Rating summary
Movie | ![1.5 of 5 1.5 of 5](https://images2.static-bluray.com/rating/b3.jpg) | 1.5 |
Video | ![4.0 of 5 4.0 of 5](https://images3.static-bluray.com/rating/b8.jpg) | 4.0 |
Audio | ![3.5 of 5 3.5 of 5](https://images2.static-bluray.com/rating/b7.jpg) | 3.5 |
Extras | ![1.0 of 5 1.0 of 5](https://images.static-bluray.com/rating/b2.jpg) | 1.0 |
Overall | ![2.0 of 5 2.0 of 5](https://images3.static-bluray.com/rating/b4.jpg) | 2.0 |
Kickboxer: Vengeance Blu-ray Movie Review
No Kick
Reviewed by Michael Reuben November 11, 2016
Kickboxer:Vengeance is a remake/reboot of the 1989
film that started a franchise and helped
launch the career of Jean-Claude Van Damme. Van Damme returns in a different role, but he's
the only bright spot in an otherwise amateurish and dispiriting affair. Next to K:V, the original
Kickboxer plays like Shakespeare.
![](https://images4.static-bluray.com/reviews/14358_1.jpg)
Van Damme's former role of Kurt Sloane is now played by Canadian-Lebanese stuntman Alain
Moussi, whose thespian skills run the gamut from awkward to wooden. An aspiring Muay Thai
practitioner, Kurt travels to Thailand seeking vengeance against champion Tong Po (Dave
Bautista), who killed Kurt's brother, Eric, in a high-stakes match (Darren Shahlavi, in his final
role). Failing to shoot Tong Po when he has the chance, Kurt has himself trained by Master
Durand (Van Damme), so that he can seek revenge in the ring. A crooked fight promoter (Gina
Carano) hovers on the fringe, and she's being investigated by a Thai police detective named Lui
(Sara Malakul Lane), who improbably becomes Kurt's lover. Even more improbably, Lui stands
by idly with a squad of police rather than stopping Kurt's match with Tong Po, which would end
the illegal fight ring she's been investigating, bring Tong Po to justice and, as a bonus, save her
boyfriend from being beaten to a bloody pulp.
K:V hasn't been so much directed as improvised from a sketchy script, with training and fight
sequences haphazardly shot and indifferently edited and an equal disregard for both exposition
and continuity. The film is so sloppily executed that many of Van Damme's lines have been
looped by a different actor, who doesn't so much imitate JCVD as supply a bad impression.
Following his grudge match with Tong Po, Kurt appears without a bandage or a visible mark on
him, even though his face has supposedly been shredded by broken glass.
Kickboxer: Vengeance Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality ![4.0 of 5](https://images3.static-bluray.com/rating/b8.jpg)
![](https://images.static-bluray.com/reviews/14358_2.jpg)
Kickboxer: Vengeance was shot on Red by Colombian cinematographer Mateo Londono (Miss Nobody). Image Entertainment's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray is a competent rendition of a
Red-acquired film, with good sharpness, clarity and detail, decent blacks and a mostly realistic
palette accentuated by washes of color. The average bitrate of 22.01 Mbps is typical of digitally
originated projects.
Kickboxer: Vengeance Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality ![3.5 of 5](https://images2.static-bluray.com/rating/b7.jpg)
![](https://images2.static-bluray.com/reviews/14358_3.jpg)
K:V's lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack immerses the listener in the crowds at various fight
scenes and in environments such as the Thai police station where Liu is headquartered. The
surrounds are also heavily used to expand the score by Adam Dorn, a/k/a Mocean Worker
(Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic).
The dialogue is too often buried in the mix, but it rarely
matters. The Thai dialogue is translated by animated subtitles that are the most visually
interesting element in the movie.
Kickboxer: Vengeance Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras ![1.0 of 5](https://images.static-bluray.com/rating/b2.jpg)
![](https://images3.static-bluray.com/reviews/14358_4.jpg)
Kickboxer: Vengeance Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation ![2.0 of 5](https://images3.static-bluray.com/rating/b4.jpg)
![](https://images4.static-bluray.com/reviews/14358_5.jpg)
Kickboxer: Vengeance is a waste of time, let alone money. Maybe the two planned sequels will
be better.