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Kickboxer

Play trailer 2:10 Poster for Kickboxer R Released Sep 8, 1989 1h 45m Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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36% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 65% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Eric Sloane (Dennis Alexio) is an American kickboxing pro, helped by his brother, Kurt (Jean-Claude Van Damme), in his quest for glory. But when the two go to Thailand to take on legendary Tong Po (Michel Qissi), the opponent viciously beats Eric and leaves him paralyzed. Swearing vengeance, Kurt tracks down master Xian Chow (Dennis Chan) and begins learning the sport himself while also getting caught up in criminal intrigue involving thuggish crime boss Freddy Li (Ka Ting Lee).
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Kickboxer

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety Combine Karate Kid and Rocky with a bit more blood and gore, dull direction and a smattering of inept actors and you have Kickboxer. Jan 11, 2018 Full Review Chris Willman Los Angeles Times This may not be the dumbest action picture of the year, but it's not for lack of trying. Jan 11, 2018 Full Review Geoff Andrew Time Out Don't see it for psychological complexity, social comment, acting, plot or humour; go, if you must, just for kicks. Feb 9, 2006 Full Review Allison Rose FlickDirect Kickboxer delivers classic martial arts action with cheesy dialogue, over-the-top fight scenes, and unforgettable 80s charm. Rated: 2.5/5 Jan 7, 2025 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins The final moments of the match are so poorly edited and ludicrous in structure that they contribute to unintentional, laugh-out-loud hilarity. Rated: 2/10 Sep 6, 2020 Full Review TV Guide Kickboxer deviates little from genre formula in its story of a peace-loving martial artist who is pushed too far and goes on a maniacal rampage in the last reel. Rated: 2/4 Jan 11, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Carlos T Filme: Kickboxer – O Desafio do Dragão Assistido: 01-01-25 Elenco: @jcvd @m.qissi_official Dennis Alexio, @kwoksundennischanofficial @rochelleashana1 @thespian26 @sinhoying Modelo: #artesmarciais #ação Duração: 1h 45m Ano: 1989 Minha opinião: Creio que o impacto deste filme foi menor, por ter trazido a mesma receita de um filme anterior “O Grande Dragão Branco” que foi o filme que o destacou para o mundo. Mas aqui ele tentou usar a mesma receita, mas não com o mesmo impacto. Foi uma cópia que não atingiu a mesma expectativa. Foi uma cópia que até mesmo várias cenas se repete aqui, quero dizer não conseguiu impactar ou surpreender neste filme. Este filme lembra muito o 1º filme de Van Damme que fez, porem aqui em papel invertido. “Retroceder Nunca, Render-se Jamais” de 1986. Lá Van fazia o papel do vilão que aqui é Tong (Qissi) e a mesma brutalidade que Qissi tem aqui é a mesmaque Van tinha em Retroceder. Onde seu irmão Eric (Aleixo) perde a luta para Tong e fica paraplégico e Kurt (Van) vai se vingar, mas para isso ele precisa de um sensei que é Xian (Chan) que utiliza seus métodos para treina-lo. Além da sobrinha Mylee (Ashana) por quem Kurt se apaixona. Mas os inimigos são sujos e raptam Eric para forçar Kurt a perder. Mas Xian com a ajuda de Andreson, salvam Eric e assim Kurt pode dar um pau em Tong imitando as mesma coreografias usadas em Dragão Branco. Que falta de criatividade. E Vence e vivem felizes para sempre. Roteiro e enredo uma cópia mau feita. Vale apena assistir? Sim para os fãs. Nota: 5 Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/02/25 Full Review John C When it comes to those musclebound heroes who were so popular in the eighties/early nineties, you kind of remember their breakthrough roles. ‘The Terminator’ is still a classic to this day and you can see how it catapulted Arnold Schwarzenegger into super-stardom. The same can be said for ‘Rocky’ and ‘Die Hard’ for Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis respectively. It was fair to say that Jean Claude Van Damme hadn’t done much before he starred as the lead in ‘Kickboxer’ (and a brief turn as the Predator before he threw a hissy-fit on set doesn’t count – seriously, look that up). In ‘Kickboxer’ he plays a ballet dancer who turns professional kickboxer to avenge the crippling of his (also kickboxer) brother in the ring at the hands of a psycho. No, really. That’s the plot. Okay, so you can expect a certain amount of training, in-ring fighting and romantic love interest thrown in there for good measure. That’s all