Kick or die...

Rating: 7/10 (22 May 2006)

An American kickboxing champion is brutally beaten in a fight against the Thai champion and so his brother vows vengeance. Along the way he finds an old man to train him and whip him in shape because the final fight will be the ancient way. (Hands dipped in broken glass) and the mobsters have a lot of money against our hero. Jean-Claude Van Damme was the king of the tournament movies and Kickboxer is on par with Bloodsport. This is because of the fight sequences which are shot very well and choreographed with energy and detail. Also some cheeseball moments surface such as Jean-Claude Van Damme's drunken master act as well as some of the most overblown training montage music. This is all of course secondary to the mano-a-mano climax between the two fighters and it's well worth the price of admission.
* * * out of 4-(Good)