The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the rise of cheesy action movies like Above The Law, Hard to Kill, Lionheart, Bloodsport, and Double Impact, which made household names of their stars, Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme. One of those movies, Kickboxer, portrayed Van Damme as a fighter seeking revenge on a ruthless and unscrupulous opponent who paralyzed his character's brother. Released in 1989, this year marks the film's 35th anniversary. In celebration, Lionsgate Films (theatrically released by Cannon) has released a special edition 4K SteelBook combo pack, available at local retailers.
Eric Slone (Dennis Alexio; Picasso Trigger) had just become the kickboxing world champion when some media suggested he should compete in Thailand. Cocky and self-assured, Eric decided to do so, bringing along his brother and cornerman, Kurt (Van Damme). During the fight against Tong "The Tiger" Po (Michel Qissi; Bloodsport), Kurt threw in the towel to stop the match as Eric was being badly beaten. However, Po refused to accept Eric's surrender and continued to assault him, ultimately paralyzing him from the waist down. Furious, Kurt decided to challenge Tong Po to a fight and sought training from Xian (Dennis Chan), a once-great fighter. Even with determination and excellent training, would it be enough for Kurt to defeat Tong Po?
As one might expect from an action movie of that era, the script is light on dialogue, and what was written wasn't particularly good. Coupled with some equally poor acting, the film has all the makings of a cheesy, independent action movie that is beyond groan-worthy.
Kudos, however, to Lionsgate for offering a very impressive 4K version of the movie housed in a stylish SteelBook. Having compared both the Blu-ray video quality and the 4K video quality, it's clear that Kickboxer benefits significantly from the Dolby Vision upgrade. The visuals are brighter, less blurry, and feature sharper details.
The Dolby Atmos audio is equally strong, offering multilayered crowd noises and music tracks. The soundtrack features typical 1980s over-synthesized pop music, with one or two songs standing out as passable. The fight scenes feature crashing tables, chairs, and immersive crowd noise that surrounds the listener.
In addition to the 4K and Blu-ray discs and the digital download, this release includes a smart-looking SteelBook featuring fight scenes from the film against a red background. Unlike many other 4K releases, this one includes brand-new extras. The combo pack features:
- International Version of the Feature Film
- Audio Commentary with Producer & Director Mark DiSalle and Action Film Historian Mike Leeder
- Audio Commentary with Director David Worth, Actor Haskell Anderson, and Film Historian James Bennett
- Vengeance & Redemption - An Interview with Actor Jean-Claude Van Damme
- Bring Me Tong Po! - An Interview with Actor Michel Qissi
- Kick The Tree - An Interview with Actor Dennis Chan
- Focus, Film, Fight! - An Interview with Director of Photography Jon Kranhouse
Let's face it, Kickboxer is not a good movie if you're looking for substance, drama, or intentional comedy. However, if you enjoy cheesy dialogue, bad acting, and many martial arts action scenes, this movie is for you. Add updated video and audio technology, never-before-seen extras, and sleek packaging, and this release becomes a worthy purchase for the right fan.
While it's unclear why Lionsgate chose this movie for a 4K release (other than to celebrate its 35th anniversary), at least they've made the combo pack good enough to justify the purchase price.
Grade: C-
