Kickboxer (35th Anniversary 4K UHD Blu-ray Steelbook Review)
Once upon a time, the action genre wasn’t all superheroes and spies. We had cops or criminals, action stars like Stallone and Schwarzenegger, and usually even the bad would do decent box office business. Jean Claude Van Damme was one of the 80s’ biggest prospects at one point. Handsome with an accent and a very well-conditioned body, he was goals for the men in the audience, and eye-candy for their dates. Bloodsport ushered in the resurgence of martial arts films in the US. Following up with Kickboxer it is clear that Van Damme and his collaborators from Bloodsport wanted to add some depth to the very simple story they’d created. How does it fare 35 years later and in 4K? Shake your booty into the review and find out!
Film:
Accompanied by his brother Kurt, American kickboxing champion Eric Sloane arrives in Thailand to defeat the Eastern warriors at their own sport. His opponent: ruthless fighter and Thai champion Tong Po. Tong not only defeats Eric, he paralyzes him for life. Crazed with anger, Kurt vows revenge. After a crash course in the ancient techniques of kickboxing from Thai master Xian Chow, Kurt challenges Tong. Their battle to the finish, born of lust, power, and revenge, will leave only one man standing.
Kickboxer plays almost like a continuation of Bloodsport. From the generic photography to the bewildering tonal shifts, to the wooden performances. The film plays differently depending on the viewer. Van Damme is Van Damme. His Kurt is a happy-go-lucky young fellow, who follows his brother to Thailand. They’ve recently reconnected and despite being brothers, they couldn’t be more different. Eric is foolhardy and Americanized where Kurt spent time with his mother in Brussels, hence the thick accent. The two are extensively trained in martial arts, but nothing can compare either of them for the wrath of Tong Po. Evil and bloodthirsty, his ruthless beating of Eric leaves Kurt hungry for revenge among other things.
The story of Kickboxer is almost non-existent. Make no mistake, there are segments of story strung along for narrative awareness, but nothing concrete. Kurt as played by Van Damme is almost content to melt into the background at first. His baggy pleated slacks and cowboy boots make him stick out like a sore thumb in Thailand, and as he leans on ex-Special Forces soldier Winston Taylor for guidance, he is introduced to Xian Chow a master of Muay Thai, who at first doesn’t believe Kurt wants to fight Tong Po, and if he does so, will not survive.
Besides an abundance of training montage, I’d say over half the film, there is also a partial romance for Kurt in Mylee, Xian Chow’s niece. There is also a few moments for laughs as Xian Chow toys with Kurt, or of course, that dance sequence – The splits, the butt shaking, the wiggling… It’s all there!
Kickboxer is iconic in a way solely for being the vessel that introduced Kickboxing (Muay Thai) to the world. The film is nothing special, but its low budget meant big box office. Looking at the movie in 2024, there is a big whiff of cheese in every moment of it. Bad acting, terrible pop songs, unimaginative acting (except for Dennis Chow as Xian Chow) … Things never really come together to be a fully satisfying experience. But the nostalgia factor is there.
I never saw Kickboxer in full before this release. I’d seen bits and pieces, including Jean Claude’s dancing skills. I’d seen the climactic fight too. My mother loved Van Damme, so he was on our TV on weekends quite a bit growing up. As I watch it in my late 30s here, I can imagine this film having a big impact on me as an 8-year-old. I think that thinking is what made me find some things to like in the movie. Is it a good one? Not particularly. Thankfully, I can take films as they are without always looking for depth, and on its own merit, Kickboxer is a fun, forgettable little film, that no doubt has many fans, who will no doubt love this new release.
Video
Encoding: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: 2160p
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
HDR: Dolby Vision
Layers: BD-100
Clarity/Details: Kickboxer has had a spotty release history on disc. The DVD was serviceable to a point, with a Blu-ray donning in 2009. This transfer was much maligned and continued to be repressed and even made an appearance in 2024 in a Walmart Exclusive steelbook, This new edition is far and away the way to watch Kickboxer. The overall look for Kickboxer is that of a low-budget film. The set pieces are simple but full of detail here, with outdoor set pieces being the biggest beneficiary of the new 4K transfer.
Depth: Depth of field is mastered with the film looking excellent in movement. Lots of fighting and training montage could be muddied while the camera pans, but not here. There is a simplicity to the camera movement, but tracking is stable and clean.
Black Levels: Black levels benefit from the color grading, leaving things dark and shadowy with no crush on screen.
Color Reproduction: Colors can be drab and basic, with quite a bit of brown and green dominating the image. The ending fight is full of fiery reds and oranges, while the scenes in metropolitan Thailand looks grey and cold as it should.
Flesh Tones: Skin tone is variable. Some of the characters look a little unnatural, like the heavy makeup on Tong Po or the very tan Van Damme, but these flesh tone anomalies are not a fault of the 4K transfer.
Noise/Artifacts: Grain compliments the image to deliver a filmic look throughout the film.
Audio:
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, English, Spanish
Dynamics: The DTS-HD MA 5.1 track here sounds like the same track that has been a part of Kickboxer’s like on Blu-ray since 2009. Nothing special but the overall mix gets the job done. Music sounds fine, sound effects sound ancient, and surrounds are used primarily during moments with audiences watching fights. I’d say this isn’t a good thing, but I’m just happy that the mix wasn’t re-done or repurposed with new effects lessening the vintage of the film.
Low-Frequency Extension: Music is the main source of bass activity and it’s nothing special here. Tong Po’s pillar kicks do give the sub a little light work early on though.
Surround Sound Presentation: Crowd noises, city sounds, and Thai jungle ambience appear in the surrounds.
Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue is intelligible throughout, but there are a few moments where music can be a bit bombastic over the spoken word.
Extras:
For the first time on home video, Kickboxer celebrates 35 years on 4K UHD Blu-ray with a beautiful Amazon exclusive steelbook. We are also getting the first extras related to the film too! This is exciting to a point, with a little more depth going into the making of the film. Van Damme, Chan and Qissi’s interviews are more about their memories than anything.
Jon Kranhouse gives an excellent retelling of his work lensing the film, right down to his disappointment with release prints of his approved color corrected negative not being the one in wide release. His comments on how the 4K will look the best since his time in the editing room is a great compliment. We get two commentaries, trailers, a still gallery and on Blu-ray the International Version of the film. We also get a Blu-ray of the original cut and a digital code. The Steelbook is housed in a lenticular slipcover, that like the steelbook itself is striking!
SPECIAL 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
Summary:
Kickboxer reeks of the 1980s and for some that’s a great thing. Fans of the film will be thrilled with this new release, while newcomers may want to watch the film elsewhere first before making a purchase. This new collectible edition does a great job of presenting the film in its best looking state ever, with some nice bonuses making this one an easy sell for collectors and fans of the Muscles from Brussels. Add this to your 4K collection with Sudden Death and Hard Target while you wait for someone to release Timecop!
Order your copy of Kickboxer 4K UHD Steelbook HERE
Adam Toroni-Byrne
Adam is a lifelong physical media collector. His love of collecting began with a My First Sony radio and his parent's cassette collection. Since the age of 3, Adam has collected music on vinyl, tape and CD and films on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray. Adam likes to think of himself as the queer voice of Whysoblu. Outside of his work as a writer at Whysoblu, Adam teaches preschool and trains to be a boxer although admittedly, he's not very good.
