Feeling so good today!

Rating: 7/10 (6 July 2018)

There's no reinventing the wheel with this straightforward martial arts / vengeance themed potboiler, one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's earlier starring vehicles. The Muscles from Brussels plays Kurt Sloane, the younger brother of a champion fighter named Eric (Dennis Alexio). We can see right away that Eric's success and resulting overconfidence will be his downfall, and so it goes when Eric is permanently crippled by reigning Thai kick boxer Tong Po (Michel Qissi), a truly scary and creepy m.f. Of course, Kurt swears revenge, and learns that the one person who MIGHT train him is reclusive Xian Chow (Dennis Chan).
There isn't anything inherently wrong with sticking to a formula, and writer Glenn A. Bruce and co-directors Mark DiSalle and David Worth throw absolutely no surprises into the mix. As with many movies of this ilk, there is some charm to be found in the performance of the person playing the trainer, and Chan is both amusing and likeable. So is upbeat, engaging Haskell V. Anderson III, playing an expatriate American in Thailand who lends a helping hand - sometimes reluctantly. Rochelle Ashana is gorgeous as the requisite love interest / eye candy. And Jean-Claude is as affable as he's ever been. Qissi is a purely formidable villain who the writers and directors make sure is always proving just what a bad guy he is.
Thankfully played with some humour, as well as an enjoyable (if moderate) amount of gore and violence, "Kickboxer" is pretty good fun, if not all that memorable. It does push buttons in an effective manner, putting characters in peril as well as including a canine companion for Xian. One funny moment has Xian give Kurt some raw meat to carry while running so the dog will chase Kurt and make him move faster. The fight scenes are staged by Jean-Claude himself and are suitably rousing. But the best part of all has to be when Xian prods Kurt to get on a dance floor so he can check out his sense of balance. Jean-Claude's dance moves are most amusing.
Overall, solid entertainment for fans of the genre and the star.
Seven out of 10.