Kickboxer

Rating:
Summary: First Van Damme film has heart, but little else...
Review: I'll admit I had fun watching "Kickboxer," but I was disappointed at the end. The final fight could have been more exciting, with a stipulation that has become classic in martial-arts movies. But this film borrows too much from other great movies like "Rocky" and "The Karate Kid," and in the end there is little that has come to pass. But it is fun. Dennis Chan is great as the kickboxing master, Xian, and I liked the guy who played Van Damme's brother. It's not bad for Van Damme's first starring role, but he's done better since.

Rating:
Summary: smash hit one of my favorites
Review: This movie was an awsome action flick. In my view his best asside from bloodsport. This movie showed that Van Damme had real talent at what he does. It also reserved him a place in Hollywood as one of the most talented martial artists of the time. It also made way for other brilliant displays of his martial arts talent in other great movies like Lionheart, Double Impact, and The Quest. He is the best at what he does.

Rating:
Summary: This Is NOT Muay Thai
Review: Okay, I know this is a B-movie & I know your expectations are not supposed to be high with a film like this, especially since it is an early Van Damme flick.

But come on! There are other movies with martial-arts themes that are well-made & reasonably accurate. Ever see "Judo Saga?" How about "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin/Master Killer" from the Shaw Brothers of Hong-Kong? How about the independent feature "Iron & Silk", which probably cost the same amount to make as "Kickboxer" but was much better made. For that matter, "An Officer & A Gentleman", a romance movie with Richard Gere & Debra Winger, has excellent martial-arts in it, with Gere & Louis Gosset Jr. going at it with karate. But "Kickboxer?" There's not an ounce of heart or sincerity in it! (However, it is is UNINTENTIONALLY funny at times.)

On the whole, this movie is just awful! It's not just because Van Damme can't act. It's not just because he poses with Shotokan techniques rather than engaging in legitimate choreography. It's because this movie, supposedly about the sport of Muay Thai, Thailand's national sport & science of self-defense, is portrayed extremely innacurately! Michel Quissi, who plays the villain "Tong-Po" behaves more like a WWF pro-wrestler than a Muay-Thai boxer. When real boxers in Thailand meet each other in the ring, they say prayers & exchange gifts before fighting each other. Yes, there is lots of gambling by the spectators, but respect & honor is utmost between Muay-Thai boxers. In this movie, however, they brutalize & insult each other before, during, & after the matches!

Thai boxers tend to be very down to Earth & good-natured young men, who fight because it's their job & for some, it's the only way for them to put food on the table. It's also a source of self-respect & honor, & because of the nature of the sport, many of them retire by the time they're in their mid-twenties. I've had the honor & priveledge to meet some of them & they are NOTHING like what's portrayed in "Kickboxer." (I won't even get into the "Thai" names for the characters in this flick. The writers obviously don't know the difference between Chinese & Thais, since all the "Thais" have Chinese names! It's like portraying a Spaniard with a German family name!)

Okay, this is low-budget Hollywood film-making at it's basest & they're not doing a serious documentary on the martial-arts or Muay Thai in particular. But the best of these films have at least the FEELING of truth, with maybe a little bit of exaggeration for entertainment's sake. This movie, however, goes way beyond "exaggeration." It actually disgraces what many consider to be the King of Martial-Arts. Rent the "Karate Kid" instead of this mess. That movie has a few flaws too, but at least the film-makers for that movie CARED about the subject matter, which is a lot more than can be said for the people behind "Kickboxer."

Rating:
Summary: Nik Su Cow!
Review: Van Damme's brother gets his body mangled in a kickboxing match against Tong Po. When that happens, he decides to learn karate and defeat the ugly monster. The man who hurt his brother is the ugliest thing since Furby. But uglier! He has a long ponytail and a shaved head. When Van Damme learns karate, he does the splits and gets coconuts thrown onto his stomach. Ouch! How unyielding! When Van Damme steps into the ring, a whole new light shines upon the two warriors. Godliness has never been as clean as this. Van Damme gets trounced on, but comes back in slow motion with high kicks, two-fisted thrusts, and jump kicks! Van Dammage! This movie is the ultimate comeback, just like "Rocky".

