A Look Into Ireland’s Disastrous Attempt At Making A Martial Arts Film
Words: Dray Morgan
The late 20th century saw martial arts take over the cultural zeitgeist. The 80s saw films like Karate Kid and actors such as Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan mesmerised a generation. ‘Fatal Deviation’ was the product of this new generation’s international obsession with Eastern methods of self defence.
Filmed in Trim, Co. Meath, unfortunately the film did not live up to the standards of previous martial arts blockbusters, widely being regarded as one of the worst Irish films ever created. Since then, the film has garnered a cult following and a level of appreciation for its creator who genuinely had a passion for martial arts.
The film follows protagonist Jimmy Bennett, played by creator James Bennett, who has returned home to Meath after ten years at boarding school. After getting into blows with a local gang, Jimmy is mentored by a Monk who witnessed the fight and welcomes him into an underground kung-fu world. The film also contains Boyzone member Mikey Graham and former Meath County GAA player and Fine Gael candidate Graham Geraghty.
For a film with essentially no budget, it is hard to hate on. the sheer passion the project exudes. Filming locations included Trim SuperValu, Boyne Community School as well as various areas across Meath County. The film also includes a car crash scene which was done completely by accident but was left in for dramatic effect.
The film currently sits on Wikipedia’s list of “Films considered the worst” as well as sitting on many “worst” lists of various entertainment publications.
The star and creator of the film James Bennett has gone on to have a decent career within the martial arts film genre. He has worked with his childhood heroes Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme and has over 20 mainstream credits for films on his IMDb page.
Most Recently, Bennett announced that a sequel to Fatal Deviation is in the works with a budget much more significant than the original. In 2022, “Triple Deviation” was announced which was set to be produced in 2023 with a “world famous actor” which we are still yet to see.
