Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Kickboxer Blu-ray Movie Review

What happened?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 22, 2009

Revenge is a dangerous motive.

Ah, the 1980s. Greasy hair, bad clothes, and cheesy music were found in many of the seemingly innumerable "never give up!" Marital Arts movies that populated the local Cinema III and Mom and Pop video store shelves. Among the most popular, but certainly not the best, was Jean-Claude Van Damme's Kickboxer, a corny crowd pleaser that tried its best to build an emotional core around a cocky wheelchair-bound ex-champion kick boxer and his pencil-neck-turned-nack suk cao, or white warrior, brother. With strong overtones that eerily resemble the vastly superior The Karate Kid, except for the whole paralyzed brother in Bangkok angle, Kickboxer delivers a fun but slowly-paced ride through the clichéd and terribly predictable world of martial arts training, the entire second act almost one lone conditioning montage. Never mind the pesky problems like one-dimensional characters, a trite plot, and a lackadaisical structure; Kickboxer delivers a deliciously ridiculous finale that must be seen to be believed, so over-the-top in every respect that it's become borderline classic for its quintessential display of everything that makes the Martial Arts genre so much fun in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way.

aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Eric “The Eliminator” Sloane (Dennis Alexio) is the defending ISKA kickboxing world champion. Not one to settle for a title or a belt, Eric chooses to further his career by seeking out the best of the rest, in this case a feared fighter from Bangkok named Tong Po (Michel Qissi). With his brother Kurt (Jean-CLaude Van Damme, JCVD) in his corner for moral support, Eric feels unbeatable in the ring. When Kurt sees Tong Po first hand, witnessing a crazed man who seems to feel no pain as he repeatedly kicks and eventually loosens a support beam in his locker room before his fight with Eric, he begs his brother to reconsider the match. Eric ignores his brother's pleas and soon after entering the ring with Tong Po, he loses the fight and, more tragically, his mobility, the Bangkok fighter breaking his back and confining him to life in a wheelchair. A bloodthirsty Kurt seeks revenge, and a sympathetic American Vietnam War veteran named Taylor (Haskell Anderson) points him in the direction of Xian Chow (Dennis Chan), a master of the Muay Thai fighting style and the only person in Bangkok who will take a chance on training him. An eager Kurt learns from the master, falls in love with Chow's niece Mylee (Rochelle Ashana), and eventually faces off with Tong Po in a deadly fight in the ancient style.

For all of the inherent problems with Kickboxer, it succeeds in the one area required of most any film, and particularly any of this sort: it's got heart and soul, and even though its "never say die" theme is as old as time, it's a message as quintessentially American as baseball and apple pie (talk about clichéd!). Kurt fights for revenge, for honor, for pride, for justice, for family, his effort a noble if not foolhardy endeavor, a classic David-versus-Goliath story of the nobody taking down the champion with only his personal motivation and a little bit of help from an older, wiser sort guiding his physical training and mental conditioning for the fight ahead of him. It's Kurt's mentor, Mr. Chow, that provides the stabilizing force in the film, his character not just central to the story but the performance behind it the best in the film. Speaking of the acting, it's generally subpar throughout, with Jean-Claude Van Damme turning in a reputable-for-him effort amidst a terribly uninspired lot of secondary players, though in the actors' defense their roles are so completely generic that it's a wonder they performed as well as they did. Combined with bland direction and cinematography, Kickboxer comes dangerously close to becoming a completely forgettable picture, but the amusing fight at the end makes up for practically the entire movie. Though it, too, takes on the usual feel and runs the gamut of the expected stages of the fight (the "feeling out" period, the hero on the ropes, the hero on the rebound), the slow-motion photography, repeat shots, and the priceless over-exaggerated facial contortions define Kickboxer and make it worth the price of admission.

Kickboxer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kickboxer arrives on Blu-ray with a highly disappointing 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer. The most prominent feature of the transfer is the plethora of print anomalies that are seen in just about every shot. Black, white, and blue spots; scratches; splotches; dirt; horizontal and vertical lines; it's all here, in abundance, and while not completely distracting, these problems appear as plain as day and aren't attractive in the least. On top of that, the transfer features minor banding, a small amount of blocking in a few background scenes, and a generally drab, faded appearance. Blacks often appear too bright or tend towards a shade of gray, and flesh tones occasionally take on a red tint. Meanwhile, there is virtually no grain to be seen, much of the film taking on a smooth, artificial appearance. On the more positive end of the spectrum, colors sometimes impress in the very best scenes, though they are far and few between. A fair amount of depth accompanies some of the second act during Kurt's outdoor training sequences, and it is primarily in these scenes that detail appears adequate. Whether the beads on the seats inside Taylor's van or any number of outdoor objects -- foliage, dirt, or pavement -- several scenes appear passably good, particularly in the context of the rest of the transfer. Still, the better aspects of the transfer don't outweigh the negatives, and Kickboxer makes for one of the most disappointing transfers yet on Blu-ray.

Kickboxer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kickboxer comes to Blu-ray with a lackluster DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Like the video presentation, the audio is hit-or-miss, with more misses than hits along the way. The audio presentation in the first act of the film sets a worrisome tone. Sound effects and environmental ambience often sound forced, exaggerated, and too loud in relation to the rest of the film, such instances creating a phony, artificial-sounding environment. As the film moves along, however, the soundtrack features a good bit of improvement, with more natural-sounding effects and atmosphere. Music is the film's strong suit, whether the track that plays as Eric and Kurt arrive in Bangkok, a bass-heavy club scene in chapter six, or the infamous dancing sequence in chapter 13, the beats play with a fair amount of clarity and oomph. Unfortunately, virtually the entire movie contains some lip synching issues that often give it the feel of a dubbed Kung Fu movie. The rear channels chime in occasionally in support of the front or to deliver some of the over-amped atmospherics, but otherwise, Kickboxer features a front-heavy mix that generally disappoints.

Kickboxer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Kickboxer contains no film-related supplements; only 1080p trailers for Bangkok Dangerous, Crank, Transporter 3, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day are included here.

Kickboxer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Purely 80s, goofy, clichéd, and most importantly, fun, Kickboxer is certainly not cinema at its best, but it is cinema at its most basic, retelling a story of revenge wrapped around an unwavering spirit for justice and love of family. Nothing to write home about yet nothing to lambast, Kickboxer is one of the great Saturday afternoon gems and perhaps Jean-Claude Van Damme's most memorable picture, this and Bloodsport the two for which the actor will be remembered. Unfortunately, this Blu-ray release is not of archival quality. Sporting a borderline terrible transfer, a mediocre-to-bad lossless soundtrack, and absolutely no film-related extras, this release is strictly for fans that do not own the film on any other format.