Customer Reviews

No Retreat No Surrender [VHS]

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Where do I begin? This movie is one of those memorable martial arts sagas that only comes across once in a great while. Where else would I have learned that "karate is not to be used aggressively"?

This movie deals with the serious conflict in the late 80's when Russian crime syndicates attempted to take over several karate schools in the Western United States.

Anyways, this film is so full of classic material, I don't know where to start.

*The unbelievable sidekick, R.J. Madison who steals the show and breaks a few shelves with a freestyle combined with some break-dancing moves.

*A father's tough decision to leave his karate school to start a new life in Seattle as a bartender at a bar that does not allow dogs or "customers under the age of 2".

*R.J. & Jason declaring "No Retreat, No Surrender", only to be sent running away, seconds later by a 40-year-old Burger King employee.

*The controversial second coming of Bruce Lee (whose figure and bad dubbing seem to have changed since we last saw him).

Such great one-liners as

"Alright, who pee'd in the pool?"

"Jason, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna be back and I'll get you".

"Check me out, dudes".

"CHI POWER!"

Many more memorable lines and moments in this comin-of-age tale of karate, jheri-curls, and palm streets in Seattle.

Good v. Evil; America v. USSR; New York v. Seattle; Aggressive Karate v. karate for defense only. This important movie from visionary Ng Se Yung will surely become one of our era's lasting contributions to western thought. From the dazzling footwork of Peter 'sugarfoot' Cunningham ("Hey, I'm nobody's lunch), to the stinging sarcastic wit of Dean "Shooting Star" Ramsey ("L.A. karate...I'm impressed" {see, he really wasn't impressed}); from the emotional father/son struggle ("we'll start calling it your house when you start paying the rent"),to the lasting bond of friendship of Jason/R.J.III ("Don't worry, R.J. will provide"); NRNS has it all. It would be a shame if 100 gaping editing blunders were to overshadow what this film is all about: Protecting seattle karate from the very real threat of an NYC/Russia takeover. So what if the punching bag Jason "kicks open" is already cut in half; and so what if Mr. Stillwell breaks his knee and wears a cast that only covers his shin; and who cares if you can see the karate class in the window's reflection after class has already been dismissed; and pardon me for not lamenting over the fact that Scott's father gets thrown out of a bar into the dark of night when it was broad daylight 2 minutes before. These are minor points that should not distract us from Yung's message. Thank you Mr. Yung. Thank you Mr. Mckinney. God bless seattle karate and God bless the USA!

No Retreat No Surrender is a classic 80's indie film that introduced the world to cheesy "karate" films inspired by The Karate Kid and Jean Claude Van Damme.

The movie stars Kurt McKinney as a wimp named Jason whose dad gets beaten up by a Russian guy named Ivan, played by Van Damme. His family move to Seattle where he gets pushed around by a group of karate bullies. Just when he thinks he can never learn karate, Bruce Lee's ghost appears to him and turns him into a fighting machine. In the meantime, the Russian arrives to fight for a championship against the karate bullies...and the rest is history.

No Retreat No Surrender is one of those movies that connects me to my past childhood years. I watched this movie so many times when I was younger that I felt persuaded to revisit it with a purchase and this review!

Recommended

B+

This movie is without a shadow of a doubt the single greatest piece of cinematography that I have ever seen. My friend bought this for £6.99 about 3 years ago, and at a conservative estimate I would say we have watched it 50 times.

This film works on so many levels I can't list them all. NRNS tackles issues such as father-son conflicts, long distance relationships, the effects of moving on a teenagers life, the role of martial arts in society. Every time you watch this movie I guarentee that you will find a comedy editing error, a hilarious facial expression, a continuity mistake...the possibilities are endless. So lets examine the movie...where to start?? Possibly with Van Damme who dispays some of the finest acting of his illustrious career in this film. Jean Claude is so fast in the last fight scene he actually appears to teleport. Or possibly with the real star Kurt McKinney who has the greatest array of sleeveless tops in the business. Then there's a host of others RJ the comedy black side kick, who can transform into a white guy whenever he has to do a break dancing routine, or Kim Tai Chong who puts in a brave performance as Bruce Lee, overcoming the handicap that he looks nothing like Bruce.

