Kickboxer Blu-ray features poor video and mediocre audio in this poor Blu-ray release
When U.S. kickboxing champ Eric Sloane is crippled in the ring by the dastardly Tong Po, his
younger brother Kurt (Jean-Claude Van Damme) vows revenge. But if he is to defeat Po, Kurt
must first learn a martial art known as Muay-Thai, so he seeks out the expertise of fight guru
Xian Chow. Thanks to Chow's unconventional training methods, Kurt becomes an expert
kickboxer. But is he good enough to defeat Tong Po?
Ah, the 1980s. Greasy hair, bad clothes, and cheesy music were found in many of the seemingly
innumerable "never give up!"
Marital Arts movies that populated the local Cinema III and Mom and Pop video store shelves.
Among the most
popular, but
certainly not the best, was Jean-Claude Van Damme's Kickboxer, a corny crowd pleaser
that tried its best to build an emotional core around a cocky wheelchair-bound ex-champion kick
boxer and his pencil-neck-turned-nack suk cao, or white warrior, brother. With
strong overtones that eerily resemble the vastly superior The Karate Kid, except for the
whole paralyzed brother in Bangkok angle, Kickboxer delivers a fun but slowly-paced ride
through the clichéd and terribly predictable world of martial arts training, the entire second act
almost one lone conditioning montage. Never mind the pesky problems like one-dimensional
characters, a trite plot, and a lackadaisical structure; Kickboxer delivers a deliciously
ridiculous
finale that must be seen to be believed, so over-the-top in every respect that it's become
borderline
classic for its quintessential display of everything that makes the Martial Arts genre so much fun
in
a
tongue-in-cheek sort of way.
aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
Eric "The Eliminator" Sloane (Dennis Alexio) is the defending ISKA kickboxing world champion.
Not one to settle for a title or a belt, Eric chooses to further his career by seeking out the best of
the rest, in this case a feared fighter from Bangkok named Tong Po (Michel Qissi). With his
brother Kurt (Jean-CLaude Van Damme, JCVD) in his corner
for moral support, Eric feels unbeatable in the ring. When Kurt sees
Tong Po first hand, witnessing a crazed man who seems to feel no pain as he repeatedly kicks and
eventually
loosens a support beam in his locker room before his fight with Eric, he begs his brother to
reconsider the match.
Eric ignores his brother's pleas and soon after entering the ring with Tong Po, he loses the
fight and, more tragically, his mobility, the Bangkok fighter breaking his back and confining him
to life in a wheelchair. A bloodthirsty Kurt seeks revenge, and a sympathetic American Vietnam
War veteran named Taylor (Haskell Anderson) points him in the direction of Xian Chow (Dennis
Chan), a master of the Muay Thai fighting style and the only person in Bangkok who will take a
chance on training him. An eager Kurt learns from the master, falls in love with Chow's niece
Mylee (Rochelle Ashana), and eventually faces off with Tong Po in a deadly fight in the ancient
style.
For all of the inherent problems with Kickboxer, it succeeds in the one area required of
most any film, and particularly any of this sort: it's got heart and soul, and
even though
its "never say die" theme is as old as time, it's a message as quintessentially American as
baseball
and apple pie (talk about clichéd!). Kurt fights for revenge, for honor, for pride, for justice, for
family, his effort a noble if not foolhardy endeavor, a classic David-versus-Goliath story of the
nobody taking down the champion with only his personal motivation and a little bit of help from
an older, wiser sort guiding his physical training
and mental conditioning for the fight ahead of him. It's Kurt's mentor, Mr. Chow, that provides
the stabilizing force in the film, his character not just central to the story but the performance
behind it the best in the film. Speaking of the acting, it's generally subpar throughout, with
Jean-Claude Van Damme turning in a reputable-for-him effort amidst a terribly uninspired lot of
secondary players, though in the actors' defense their roles are so completely generic that it's a
wonder they performed as well as they did. Combined with bland direction and cinematography,
Kickboxer
comes dangerously close to becoming a completely forgettable picture, but the amusing fight at
the end makes up for practically the entire movie. Though it, too, takes on the usual feel and
runs the gamut of the expected stages of the fight (the "feeling out" period, the hero on the
ropes, the hero
on the rebound), the slow-motion photography, repeat shots, and the priceless over-exaggerated
facial contortions define Kickboxer and make it worth the price of admission.
Kickboxer arrives on Blu-ray with a highly disappointing 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer.
The most prominent feature of the transfer is the plethora of print anomalies that are seen in
just
about every shot. Black, white, and blue spots; scratches; splotches; dirt; horizontal and vertical
lines; it's all here, in abundance, and while not completely distracting, these problems appear as
plain as day and aren't attractive in the least. On top of that, the transfer features minor
banding,
a small amount of blocking in a few background scenes, and a generally drab, faded appearance.
Blacks often appear too bright or tend towards a shade of gray, and flesh tones occasionally take
on
a red tint. Meanwhile, there is virtually no grain to be seen, much of the film taking on a
smooth,
artificial appearance. On the more positive end of the spectrum, colors sometimes impress in the
very best scenes, though they are far and few between. A fair amount of depth accompanies
some
of the second act during Kurt's outdoor training sequences, and it is primarily in these scenes
that detail
appears adequate. Whether the beads on the seats inside Taylor's van or any number of outdoor
objects -- foliage, dirt, or pavement -- several scenes appear passably good, particularly in the
context of the rest of the transfer. Still, the better aspects of the transfer don't outweigh the
negatives, and Kickboxer makes for one of the most disappointing transfers yet on
Blu-ray.
Kickboxer comes to Blu-ray with a lackluster DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Like the
video presentation, the audio is hit-or-miss, with more misses than hits along the way. The audio
presentation in the first act of the film sets a worrisome tone. Sound effects and environmental
ambience often sound forced, exaggerated, and too loud in relation to the rest of the film, such
instances creating a phony, artificial-sounding environment. As the film moves along, however, the
soundtrack features a good bit of improvement, with more natural-sounding effects and
atmosphere. Music is the film's strong suit, whether the track that plays as Eric and Kurt arrive in
Bangkok, a bass-heavy club scene in chapter six, or the infamous dancing sequence in chapter 13,
the beats play with a fair amount of clarity and oomph. Unfortunately, virtually the entire movie
contains some lip synching issues that often give it the feel of a dubbed Kung Fu movie. The rear
channels chime in occasionally in support of the front or to deliver some of the over-amped
atmospherics, but otherwise, Kickboxer features a front-heavy mix that generally
disappoints.
Purely 80s, goofy, clichéd, and most importantly, fun, Kickboxer is certainly not cinema at
its best, but it is cinema at its most basic, retelling a story of revenge wrapped around an
unwavering spirit for justice and love of family. Nothing to write home about yet nothing to
lambast, Kickboxer is one of the great Saturday afternoon gems and perhaps Jean-Claude
Van Damme's most memorable picture, this and Bloodsport the two for which the actor will
be remembered. Unfortunately, this Blu-ray release is not of archival quality. Sporting a borderline
terrible transfer, a mediocre-to-bad lossless soundtrack, and absolutely no film-related extras, this
release is strictly for fans that do not own the film on any other format.
Lionsgate Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring 'New in Town' to Blu-ray on May 26th, day-and-date with the DVD release. They have also announced that they will bring 'Kickboxer' to Blu-ray on June 16th, day-and-date with the DVD release. Video ...
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