Kickboxer

Rating:
Summary: An exciting and underrated fighting movie
Review: "Kickboxer" was one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's first good fighting movies. Now he's made several, but this is one of the movies that got him recognized as a great actor and a great fighter in movies. Kurt Sloane (Jean-Claude Van Damme) makes it his mission to seek revenge and ultimately fight Tong Po, the Thai kickboxer that paralyzed his brother Eric Sloane (Dennis Alexio). But if Kurt wants to earn a fight with Tong Po, he has to train and learn the style of Thai fighting. With the help of Xian (Dennis Chan), he just might have the chance.

I've seen just about all of Van Damme's movies, and I still think that "Kickboxer" is one of his best. It has a lot of great fighting in it, and the training that Xian puts Kurt through to get him prepared for the big fight was another great thing about the movie. The training sequences seemed a lot like real karate training. When Tong Po and Kurt finally fight, it was some of the best fighting action I've ever seen in a movie.

"Kickboxer" isn't the best Van Damme movie, but it is exciting and it's one of his best. It was a great movie to kickstart Jean-Claude Van Damme's career as an actor in fighting movies. It's hard to believe that the directors didn't pick Van Damme to be in any of the other Kickboxer movies because he did a good job in this one. If you like fighting movies, I definitely recommend getting "Kickboxer."

Rating:
Summary: Kickboxer: Van Damme learns his craft
Review: Jean-Claude Van Damme will never be confused for anything other than what he is: a martial arts actor whose acting abilities are less important than his high-kicking ones. This is not a bad thing either. He is probably one of the two or three best action stars now working, and his legions of fans appreciate his style. In KICKBOXER, he reveals in one movie the best and worst of what he is capable. He plays Sloan, an American fighter whose brother is crippled by the savagery of the Thai champion, Tong Po, played by Van Damme's real life friend Michel Quissi, who stars in many of his other films. What the viewer sees is your basic get-revenge-on-the-dude-who-hurt-my-brother movie.
Van Damme closes with s stirring victory over a very tough and, in his own way, a colorful foe. Van Damme's strengths include his good looks, athletic ability, martial arts expertise, and even some boog-a-looing disco dancing. What he adds to this is a sense to the audience of breathless expectation. By simply looking at him undergo the bone-breaking training imposed on him by his Wise Old Master, the viewer can just for that moment put himself on the screen, absorbing the same beating. Even in his first films, when he played the bad guy, the audience knew that any victory the hero achieved over him was dictated only by the script. In KICKBOXER, Van Damme begins what for him proves a winning trend: he needs a worthy opponent to make the movie resonate. In KICKBOXER, Michel Quissi, who is no Asian at all, puts on makeup to simulate the epicanthic eyefolds and shaves his head to produce one mean-looking man. One of the most effective uses of a heavy that I have ever seen in any martial arts film is directors Mark DiSalle and David Worth's decision to introduce Tong Po not by sight but by sound. Van Damme hears a strange pounding and when he investigates by following the noise, almost as if he were a human geiger counter, he sees Tong Po kicking a concrete pillar hard enough to shake dust. The latent fear in his eyes connects viscerally to the audience. This scene in which Van Damme shows hesitation is one of his best, but he rarely exhibits this less than heroic temperament in future films. The down side to KICKBOXER is generic to the genre. It is simply not possible for him to absorb such bone-crunching punishment and bounce up off the mat to fight on and win. But his ability to do so is probably part of the myth and mystique that marks such fight movies. Does anyone really want to peek into the magician's hat to see where the dove comes from?

Rating:
Summary: Another Van Damme classic
Review: Like its predecessor 'Bloodsport,' 'Kickboxer' is a showcase for the young Belgian karate expert Jean-Claude Van Damme. Like the character he played in 'Bloodsport' (Dux), Van Damme played a likeable, underdog fighter who has to overcome great odds against a hulking fighter who crippled his kickboxing champion brother. The training and trials he goes through to finally avenge his brother is reminescent of numerous Chinese kung fu movies.

'Kickboxer' and 'Bloodsport' are to martial arts what Rocky 1-4 are to boxing. You can't help but cheer for the little guy.

