete. Extras: Just the trailers, but still nice to have. Book: A nice essay by the director which really gives you all you need to know about the backstory of these two movies. Packaging: Not reversible per se, but the cover has some artwork from foreign releases on the inside which is nice. The slipcover design is also solid, with lots of little details to recognize once you've watched the movies."

— Gideon M. (4/5)

Austrailian action classics

"Day of the Panther is a wonderfully scrappy slice of Aussie action cinema, blending Hong Kong‑style martial arts with Perth‑shot pulp adventure. Director Brian Trenchard‑Smith brings his trademark sense of fun, staging fights with surprising athleticism and a tongue‑in‑cheek tone that never tips into parody. Edward John Stazak makes for a likable, earnest hero, and the film’s mix of neon‑lit training montages, goofy villains, and energetic choreography gives it a cult‑movie charm that’s hard to resist. Shot back‑to‑back with its predecessor, Strike of the Panther doubles down on the formula—more fights, more stunts, and even more comic‑book‑style plotting. It’s lighter on story but heavier on momentum, moving from one set piece to the next with cheerful abandon. The film embraces its low‑budget roots, leaning into campy humor and over‑the‑top action while giving Stazak another chance to show off his physicality. It’s not refined, but it’s fast, fun, and a perfect companion piece to the first film."

— Tarek E. (3/5)

'Pat the Rat' in kung-fu kaper

"Excellent Aussie kung-fu double-bill! As an antipodean it was interesting spotting all the local faces popping up in these underrated films by Brian Trenchard-Smith."

— Scott L. (4/5)

Super Fun Oddball

"This movie is so wild! So weird and fun, please give us a sequel! The transfer is outstanding and the extras are superb. Recommended."

— Jeffrey L. (4/5)

Two Brian Trencard-Smith movies.

"Two movies from Brian Trencard-Smith, so you know what you are going to get."

— Matthew G. (5/5)

Panther

"Day and Strike of the Panther are a one-two punch of ‘80s martial arts madness, packed with cheesy dialogue, over-the-top villains, and nonstop action. They embrace their low-budget charm with wild energy, delivering plenty of kicks, synth music, and tight spandex. A must-watch double feature for fans of so-bad-it’s-good martial arts cinema."

— Jeffrey W. (5/5)

Double the Aussie insanity

"Love these movies. Great stuff."

— David M. (5/5)

Panther Double Bill

"Really enjoyed this release! Day and Strike of the Panther are solid actioners of a modest budget that are engaging enough to keep you entertained and care about its leads. Not much in the way of disc supplements but the booklet more than makes up for that. Glad I picked this up!"

— Alex F. (5/5)

Good Aussie action!

"Director Brian Trenchard-Smith's Stunt Rock is a favourite of mine but this was otherwise a completely blind buy for me. I wound up really enjoying Day of the Panther! The lead character played by Edward Stazak really is great in all the action scenes. This edition doesn't have any extras on the disc other than trailers, but it includes an excellent booklet with notes from Trenchard-Smith about the somewhat troubled production that's worth reading. They had hoped that this would lead to a five-film series that never materialized (presumably every titled would have been "something-something of the Panther". The sequel, Strike of the Panther isn't quite as good as the first one but it's worth watching if you want to see a bit more. I'd say get this one!"

— Ed G. (5/5)

Great action folm

"Enjoyed it"

— Robert B. (5/5)