"Revenge is a dangerous motive."

Rating: 7/10 (12 April 2016)

This is the kind of movie if I were watching and evaluating about twenty years ago I would have thought it a lot better. Today it seems seriously dated and let's face it, downright hokey at times, like with that very embarrassing dance sequence Van Damme does at the Thai saloon. I wonder what he'd have to say about that today.
The main problem that I think most martial arts movie fans will acknowledge is that the story is formulaically clichéd. The revenge motive is ever present in these types of films, and the outcome is always the same - the hero wins, the villain loses. Sometimes the path to getting there is made interesting with a grueling training regimen and humorous elements introduced by a stoic trainer who's comic timing leads to some funny moments. You have some of that here, but it's counterbalanced by Kurt Sloane (Van Damme) whacking his leg against a palm tree full force (impossible) into a bloody pulp, and training immediately after with no visible bruising.
And after all that, I don't believe Kurt used any Muay Thai in his match against Tong Po (Michel Quissi). I could be wrong on that score, but not invested enough to re-watch the fight. Going back those couple of decades, I can't remember if this was the first Van Damme flick I ever saw or "Bloodsport". If I had to guess it would have been the earlier picture, but I don't know if I'm so keen on checking it out again and dimming another memory.