In short this is a work of genius that we will likely never see again in our generation, although my friends and I are looking.

I love this movie, man, I really love this movie. I will forever love this screen gem. The lines are so, unforgetable. The acting, "Awesome." Van Damme: Ivan the Russian or Karl Brezdig as it says at the end, is without a doubt...Russian. "I'm the best, I'm the best!" R.J.: hip hop nice boy, breakin' master, "I dance a bit and I'm really quick." Jason: a total puss, but his never give up, never retreat, never surrender attitude makes him endureing. He also likes Bruce Lee. "Yaw, right!" Jason's dad, Mr. Stillwell: a very upset man at times, and once he get's going, there ain't no stoppin' him. Torn down by an evil guy who wants to take over karate studios for evil purposes while trying to teach his "Bruce Lee freak" of a son that this is "not Bruce Lee's Jeet Kun Do." Everytime he speaks it moves me and him too, he shakes, alot. Evil guy who smokes cigars and tells Ivan a.k.a. Karl what to do: evil guy, likes cigars and yelling in old men's ears. "KILL HIM! " Bruce Lee: not really Lee at all. Doesn't even look like him or sound like him but he has his movements down. "CHI=POWER" Scott: the man. The real deal. Has all the good lines and does not like R.J. "I've got my reasons." I wish I knew what they were. The best scene in the movie is during the fight between Ivan a.k.a. Karl and Ian "Whirlwind" Reilly, not the fight but between rounds. Ivan's "friend" gives him a back rub and makes his "feelings" for Ivan known, too bad Ivan is too focused to notice, poor guy. From the opening scenes we see that he gets very upset and Ivan bails him out, it's hard to love someone from a distance, my hero. I told all my friends about this movie for years then I ended up working at a video store that had it, now everyone loves it, and you will too. Favorite line right now, "Oh, can't I"- Mr. Stillwell

No retreat No Surrender is one of the greatest movies of the 20th century, without a doubt. Jason Stillwell is a "Bruce Lee freak" and a karate practitioner at his father's Dojo, "Sherman Oaks Karate." The only problem is; as his father puts it, he needs to " Get with the program! This is not Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do." When some east coast thugs try to strongarm Mr. Stillwell into surrendering his dojo, Sensei Stillwell tries to fend them off and uses his karate for defense only, but has his leg broken by Ivan "The Russian." This leads him to move the family to Kingswood, Washington and to a new life for them all. Jason just wants to start anew and when he befriends Rayford Jefferson Madison III(RJ for short), he has found a friend for life. Jason shows RJ a thing or two about karate; and Jason learns a thing or 2 about breakdancing. RJ shows him some dance moves, and what makes this movie so special is that RJ(who is black) turns into a white guy while doing some dance moves. All seems well in Kingswood, until Scott("Stick with me kids and you'll never go hungry")starts trouble. RJ is mysteriously wandering in the parking lot of a local burger joint, when trouble starts. Scott says "There's that slimeball, RJ." When one of Scott's disciples asks "Hey Scott, why do you hate that kid RJ so much?"; Scott defiantly retorts, "I've got my reasons." Scott and his thugs then corner RJ, but Jason who also happens to be wandering in the same parking lot, comes to help RJ. RJ then declares "No Retreat No Surrender!" By uttering those words an inseparable bond is formed. I never knew there were palm trees in Washington, but this is one of the many suprises of this movie. RJ then takes Jason to join Ian "Whirlwind" Reilly's dojo. You see, Ian just took 1st in the nationals. Jason and RJ go to Ian's dojo and after Jason fills out the application in record time, he decides to join. Unfortunately for Jason, Scott just happens to be at the same dojo and tells Sensei Dean Ramsey that Jason started the trouble at the burger joint. Shooting Star Ramsey then commands his best fighter Frank Peters to fight Jason to prove the supremacy of Seattle karate. Jason is thoroughly pummelled and then his life starts in a downward spiral. At his girlfriend Kelly's birthday party,he fights with Dean, and upon returning home to his house, his father and him nearly come to blows. What's curious is that Jason never knew that his girlfriend Kelly is actually Sensei Ian's brother. One would think it might have come up in a previous conversation.Jason then seeks refuge in an abandoned house that RJ provided. Bruce Lee's Spirit(Leedaga) then appears and the real training begins. Will Jason get revenge on Ivan? Will Leedaga show Jason that karate is not to be used aggressively? You must buy this video to find out. The soundtrack alone is worth the price of the video. The editing is fantastic, as well as the acting. It seems so real when they show team Seattle training for the big fight, and it appears as if the film is sped up, but it is the director's unique style. If you are a true American you WILL buy this movie.

