OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS
Accompanied by his brother Kurt, American kickboxing champion Eric Sloane arrives in Thailand to defeat the Eastern warriors at their own sport. His opponent: ruthless fighter and Thai champion Tong Po. Tong not only defeats Eric, he paralyzes him for life. Crazed with anger, Kurt vows revenge. After a crash course in the ancient techniques of kickboxing from Thai master Xian Chow, Kurt challenges Tong. Their battle to the finish, born of lust, power, and revenge, will leave only one man standing.
What We Thought:
For a time in the late 1980s and early 1990s Jean-Claude Van Damme was one of the biggest action stars in the world. He first made a name for himself as a leading man with Bloodsport and soon followed up that surprise hit with Cyborg and this film, Kickboxer. His films came out at the perfect time for me and I watched all of them. I probably hadn’t seen Kickboxer in over 20 years so I was pretty thrilled to get this 4K Steelbook collection.
I have to say the film holds up pretty well for what it is. Today’s audience might not like it, but those of us who grew up watching these kinds of films will still enjoy it. Bloodsport and Kickboxer were awesome flicks for pre-teen and teenaged boys and the kid in me had fun rewatching it. JCVD would never be considered a good actor, but you don’t need that in these films. You want certain things and that’s it.
And Kickboxer checkmarks a lot of those things. He kicks butt and looks great doing it. Sure MMA type fighting has come a long way since this was released and fight choreography is much different now, but if you watch it remembering this came out in the 1980s then it’s good. Despite not actually being American, JCVD was the All-American type hero we craved. When his brother is paralyzed by another fighter, he trains with a master to get his revenge. Heck yeah! Who doesn’t want to train and get revenge for their brother? He’s a good looking guy in great shape who gets the girl. He even dances in one scene which has since become a popular internet meme/joke. Plus he does his splits! JCVD was known for doing splits and his trainer helps him do them. You know he’s going to win, save the day, get revenge for his brother and get the girl, but it doesn’t matter, you sit there and enjoy the ride. This was the era of good guys winning and JCVD was part of that group of Stallone, Arnie, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, etc.
This Steelbook release is pretty sweet too. It comes with a 4K disc, Blu-ray disc and third disc which is the international cut of the film. It has a lenticular slipcover and multiple commentaries in the bonus features. I also liked the interview with JCVD talking about the making of the film and how they used make-up effects on the actor who plays the bad guy fighter. The film looks the best it’s looked since its original release and sounds just as good. The 4K upgrade is worth the purchase price.
If you are a fan of Jean Claude Van Damme then this Steelbook 4K release of Kickboxer is a must-own. The film is a perfect 1980s action flick with fighting, revenge, training, action and a hot love interest. If you are expecting The Raid or John Wick it’s not for you, but if you grew up watching these types of films you will love it.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
SPECIAL FEATURES
- International Version of the Feature Film
- Audio Commentary with Producer & Director Mark DiSalle and Action film Historian Mike Leeder
- Audio Commentary with Director David Worth, Actor Haskell Anderson, and Film Historian James Bennett
- Vengeance & Redemption – An Interview with Actor Michel Qissi
- Bring Me Tong Po! – An Interview with Actor Jean Claude Van Damme
- Kick The Tree – An Interview with Actor Dennis Chan
- Focus, Film Fight! – An Interview with Director of Photography Jon Kranhouse
The Nerds Templar 