In the same way that all boxers need to have seen the Rocky films (we’ll be reviewing them in the future) it’s compulsory for all kickboxers and nak muay to have seen Jean Claude Van Damme play Kurt Sloane in ‘Kickboxer’.
The plot line revolves around Kurt and his brother Eric, the reigning world kickboxing champion, travelling to Thailand to beat the best Thai boxer there is – Tong Po. After warming up, by using a concrete pillar as a heavy bag, Tong Po makes short work of Eric, leaving him paralysed from the waist down. Kurt enlists the help of a famous Muay Thai trainer to get his revenge on Tong Po, but he has to also contend with mobsters and other threats before he can have his reckoning the ‘ancient way’ – with rope hand wraps coated in broken glass.
Kickboxer is just an all round classic. It has all the components; a brother out for revenge, an exotic location and a spectacular villain. If you haven’t already seen this film then what are you doing? It’s even on Netflix.
Most memorable line
“You want me to break my leg?”
– Kurt Sloane when his trainer asks him to kick down a palm tree.
Our Rating
4 stars out of 5
You can see the trailer for Kickboxer below.
