The Muscles from Brussels goes to Thailand

Rating: 6/10 (11 September 2018)

This is one of best Van Damme movies right there with "Bloodsport". In some ways I like "Kickboxer" even more than "Bloodsport". It's a simple revenge story that makes a good use of Van Damme's fighting skills. In this movie we explore the martial arts fundamentals of Muay Thai. It's the national sport of Thailand, where the fighter will condition his body so that his arms and legs become weapons capable of delivering blows, kicks in particular, that are three times as powerful as that of any ordinary martial artist. He'll also use his feet, fists, shins, and elbows too. It's the de facto fighting style for mixed martial arts.
The acting here is a mixed bag. Van Damme is very hammy and Dennis Alexio has no talent at all . On the other hand Dennis Chan is a good copy of Mr. Myiagi from "Karate kid" as Xian Chow and Haskell V. Anderson III is fun as Winston Taylor a retired Vietnam War veteran. Let's not forget about Michel Qissi who is unforgettable as the main villain - Tong Po. Tong Po is mistakenly billed as playing himself (on the film's credits). Qissi can also be seen in two other Van Damme movies "Bloodsport" and "Lionheart". He also appeared in sequel to this movie - "Kickboxer 2".
There are some really cool scenes here - Van Damme training with the dog , the drunk fight in the bar , Van Damme and the palm , final fight with the hands bound with glass. The soundtrack here is unfortunately forgettable and can't compare to the one in "Bloodsport".
I give it 6/10. "Kickboxer" is a cheesy , lighthearted , entertaining little action movie. A small classic. Co-directed by Mark DiSalle and David Worth it's well paced with nice fight scenes. The producers decided to franchise out this series. Other movies are unwatchable. Stick with this fun little time waster.