taken for granted in pretty much any film. However, all these tropes can’t hide the fact that Van Damme isn’t really that great actor. Okay, so he’s hardly improved dramatically over the years, but he’s definitely got better to justify his casting as a lead. Here, he can barely look like he understands other characters’ lines, let alone form a facial expression that relates to them. I guess what I’m trying to say it that, even if ‘Kickboxer’ isn’t the worst film ever made, it’s quite hard to see how this was a springboard for his rise to stardom. I suppose he was cast simply because of his looks (which my girlfriend tells me are pretty hot back then – not to mention other areas of his anatomy!) and his ability to throw a kick or two. That, he can do for sure. Yes, the film-makers may have felt the need to overlay a sound effect reminiscent of you hitting a sponge sofa really hard over every punch, but you can tell he’s really got the moves in the ring. ‘Kickboxer’ is a classic. Everything about it should make it bad – reading back over this review I can see how scathing I sound. And yet, after watching it, I really don’t feel like I’ve wasted my time and even enjoyed much of it. Yes, it’s quite silly in places and the songs played over (alleged dramatic moments) sound like something Trey Parker and Matt Stone would spoof in ‘South Park.’ Plus the overall story plays out like a slightly more violent ‘Karate Kid’ movie, but it’s still fun. You’ll have seen it all before and know exactly where it’s going, but if you’re a fan of JCVD, or are just happy to sit through martial arts movies or general eighties overblown cheese, you should find some enjoyment here. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/09/24 Full Review Christopher J great martial arts movie tons of action Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/20/24 Full Review steve d It's not technically a 5 star movie but its combination of peak JCVD, impact on martial artists, quotable lines, cheesy 80s dance scene and spot in pop culture (along with Bloodsport) require a 5 star rating Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/18/23 Full Review DanTheMan 2 I always felt that Kickboxer was chasing the success Cannon Films had with Bloodsport, but rewatching today reminded me of how wrong I was. It's very much a more violent retelling of The Karate Kid but with Van Damme learning the art of Muay Thai, mixed with elements of Rocky III and even Rambo. There's a certain amount of fun to be had with its premise, the movie not slouching one bit even during the drastic tone shifts encountered throughout. Directors David Worth and Mark DiSalle populate the movie with plenty of inventive angles and wide photography (that sunset shot is awe-inspiring) and when matched to Van Damme's fight choreography and over-emotive acting, the film delivers in the way only 80s movies can. The music by Paul Hertzog is reminiscent of what I've heard in the original Killer Instinct (I swear there's a riff in this movie that's sampled for the main theme of that game), but Paul delivers another great soundtrack once again back by the legendary vocals of Stan Bush. It's much calmer than his work on Bloodsport but equally evocative. Through the insurmountable plot implausibilities and inhuman amounts of comically exaggerated violence, Kickboxer will have you moving and grooving, like Van Damme's slut drops, all the way to its end. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/08/23 Full Review William D Great movie lots of fun to watch. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Kickboxer

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Movie Info

Synopsis Eric Sloane (Dennis Alexio) is an American kickboxing pro, helped by his brother, Kurt (Jean-Claude Van Damme), in his quest for glory. But when the two go to Thailand to take on legendary Tong Po (Michel Qissi), the opponent viciously beats Eric and leaves him paralyzed. Swearing vengeance, Kurt tracks down master Xian Chow (Dennis Chan) and begins learning the sport himself while also getting caught up in criminal intrigue involving thuggish crime boss Freddy Li (Ka Ting Lee).
Director
Mark DiSalle, David Worth
Producer
Mark DiSalle
Screenwriter
Glenn A. Bruce
Distributor
Cannon Films
Production Co
Kings Road Entertainment
Rating
R
Genre
Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 8, 1989, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 4, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$13.2M
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Surround
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