Rating:
Summary: "HOLLY COW' AS HARRY CARRY WOULD SAY, VAN DAMN ROCKS!!!!!!!
Review: In the beginning of this movie I thought that I was in for another rock em sock em fight it out to the death karate movie, but wow the fight scenes were almost bloodily accurate. The minute the action starts to lull BANG! POW! ZAM! VAN DAMME! I saw that I wasn't dealing with the usual sort. TONG PO who plays the vile degenerate in a role most suited for vermin, played the deranged oriental crazy man to a T. He really scared me! So as the story goes Van Damme is to avenge the tragic accident that Tong Po inflicts on his brother, and to do this he must find someone to teach him the ancient art of Kickboxing before he surely winds up losing all sorts of control. Before he knows it Ian helps him. He forces Van Damme to do the splits and owe my god Van Damme kicks Tong Po's butt with on swift Kick to the mutton chops. Shiver me Timbers if it ain't climatic. Sure to bring the family many cheers and good times in the future. If your looking for an american underdog movie that the whole family can enjoy, kickboxer has got the goods. HIYA!

Rating:
Summary: ONE OF VAN DAMME'S BEST
Review: AFTER HIS BROTHER IS CRIPPLED BY AN EVIL THAI KICKBOXER [TONG PO] IN A WORLD TITLE MATCH, A MAN [JEAN CLAUDE VAN DAMME] LEARNS MARTIAL ARTS IN ORDER TO AVENGE HIS BROTHER'S MERCILESS BEATING. I GOTTA ADMIT, THIS MOVIE WAS QUITE ENTERTAINING. THE FIGHTS WERE GOOD AND JEAN CLAUDE VAN DAMME EVEN DID A PRETTY GOOD ACTING JOB TOO. I ALSO WILL ADMIT THAT TONG PO IS ALSO ENTERTAINING WHEN IT COMES TO WATCHING HIM FIGHT. DEFINITELY NOT BAD FOR WHAT IT IS. FOLLOWED BY FOUR DIRECT-TO-VIDEO SEQUELS.

Rating:
Summary: An exciting and underrated fighting movie
Review: "Kickboxer" was one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's first good fighting movies. Now he's made several, but this is one of the movies that got him recognized as a great actor and a great fighter in movies. Kurt Sloane (Jean-Claude Van Damme) makes it his mission to seek revenge and ultimately fight Tong Po, the Thai kickboxer that paralyzed his brother Eric Sloane (Dennis Alexio). But if Kurt wants to earn a fight with Tong Po, he has to train and learn the style of Thai fighting. With the help of Xian (Dennis Chan), he just might have the chance.

I've seen just about all of Van Damme's movies, and I still think that "Kickboxer" is one of his best. It has a lot of great fighting in it, and the training that Xian puts Kurt through to get him prepared for the big fight was another great thing about the movie. The training sequences seemed a lot like real karate training. When Tong Po and Kurt finally fight, it was some of the best fighting action I've ever seen in a movie.

"Kickboxer" isn't the best Van Damme movie, but it is exciting and it's one of his best. It was a great movie to kickstart Jean-Claude Van Damme's career as an actor in fighting movies. It's hard to believe that the directors didn't pick Van Damme to be in any of the other Kickboxer movies because he did a good job in this one. If you like fighting movies, I definitely recommend getting "Kickboxer."

Rating:
Summary: Does it get any better?
Review: "kick the tree"

I rate this as Van Damme's best movie. Out of all the movies he has done, I think only 8 or so are good.

This movie has a decent story, ok acting and a great performance by a young Van Damme.

Cover is nice, no special features though.

Again, Van Damme is terrific in this action flick, on top of his game.

If you like a good action movie, especially a martial arts one, Kickboxer belongs in your collection.

Rating:
Summary: Subpar
Review: I am a VanDamme fan, so I've watched this movie several times. Each time, I keep hoping it will be better than the last. I think this movie is a cheap (even though it cost more) ripoff of Bloodsport. I think they just wanted another Bloodsport since that one did so well. Van Damme is a little too self-congratulory. The relationship is fairly unbelievable. And that part at the end when Kurt is angry with his girl (cant remember her name), demanding the truth that she was raped and beaten by TongPo (his nemesis), instead of consoling her. She decided not to tell him because she doesnt want to disturb his concentration, but instead starts crying and begging forgiveness for her inexcusable behavoir. You can tell they filmed it that way to get the "the girl has done him wrong too" feeling going. Ugh...

Rating:
Summary: Muy Thai in the 80's
Review: Not to many Muy Thai movies around, this is not the best one, but when this movie came out it was good! This is one of Van Damm's better movies to have in your martial arts collection; although a little cheesy it's still entertaining to this day.
The DVD is not in its original ratio (1.85,I believe) so I would buy the R2 version and skip this one!

Rating:
Summary: My fav Van Damne movie ever
Review: This movie kicked ass, with karate fighting.He fights Tong Po and kicks his ass.This is the best Van Damne movie ever.