This movie is a remake of the 1990 film titled: Kickboxer (starring the muscles from Brussels, Jean-Claude Van Damme). Which I, and many youngins like myself saw way too many times and then wanted to mimic. So, we all went and learned some form of martial arts
(I learned Taekwondo).
Fast forward 25+ yrs, and it's time for a remake,, yay,,,
This storyline follows similar to the original in that Kurt and his older brother Eric Sloane are both kickboxers. Eric is a champion, and Kurt trains with him in his shadow.
Eric gets an offer to fight a Thai champion in this movie as well, however,, he is killed in the fight rather than being disabled as he was in the original.
Kurt vows revenge, and goes to Thailand to train with Eric's trainer. Eventually he fights the Thai champion (Tong Po).
Aside from cool fight scenes, we also see MMA stars George St-Pierre and Cain Velasquez make appearances in the film.
JCVD brings much needed star power as both Kurt and Eric's trainer, Durand.
This movie was also a good vehicle to give Batista and Gina Carano starring roles as they both began their acting careers after retiring from their sports fields (pro wrestling and MMA). Batista has gone on to become the lovable Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, and Gina Carano has found success in several roles.
Would I say this is a good remake? No.
Is it a good movie? Not really.
Is it enjoyable enough if you want to turn off your brainand watch an action flick? Yeah. Absolutely. Both this one and it's sequel are in the same boat in the category. I'd just say they're both no more than a 5.5 rating imo. Not good,, but enjoyable enough if you're in the mood to watch.
Fast forward 25+ yrs, and it's time for a remake,, yay,,,
This storyline follows similar to the original in that Kurt and his older brother Eric Sloane are both kickboxers. Eric is a champion, and Kurt trains with him in his shadow.
Eric gets an offer to fight a Thai champion in this movie as well, however,, he is killed in the fight rather than being disabled as he was in the original.
Kurt vows revenge, and goes to Thailand to train with Eric's trainer. Eventually he fights the Thai champion (Tong Po).
Aside from cool fight scenes, we also see MMA stars George St-Pierre and Cain Velasquez make appearances in the film.
JCVD brings much needed star power as both Kurt and Eric's trainer, Durand.
This movie was also a good vehicle to give Batista and Gina Carano starring roles as they both began their acting careers after retiring from their sports fields (pro wrestling and MMA). Batista has gone on to become the lovable Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, and Gina Carano has found success in several roles.
Would I say this is a good remake? No.
Is it a good movie? Not really.
Is it enjoyable enough if you want to turn off your brainand watch an action flick? Yeah. Absolutely. Both this one and it's sequel are in the same boat in the category. I'd just say they're both no more than a 5.5 rating imo. Not good,, but enjoyable enough if you're in the mood to watch.