"Yeah, this is a nice dojo. I'll probably join." And thus war is waged for karate supremacy in the martial arts capital of the world, Seattle Wash. This delicious 90 minutes of pure pleasure is accompanied by a musical score that includes some dazzling synthesized keyboard work and slick break-dancing moves that howl 1985. While it is true, as my worthy "No Retreat" peers point out, there are endless offensive inconsistencies, flaws and "visible strings" etc. I like to think that Ng Se Yung is testing his audience in some oriental, Bruce Lee, chi kind of way. I've seen the film over a dozen times and I'm amazed at how much there is still to be learned. FYI, I've been doing that upside down, slam the back into a 2x4 abdominal work for only two weeks and I can already see a difference!

No Retreat No Surrender is very possibly one of the best American films ever made. It confronts some of the most challenging issues facing Americans today, from the very real threat of Communism to the American way of life, to the pressures of a family on the run from kickboxing mafia thugs attempting to corner the martial-arts school market on the west coast.

I would reccommend this film to anyone interested in learning more about how to properly edit film and write a solid and rather touching plot, about karate and the proper way to use it in a bar brawl, about how to "eat 'til it hurts," and about the REAL TRUTH regarding Bruce Lee's death and subsequent rising from the grave.

Buy this movie today!

I rented this movie a long time ago, I was still a teenager, and the 80s was the decade of these silly low budget sophomoric movies, this is no exception. The storyline is so innocent, but I can identify being somewhat of an outcast in my day and being picked on ,I can't help but notice the similarity compared to "The Karate Kid" released 2 years earlier, a boy learns the Martial Arts to battle karate school bullies. Does this look familiar? Anyway, I was always in the corner of the underdog, at the time I thought this movie was cool, but we all grow. It's funny the only actor (If you can even call him that) to go on to bigger fame is Jean Claude Van Damme, and he was only in this movie in the beginning and the end. I guess someone saw something in him, he has a good physique and moves well, thats all that mattered. I would recommend this film to those between the ages of 15 and 18, but not to adults, who must shake their heads every time their kid pops this in the VCR, saying in a low pitched voice "Oh Jeez!" However, I wouldn't mind seeing it again for old time sakes.

How can you not love a movie with quotes such as...

"Beat it Brucy! Why don't you go home and play with your wooden dolly?!"

Or the ever-popular...

"I'll tell my dad not to worry."

You have to be a bit eclectic to fully appreciate the piece of art that is "No Retreat, No Surrender". Once you have that appreciation, you can be content in the knowledge that you belong to a very elite group made up of a few guys from Carrollton, Texas (and one guy from Salado in the same state) that consider this movie a cult classic. A must-have piece of party entertainment, appropriate for all occassions. Good, clean family fun! Two thumbs up!

And remember, "Karate is NOT to be used AGGRESSIVELY!"