The film is legendary for its practical effects. While it is rated R for extreme violence, the gore is so over-the-top that it crosses the line into dark comedy. Heads explode like watermelons, characters are strangled with their own intestines, and Ricky famously crushes a guard’s skull with his bare hands—a scene famously parodied on The Daily Show with Craig Kilborn years later.
The prison is a lawless place ruled by a corrupt and sadistic assistant warden, Dan, and his enforcers, the "Gang of Four" or "Four Heavenly Kings". The scene is set for a classic underdog story as Ricky, using his superhuman Qigong martial arts, must fight for his survival and take on the corrupt system from within. riki-oh the story of ricky filmyzilla