Customer Reviews

The King of the Kickboxers [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of those "so bad they are good" movies. Not quite as good as the classic "No Retreat No Surrender" (although the style of the movie is very similar), its still good enough to be enjoyed.

Loren Avedon I must say is very unique in all his martial arts films. I can never decide if I really enjoy his presence or despise it. His acting is rather lousy, but to the point its almost fun. He tries to be funny, and it sometimes ends up being so just for trying. As for fighitng, he actually is very athletic in his earlier films, and this is no exception. Loren Avedon plays a cop named Jake, who is assigned to Thailand to investigate the murders involved with film making. When he is put off the case, he insists on going when he learns the man who may be resposible for the deaths is the same guy who killed his older brother many years ago after a tournament in Thailand. The killer is named Khan, played by Billy Blanks.

As bad as Billy can be in some of his films, I'd say he does a better job as a villain. He's actually pretty scary in this film, and looks bigger than ever. In hopes to defeat him, Jake trains with a famous warrior, the only one who has come close to beating Khan. The training scenes are fun and entertaining. It seems that at least every martial arts film comes up with some original training ideas, and King of the Kickboxers follows the tradition well.

I was pleased to see there was plenty of fighting in the film. I am not sure who the choreographer is, but it seems to be set in the style of Corey Yuen. The fights remind me a lot of those in Bloodmoon, Superfights, and No Retreat No Surrender series. The final fight with Loren Avedon & Billy Blanks is somehwat original, set in an outdoor dome used as a movie set. The fight is fast and furious and fun to watch, lasting a good several minutes.

While there are a lot of positive things about this film, its all set in a setting of extreme cheesiness. If you like the idea of so bad its good, then you can enjoy this. Average film overall that pleases up to a point.

"The King of the Kickboxers" ranks high among the forgotten gems of B-movie martial arts cinema. If you're into this kind of movie, then you can't go long among like-minded viewers without hearing other films compared to it, and for good reason: as the unofficial fourth installment of the No Retreat, No Surrender series, the film serves as the professional pinnacle for director Lucas Lowe and the choice vehicle for one of the top five underrated karate actors, Loren Avedon, not to mention supplying the single best fight scene for bad guy Billy Blanks. Yes, it's corny, poorly-acted, and features production values that would've had producer Ng See Yuen thrown out of Hollywood, but it's so darn good at what kind of movie it is that it can't help but be appreciated.

The story: Jake Donahue (Avedon, "No Retreat, No Surrender 2") was a young man when he saw his champion kickboxer brother murdered at the hands of the jealous and ruthless fighter Khan (Blanks, Tough and Deadly). Now an undercover policeman, Jake agrees to travel to Thailand to expose a deadly production ring of snuff films starring the sadistic Khan, but is quick to find that he's no physical match for the killer. He seeks out a drunk hermit (Keith Cooke, Mortal Kombat) - the only man who ever came close to beating Khan - and hopes to learn the skills to confront his personal demon and avenge the death of his brother.

If there's anything that "King" does wrong, it's underutilizing some of its rather impressive cast: in addition to Avedon, Blanks, and Cooke, we've got Ong Soo Han (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story), Jerry Trimble (The Master), Bruce Fontaine (Operation Condor), and real-life jujitsu champion Michael Depasquale as Jake's brother in the ensemble, but with the exception of Avedon, they all generally only have one fight throughout the course of the film. Sure, the fights of Billy and Keith are really cool and meaningful, but nevertheless, you'd think that choreographer Tony Leung (Ip Man) would find greater use for them. Then again, perhaps that's how the film intended to divide its action content: three big, awesome fights separated by about a half-dozen shorter, less remarkable ones. I can see the logic in that, especially since the movie builds up to a great one-on-one battle in a giant bamboo cage between Loren and Billy, respectively dressed in traditional Thai costumes representing feuding Hindu deities. Stroke of brilliance? - maybe not, but it's still cool! That last fight has never been topped throughout the series, if you ask me. Oh, and there's a neat training scene prior to it for keeps: it beats the snot out of the one in that Van Damme movie.

As can be expected, the acting's a bit on the poor and overblown side, but not without its good moments: even though Avedon as the plucky hero, Blanks as the crazy-eyed villain, and Sherrie Rose (Me and Will) as the blonde damsel in distress really know how to butcher a script, Keith Cooke pulls off a surprisingly decent performance in his first role of substance and Oscar-nominee Richard Jaeckel (The Dirty Dozen) was somehow tricked onto the set and delivers the best performance of the film with his eyes closed as Jake's captain. There's also Don Stroud (The Buddy Holly Story) in a so-so role, so count your blessings. Almost neater than any acting in the film, however, is the representation of Thai culture and countryside: while not at the tribute levels of Ong-Bak, you'll finish the film with a better idea of life in Thailand than when you started.

In the end, as is the case with the whole tri/quad/quintilogy, enjoying the film comes down to how much you value straight-forward athleticism and ingenuity. If a good fight can make you forget a badly-acted scene (or, even better, enhance it), then all will be well. Go into this film with high expectations, and you'll be giving this review negative ratings. So please, know yourself before getting to know one of the greatest karate flicks you've never seen.

First I'll say that I've seen this movie at least 40 times. Me and my friends used to make a point to watch it at least once a week, to get a few laughs. It is possibly the worst martial arts film I've ever seen, but while it lacks still, it makes up for it with the worst dialouge ever caught on film. Not to mention I have a little history with Mr. Loren Avedon. Me and my friends e-mailed him on his personal brag site just to let him know that his crappy movie cheers me up whenever I'm in a bad mood and makes me laugh so hard that I usually have to leave the room. He was naturally really offened by all the insults we threw at him, and he responded by telling us that he was going to come to our place and beat the crap out of us. So we sent him another message giving him our full names and our real address, in hopes that he would actually come so we could laugh at him in person. We went back and forth with the insult e-mails at least 4 or 5 times. Needless to say he never showed and I was crushed. Anyway, buy this movie and you'll see what I mean, and if you feel so inclined to write Loren Avedon and tell him how much he sucks tell him the guys from Plattsburgh State University sent you. Maybe he'll remember

Esta es una de las películas que los amantes del KickBoxer y Full-Contact no se la deben perder, Loren Avedon es un excelente luchador lo mismo que el mundialmente conocido Billy Blanks, la última pelea es genial como la misma película. Lástima que no haya salido todavía en DVD, estoy esperando el lanzamiento.

This is one of the best martial art movies out there!