Eric Sloane (Dennis Alexio) is an American kickboxing champion who, along with his brother Kurt (Jean-Claude Van Damme) in his corner, travels to Thailand to take on the best of the best on their own turf. This brings him up against the seemingly unstoppable and savage Tong Po (Michel Qissi) who breaks Eric’s spine, permanently paralyzing him from the waist down. Kurt swears revenge against Tong Po, seeking out the reclusive and eccentric kung fu master Xian (Dennis Chow) to train him to defeat Tong Po and avenge his brother. Can Kurt rise to the challenge and defeat the violent fury of the mighty Tong Po?
Bloodsport brought Van Damme to national attention and introduced him as someone to pay attention to, but it was Kickboxer that really cemented his status as the next big action star of the ’80s and ’90s. The plot is a simple one. A man seeks revenge for his brother’s dire injuries, and enters a martial arts tournament. It’s a tried-and-true formula we’ve seen time and again. But this is merely a setup for a breakout star to show us what he is capable of. Van Damme in action is a lithe and devastating force. The training sequence, in the grand tradition of films like 36th Chamber of Shaolin, offers a bit of levity (Dennis Chow is great as the jerkish master trainer) while also getting us pumped up for the big fight ahead before plunging us into the fiery realm of Tong Po’s arena. Directors Mark DiSalle & David Worth do a good job of building up to the Tong Po/Van Damme fight, that preparation scene where they dip their hands in broken glass (the Hot Shots Part Deux parody will forever be burned in my mind…) illustrating well the stakes at play and how vicious this fight will be. The fight choreography between Van Damme and Qissi is great too. You feel the blows, and the blood red cinematography hammers home how intense this clash of titans is.
Lionsgate has graced us with a crisp new 4K UHD transfer with a new sense of clarity and depth to the image that makes the fights in Tong Po’s tournament really shine in particular. The grain appears pretty heavy but never distractingly so, and the saturated colors look excellent with nice, deep blacks. We also get a very good 5.1 Dolby TrueHD surround sound audio track that sounds really robust with lots of oomph to it. Action fans will be very pleased at the immersion into Tong Po’s arena, the sights and sounds popping like you are really there ringside. If you had the previous Lionsgate 2009 barebones release, then you will be pleased to know that this 35th Anniversary Edition introduces a whole host of newly produced extras. We get two new audio commentaries, one with director Mark DiSalle & film historian Mike Leeder and a second one with director David Worth, film historian James Bennett and actor Haskell Anderson (the lively guy that played Winston who hooks up Kurt with Xian and acts as a kind of sidekick for the movie). Both tracks are good with a lot of useful information about the movie. We also get several newly produced interviews with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michel Qissi, Dennis Chan and director of photography Jon Kranhouse. The extras are rounded out with the usual trailers and still gallery. Plus it all comes packaged in a very cool lenticular steelbook!
If you are a fan of the classic action flicks of the ’80s, Kickboxer is a must-have for your collection. This spiffy new 35th Anniversary edition is also a MAJOR upgrade in every way from the previous barebones 2009 edition, so if you are a fan of the film, this is well worth picking up whether you have the old blu-ray or not.