Kickboxer (1989)
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A man seeks to avenge his brother's paralysis by training in the brutal art of Muay Thai to face a fearsome champion.
The story
Kurt Sloane is the younger brother and cornerman of the heavyweight kickboxing world champion, Eric 'The Eliminator' Sloane. When Eric travels to Bangkok to face the undefeated Thai fighter Tong 'The Tiger' Po, the fight turns disastrous. Tong Po delivers a vicious strike that leaves Eric paralyzed from the waist down. Enraged by the brutality, Kurt vows to avenge his brother. He seeks out a master to teach him the art of Muay Thai, eventually finding a Kru who agrees to train him after Kurt saves her niece from a racketeering organization.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Kurt Sloane is the cornerman for his brother Eric, the heavyweight kickboxing champion. During a fight in Bangkok against the undefeated Tong Po, Eric is brutally attacked and left paralyzed from the waist down. Kurt vows revenge and seeks out Xian Chow, a Muay Thai Kru, to train him. After proving his dedication, Kurt earns a match against Tong Po. The fight is arranged to be 'in the ancient way,' where fighters wrap their hands in hemp rope coated in resin and dipped in broken glass. Freddy Li, Tong Po's manager, attempts to fix the fight by kidnapping Eric and blackmailing Kurt. During the match, Xian rescues Eric. Angered by Tong Po's taunts regarding the rape of Xian's niece, Mylee, Kurt has Mylee cut his hand wraps and defeats Tong Po. He then knocks out Freddy Li and celebrates with his allies.
- First release year
- 1989
- Runtime (minutes)
- 103
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mark DiSalle; David Worth
- Writers
- Glenn A. Bruce · screenplay; Mark DiSalle · story; Jean-Claude Van Damme · story
- Cast and characters
- Jean-Claude Van Damme · Kurt Sloane; Michel Qissi · Tong Po; Dennis Alexio · Eric Sloane; Dennis Chan
- Genres
- martial arts; action
- Themes
- revenge; brotherhood; disability
- Tone and mood
- violent; action-oriented
- Premise and plot tags
- martial arts; revenge; sports drama
- Franchise connections
- Kickboxer
- Content notes
- rape; violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed to negative critical reviews, being called 'egregiously dull' and a 'ripoff' of other action films, though it is noted as an influential martial arts film.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 36% · review count: 11 critics; Metacritic · score: 33% · review count: 4 critics
- Production trivia
- The film is considered the first to bring Muay Thai to a global audience.; Michel Qissi's role as Tong Po inspired the Mortal Kombat character Goro.; The majority of the movie was shot in Hong Kong.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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