Kickboxer (film)
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''Kickboxer'' is a 1989 American
martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...
directed by David Worth and starring
Jean-Claude van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the a ...
. Former world kickboxing champion
Dennis Alexio Dennis Raymond Alexio (born March 12, 1959) is an American former professional kickboxer and actor who competed in the light heavyweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. Starting out as a light heavyweight, Alexio kicked off his career ...
is also featured. It spawned several
sequels A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
.


Plot

Kurt Sloane is the younger brother and
cornerman In combat sports, a cornerman, or second, is a coach or trainer assisting a fighter during a bout. The cornerman is forbidden to instruct and must remain outside the combat area during the round. In the break, they are permitted to enter the ri ...
of Eric Sloane, the United States kickboxing world champion. After another successful title defense, Eric is enticed by the media to compete in Thailand, where kickboxing was started, to further establish his legacy. As a result, Eric and Kurt travel to
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
to fight Tong "The Tiger" Po, Thailand's undefeated top fighter. Eric is supremely confident, but Kurt becomes apprehensive after witnessing Tong Po kicking a concrete pillar in preparation for the fight. He begs Eric not to fight, but Eric dismisses any concerns. Tong Po dominates Eric in the first round with his superior strength and knowledge of Thailand's unorthodox kickboxing rules. In between rounds, Kurt once again begs Eric to stop, but Eric refuses to give up, and gets beaten badly in the second round. Kurt throws in the towel, but Tong Po kicks the towel out of the ring, and continues his assault. He viciously strikes Eric in the back with his elbow, immobilizing him, and then rips apart Eric's world championship belt. Kurt retrieves the belt, and leaves with his brother on a stretcher, but the fight officials leave them on the street. Winston Taylor, a retired
United States Army Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service Berets of the United States Army, headgear, are a special operations special operations force, force of the United States Ar ...
member, agrees to help the pair by driving them to the hospital. As a result of Tong Po's brutal attack, Eric is paralyzed from the waist down and will never be able to walk again. An enraged Kurt vows to avenge his brother. He searches for a trainer to teach him
Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...
, but is mocked and laughed out of the gym by the local fighters. Eventually, Taylor tells him about Xian Chow, a famous Muay Thai Kru living in a remote area of Thailand. Before introducing him to Xian, Taylor insists that Kurt goes drinking with him. During their time at a go-go bar, Taylor confides in Kurt by implying that he left a friend to die during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, so he feels that he owes it to his memory to help Kurt. Although reluctant at first, Xian agrees to train Kurt after having him retrieve groceries from his niece, Mylee. While at her store, Kurt prevents goons sent by Freddy Li - a higher up in a racketeering organization and Tong Po's manager - from stealing money from Mylee. While training, Kurt drunkenly beats up some of Freddy Li's thugs in a bar fight that was orchestrated by Xian, who convinces Freddy Li to arrange a preliminary match between Kurt and another young fighter. Kurt is victorious and earns a match against Tong Po. It is determined that they will fight in the "ancient way": both fighters wrap their hands in hemp rope, which is then coated in resin, and dipped in broken glass to make them deadly weapons. Freddy Li arranges to have the fight fixed, and borrows $1 million from the Thai crime syndicate's boss Tao Liu in order to bet on Tong Po. Several days prior to the match, Mylee is beaten and raped by Tong Po, while Eric is kidnapped so that Freddy Li can blackmail Kurt into losing the fight. Xian's dog Kiki is also stabbed during the ambush. As Taylor prepares to take Kiki to town for treatment, Mylee confesses to him about her rape and reveals she has not told Kurt, insisting that his mind must be clear for the fight with Tong Po. To that end, she begs Taylor to help find Eric, but he is reluctant to cross Freddy Li. To save his brother's life, Kurt is instructed by Freddy Li to go the distance with Tong Po before losing the match. He endures a torturous beating, but Xian and Taylor manage to locate Eric and rescue him. Before the final round, Eric arrives with Xian and Taylor. He whistles from the crowd and gives Kurt a thumbs-up before starting a chant of "Nack Suk Cao" (white warrior). With Eric now out of danger, Kurt has Mylee cut the hemp rope from his hands before pummeling Tong Po viciously, finally defeating him. After kicking Freddy Li in the face for good measure, Kurt celebrates his victory with his brother and friends.


Cast

*
Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the a ...
as Kurt Sloane *
Dennis Alexio Dennis Raymond Alexio (born March 12, 1959) is an American former professional kickboxer and actor who competed in the light heavyweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. Starting out as a light heavyweight, Alexio kicked off his career ...
as Eric Sloane * Dennis Chan as Xian Chow, Muay Thai Kru *
Michel Qissi Michel Qissi ( ar, ميشيل قيسي; born Mohammed Qissi on 12 September 1962) is a Belgian Moroccan actor, best known for his role as Tong Po in the 1989 martial arts film ''Kickboxer''. Biography Qissi was born in Oujda, Morocco and moved ...
as Tong "The Tiger" Po * Ka Ting Lee as Freddy Li * Rochelle Ashana as Mylee * Haskell Anderson as Winston Taylor * Richard Foo as Tao Liu * Wong Wing Shun as Lo * Ricky Liu as Big Thai Man * Priwan Sriharajmontri as Kurt's Opponent * Ong Soo Han as Tong Po's Opponent * Zennie Reynolds as U.S. Fighter * Andy Lee as Doctor * Joann Wong as Tao Liu's Wife * Kanthima Vutti as Eric's Girl * Montri Vongbutr as Ancient Warrior #1 * Amnart Komolthorn as Ancient Warrior #2 An uncredited
Jim Cummings James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Since beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in almost 400 roles. Cummings has frequently worked with The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., including as th ...
dubs Freddy Li's voice.


