Kickboxer Review
Information
This review will not contain any spoilers.
How to Watch: Youtube starting at $3.99, Amazon from $3.99, Blu-Ray/DVD
Language: The film is in English, my DVD had subtitiles on offer.
Directors: Mark DiSalle and David Worth directed the film.
Writer: Mark DiSalle (story), Glenn A. Bruce (screenplay), Jean-Claude Van Damme (story).
Rating: R
Release Date: 09/08/1989.
Style: Kickboxer (unsurprisingly) falls into the action genre.
For more information about filming and/or credits, please visit the movie’s IMDB page.
Jean-Claude’s Van Damme Strikes Again! (Literally)
For some reason, in my mind, Kickboxer is inextricably linked with Bloodsport. I can’t think of one without thinking of the other, and to be honest, I usually watch them back to back. I’m pretty sure when I first discovered Kickboxer on VHS in the early 1990s sitting right next to Bloodsport, in the video rental store on the corner, and since that time I see them as two sides of the same coin. That being said, if you like one, you will probably like the other.
Jean-Claude Van Damme was my first real introduction into “adult” (read: violent) martial arts films, as all my previous experience up to that point was basically The Karate Kid and The Karate Kid Part II. As such, I do have a real soft spot for Van Damme, and it was a real treat for me to be able to revisit Kickboxer for this review.
Revenge – Muy Thai Style
I’m not going to give away any spoilers, but suffice it to say that the audience isn’t drawn to this film for its riveting plot or impressive character arcs. Kickboxer centers around two brothers, Kurt and Eric Sloane. Eric is the ISKA heavyweight champion of the world who hears that there are some pretty awesome kickboxers in Thailand, so he decides to fight in Bangkok. Kurt, his younger brother, accompanies Eric on the trip as general coach/trainer/cornerman/support system. Eric fights the Thai champion Tong Po, and the fight goes poorly for Eric. This leads Kurt to seek out training to face Tong Po and avenge his brother. Along the way, Kurt meets an ex-Special Forces soldier named Winston Taylor. Taylor tries to discourage Kurt, but once he realizes he can’t, he brings Kurt to a remote village to train with Xian Chow and learn the ways of Muay Thai. The film focuses on Kurt’s training, his relationship with Xian, the obligatory love interest, Po’s criminal connections and how they harm Xian’s village, and the final showdown with Po.
Story Review: 7.6/10
The Good:
While Kickboxer is not exactly Oscar material, I always enjoy watching it. It delivers exactly what it promises: a brand of action film that does not require much thought but has satisfying fight scenes and a plot that isn’t overly cheesy or dry. On the plus side, Kickboxer is very much aware of what it is and doesn’t try to be anything more. It checks all the boxes it needs to: revenge plot, training montage, quirky side-kick, wise master, obligatory love interest, clear delineation of good guys v. bad guys, and lots of action-packed fight sequences. While this list makes it seem formulaic, it really doesn’t feel that way while watching it and it has decent pacing.
The Bad:
The cons of the movie are pretty much the ones that you would associate with any action flick: no character development (beyond improved fighting ability), one-dimensional characters, some pretty awful dialogue (I’m looking at you Eric Sloane), and a lot of predictability. While these are all cons generally, none of them are particularly surprising based on what one would expect from a film called Kickboxer with Jean-Claude Van Damme on the cover.
Martial Arts Review: 8.6/10
The Good:
As an initial disclaimer, I am not a Muay Thai practitioner. I know very little about the style, so I apologize if I misstate something. Please feel free to let me know what I screwed up in the comments! OK, that aside, I love the fight scenes in this movie. Part of that is due to the style of filming action movies in the late 80s and early 90s. That’s the style I grew up with and still love. It’s not overly slick or stylized. It’s in your face from the bar room brawls, to the training montage, to the one on one final fight. Even the kickboxing match in the beginning I love.
The Bad:
As a con, even I can tell it’s not very realistic and is completely over the top, (especially Eric’s fights where it seems like one fighter is always standing there waiting to get hit) but I don’t care.
Conclusion 8.1/10
All in all, I always recommend Kickboxer to someone looking for a fun action-packed martial arts film. It delivers exactly what it sets out to do, and it’s entertaining to watch. While it is somewhat over the top, it’s not distractedly so, and while you will probably cringe at some of the dialogue, it doesn’t really matter because that’s not why you tuned in to begin with.
What did you think? Like Kickboxer? Hate it? Do you train in Muay Thai and have any thoughts that I might have missed? Let me know in the comments!
- #1 Enter the Dragon vs. #12 Seven Samurai (votes needed) - June 7, 2019
- #12 Seven Samurai vs. #13 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) (Votes Needed!) - May 13, 2019
- Enter the Dragon v. Game of Death - April 10, 2019
I never really cared too much for Kickboxer or Bloodsport. Just like you I watched both back to back fairly recently and just couldn’t totally get into it. I understand the love, it’s just not for me.