Rating:
Summary: Enormity of the Hamanee!
Review: Van Damme does tons of splits in this movie. He does it with a tree, kicking guys in a bar and just for fun. Big, ugly Tong Po got [worked] hard at the end of this tour de force. YES, Van Damme dances too! How could I forget? This work of art deserves more recognition as a man gets revenge after his brother is crippled from a notorious back break. It was touching.

Rating:
Summary: Good Movie, But DVD?
Review: This is one of Van's better movies. Its a good action martial arts flick, but why Full Screen DVD? I'll get it on Widscreeen better.

Rating:
Summary: one of the best fights ever seen!!!
Review: I just love Van Damme. in this movie you have the exotic location, lots of great fighting, amean bad guy, cult if you ask me!

it is the uncut version, since it was heavily cut in Germany, i love this DVD version.

its one of my favourite Van Damme titles, among Cyborg and Hard Target and the great Double Impact.

Get it , before its out of print.

Rating:
Summary: ondreaah
Review: I'm the biggest fan of Van Damme. This movie is a must see. I feel maybe one of his best ever. I have seen all his movies, and Van Damme is in the best shape of his life in this one. For you all that know his back groung you can see him dance and that is a real treat this is only movie he does that in. full of action/fighting for what is right of course.
This is the greatest movie of all time.

Rating:
Summary: Truly a classic! Van Damme Is The Man!
Review: Truly one of the best films of the eighties. I love this film. It's like a kickboxing version of 'Rocky'. Eric, an American Kickboxer is paralysed in a kickboxing fight and his brother must take revenge on the man (Tong Po) who paralysed his brother Eric. The film takes you through the training of Kurt Sloan (Van Damme) which turns him into an ultimate fighting machine. Van Damme shows his koolest moves you'll ever see in his films. One of Van Damme's best. Ultimate victory at the end with the great music. :) I love it.

Recommend:
Lionheart (1990)

Rating:
Summary: *Filmed in THAILAND: The Best Martial Arts Movie EVER! W@W*
Review: Before I watched this movie, I didn't know what Thai-Boxing was, and I thought that "kung-fu Bruce Lee" was the toughest man who ever lived. What a joke that is. Hong Kong's top 5 kung-fu masters once fought Thai-Boxer's in a now legendary event, and were all knocked-out, in less than 6 ½ minutes combined.
Thai Boxing is the national sport of Thailand, is fought in the ring and is the worlds most brutal & spectacular martial art.
In case you're wondering what the differences are between (American) kickboxing and Thai-Boxing (Muay Thai), they are as follows - kickboxing is just feet & fists, whereas Thai-Boxing also includes elbows & knees. Now you start to see why it is so notorious.

This is a movie about an American Kick-Boxing champ who goes to Thailand to fight their Thai-Boxing champ. Not surprisingly, the American gets battered, and paralysed, and through revenge, the victim's brother - Van Damme, learns 'Muay Thai' (Thai-Boxing) and fights the guy who paralysed his brother.

Though this scenario is a bit fictional the movie itself is beautifully realistic and authentic. It is about 99% filmed on location in Thailand and the viewer is treated to priceless scenes of inside the Bangkok Ratchadamneon national Thai-Boxing stadium, real Thai Thai-Boxers training at a camp, and spiritual scenes inside the Buddhist temples of Bangkok, featuring the massive gold-plated Reclining Buddha
(watch the movie and you'll know what I'm talking about).

We see Van Damme being taught Thai-Boxing by a Thai, and we watch him progress from being a sloppy fighter to a razor-sharp one. There are scenes where Van Damme, in training, uses his shins to kicks a palm tree, and where Van Damme and his opponent wrap their fists in cloths with broken glass stuck to the knuckles. You may laugh at this, but a little research will tell you that this is how the 'underground' fights are fought, and if you know how tough these Thais are then kicking trees doesn't seem so unrealistic.

As far as I know, no movie comes close to this one, in terms of authenticity at least. It is both educational and highly entertaining - there are loads of high quality fight scenes, and Van Damme is a good fighter (if only a theatrical one). There is nice cinematography too, and as soon as the movie starts you know it has that 'classic' feel about it.
A movie in a class of its own. Brilliant. Buy it!