Music


Soundtrack

A soundtrack containing songs from the film was released featuring songs from soundtrack specialist
Stan Bush Stan Bush (born July 10, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and rock musician. He is perhaps best-known for his song " The Touch", featured in the 1986 movie '' The Transformers: The Movie''. Career Bush began with his first studio album i ...
. The score for the film was composed by Paul Hertzog. The full score was remastered and released in 2006 by Perseverance Records in limited quantity. The 2006 official score release does not include a previously released version of the score track titled "Buddha's Eagle" which was released on the ''Best of Van Damme Volume 2 Compilation'' CD. An expanded version of the 2006 album was released by
Perseverance Records Perseverance Records is a record label which releases film scores on CD and online. Releases are usually accompanied by extensive booklets. Extras, such as audio interviews with composers, are also sometimes included. Discography * *''No Pass ...
in July 2014. This album contained the remastered original 22 tracks plus 9 vocal performances that previously had only been available in Germany.


Release


Home media

Kickboxer was first released on VHS by
HBO Video Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO) is an American multinational media and entertainment company operating as a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. Founded by Charles Dolan and based out of WarnerMedia's former corporate headquarters at the 30 Hudson Yard ...
in 1990. DVD was released by HBO Home Video in the United States on June 8, 1999. The DVD was released by Prism Leisure Corporation in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2003.


Alternate versions

The most complete version of this film ever released was the R18+ Australian/New Zealand VHS video release by Palace Entertainment and The Movie Group. This version contained all of the original voice dubs and was fully uncut in terms of violence but had a few scenes trimmed due to print damage and the last fight was incorrectly edited at one point. This was first packaged as a rental in a double pack with another Van Damme film, Wrong Bet (Lionheart). While 1 minute 18 seconds of violence was trimmed by the BBFC in the UK VHS versions by 4Front/EIV video, the print damaged scenes and the final fight editing mistake had been rectified in this version. The UK versions had better picture quality and were brightened in colour compared to the darker Australian/New Zealand Palace R18+/M15+ releases. Any other versions of the film that came out after the initial VHS releases were a heavily edited and re-dubbed version. Every version of the film released after 1995 on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray contain this inferior edited version. Certain scenes were cut altogether, some scenes re-edited as well as character lines and voices changed. Eric (Dennis Alexio)'s voice was re-dubbed, along with certain scenes of Van Damme and Michel Qissi (Tong Po).


Reception


Box office

''Kickboxer'' grossed $14,697,005 in the United States. Cannon deliberately released it on the traditionally slow weekend after Labor Day when no studio releases, and thus limited competition; it opened on 973 screens and grossed $4.1 million, making it the third most popular film in the country. A few years later its gross was estimated at $50 million.


Critical response

Chris Willman of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' called the film "egregiously dull" and a contender for one of "the dumbest action pictures of the year", citing its "jarring shifts in tone, insurmountable plot implausibilities, rampant racial stereotyping, superfluous nudity and inhuman amounts of comically exaggerated violence". Willman also questioned the manner in which characters seem to recover from serious injuries and major trauma. Chris Hicks of the ''
Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...
'' criticized the film as a ripoff of ''
The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and W ...
'', with added elements from other films such as ''
Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess M ...
'' and ''
Rambo Rambo is a surname with Norwegian (Vestfold) and Swedish origins. It possibly originated with '' ramn'' + '' bo'', meaning "raven's nest". It has variants in French (''Rambeau'', ''Rambaut'', and ''Rimbaud'') and German (''Rambow''). It is now best ...
''. In addition to stating that the ending was predictable, Hicks also dismissed Van Damme as "little more than a low-budget
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
wannabee" whose attempts at acting were in vain. On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
the film has an approval rating of 36% based on reviews from 11 critics. On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
the film has a score of 33% based on reviews from 4 critics.


Other media


Sequels

The film spawned several sequels. Despite Van Damme not returning, the film series between parts two and four continues the ongoing battles between the Sloane family (although now spelled Sloan) - expanded to include third brother David Sloan(e), played by
Sasha Mitchell Sasha Mitchell (born July 27, 1967) is an American actor best known for his television roles as James Beaumont on ''Dallas'' and Cody Lambert on '' Step by Step'' as well as playing David Sloane in three installments of the original Kickboxer fra ...
- and Tong Po. Michel Qissi returned as Tong Po for ''Kickboxer 2: The Road Back'' and appears in a flashback scene shown at the beginning of ''Kickboxer 4: The Agressor''. This scene looks to be a seemingly deleted scene from ''Kickboxer 2'' that never made the final cut. Tong Po was played by Kamel Krifa in ''Kickboxer 4''. ''Kickboxer 5: The Redemption'' was a stand-alone story with new characters and has a small connection to the previous films.


Reboot

''Kickboxer'' was remade as ''Kickboxer: Vengeance'', as a reboot of the series which was released on September 2, 2016.


References


External links

* *
Kickboxer on Jeanclaudevandamme.fr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kickboxer (Film) 1989 films 1989 martial arts films American martial arts films American films about revenge Films about brothers Films set in Thailand Films with screenplays by Jean-Claude Van Damme Films shot in Thailand Kickboxer (film series) Muay Thai films American Muay Thai films American rape and revenge films Golan-Globus films Films directed by David Worth (cinematographer) 1980s English-language films 1980s American films Films about disability