Kickboxer is a 1989 American martial arts sports drama film written, produced and directed by Mark DiSalle, and also directed by David Worth, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and former world kickboxing champion, Dennis Alexio. Like Van Damme's previous film, Bloodsport, it showcases Van Damme's martial arts abilities.^[1]

Plot[link]

The story follows Kurt Sloane (Van Damme), a cornerman for his brother Eric (Dennis Alexio), an American kickboxing champion. Kurt and Eric travel to Bangkok to challenge Tong Po (Michel Qissi), Thailand's undefeated champion. After a brutal first round, Kurt realizes that they are outmatched by Tong Po and tries to convince his brother to stop the fight. Unwilling to give up, Eric returns for the second round and continues to take a vicious beating, finally prompting Kurt to throw in the towel. But Tong Po ignores him and continues the assault, which ultimately leaves Eric paralyzed from the waist down. Eric is then carried outside and left on the street without any help, until Winston, a retired American Special Forces member, agrees to take the brothers to the hospital.

Furious, Kurt vows to avenge his brother and defeat Tong Po in the ring. Though reluctant at first, Winston eventually tells him about Xian Chow, a locally famous trainer living in a remote area of Thailand. Upon locating Xian, Kurt is able to convince the man to train him in the art of Muay Thai ("Thai boxing"). While training, Kurt attempts to foil the operations of a group of Thai mobsters led by Freddy Li, who continuously threaten and steal money from Xian's niece, Mylee. After Kurt makes short work of the thugs in a bar fight, Xian is able to arrange a match with Tong Po on Kurt's behalf. It is determined that they will fight in the "ancient way", in which both fighters wrap their hands in hemp rope, which is then coated in resin and dipped in broken glass to make them deadly weapons.

In the days leading up to the match, Mylee is beaten and raped by Tong Po, and Eric is kidnapped by Freddy Li's henchmen for the purpose of blackmailing Kurt into losing the fight. To save his brother's life, Kurt is instructed to go the distance with Po before losing the match. He endures a torturous beating, but fortunately, Xian and Winston are able to locate and rescue Eric before the fight concludes. With his brother free from danger, Kurt manages to find a second wind and ultimately triumphs over Tong Po.

Cast[link]

Crew[link]

• Music by Paul Hertzog
• Edited by Wayne Wahrman
• Special effects by Tuffy Lau
• Cinematography by Jon Kranhouse
• Produced by Mark DiSalle
• Associate producer Charles Wang
• Screenplay by Glenn Bruce

Soundtrack[link]

A soundtrack containing songs from the movie was released in limited form on CD and is often hard to find. It contains classic songs from soundtrack specialist Stan Bush.

The score for the movie was composed by Paul Hertzog and is considered a cult classic by many. The full score was remastered and released in 2006 by Perseverance Records in limited quantity.

The tracklisting is as follows on the 2006 full score CD.

1. To the Hospital / We'll See (01:15)
2. Groceries (01:47)
3. Very Stupid (00:45)
4. Tai Chi (02:55)
5. First Kiss (00:53)
6. Stone City (02:34)
7. Second Stone (00:53)
8. Hospital (02:21)
9. Palm Tree (00:30)
10. Advanced Training (01:49)
11. Ancient Voices (02:08)
12. Mylee Is the Way (01:32)
13. Warriors (00:45)
14. Buddha's Eagle (01:01)
15. Kidnap (01:01)
16. You've Done It Before (01:45)
17. Downstairs (00:54)
18. Round One (02:12)
19. Round Two (01:36)
20. The Hook (01:32)
21. Round Three (01:32)
22. The Eagle Lands (04:02)

The 2006 official score release does not include a previously released version of the score track titled "Buddha's Eagle" which was released on the "Best of Van Damme Volume 2 Compilation" CD. The reason why it was left off the official score CD release is unknown.

Location[link]

As a backdrop for some of the training scenes, Kurt (Van Damme) trains near the temples in Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Ratchaburana, part of the ruins of Ayutthaya city in Thailand.

Reception[link]

Reception for the film was mixed.^{[2] [3] [4]} but received a Cult status. It currently maintains no status on Rotten Tomatoes. In Zachary Oberzan's 2010 theatre performance "Your brother, Remember?", re-enactments of 'Kickboxer' and other violent cult movies form an integral part of the play.

References[link]

External links[link]

Kickboxer Drinking Game

• Kickboxer at the Internet Movie Database
• Kickboxer at AllRovi
• Kickboxer on Jeanclaudevandamme.fr (French)