In 1969 Harlem, a gifted but volatile martial artist returns from Vietnam haunted by visions of mastery and monsters. As he opens his own dojo and seeks transcendence through combat, his pursuit of perfection mutates into madness — awakening a beast within that consumes everything he loves.

SYNOPSIS:

Julius Griffin, a prodigious karate fighter raised in the heart of Harlem, is torn between three philosophies: his father’s call for dominion, his White sensei’s doctrine of dignity, and the teachings of an Okinawan master obsessed with purity and “True Form.” Returning from Vietnam with scars both visible and invisible, Julius tries to rebuild himself through martial arts. Harlem’s dojo wars, police tension, and the ghosts of war close in on him as he mentors a young protégé, Zach, and rekindles his love with Shonté. But when humiliation, grief, and obsession merge, Julius’ discipline fractures. His hallucinations blur reality until he becomes the monster he’s been chasing — “the Tiger.” The film culminates in a rain-soaked alley where philosophy, violence, and self collide. In the aftermath, Harlem moves on, but Julius’ darkness lives on in those he’s touched.

RISE OF THE TIGER