If you are looking for something original, perhaps with a twist in the story and a refreshing new angle on the world of martial arts, you are really not in the right place watching Kickboxer:Vengeance. Alas it cover all too familiar ground with the action scenes set up to help you cope with the rest of the film.
Eric (Darren Shalavi) and brother Kurt (Alain Moussi) are brothers from a long line of martial artists. Eric was always the star with Kurt overawed by him. Eric agrees to travel to Thailand to fight the Muay Thai champion Tong Po (Dave Bautista). Of course the fight ends badly for Eric and Kurt vows vengeance against Tong. In order to be a match for the far more powerful man, Kurt enlists the help of Master Durand (Jean-Claude Van Damme). With his guidance Kurt makes himself ready to confront the man who killed his brother.
As you would expect this is all about the action sequences. The film starts with a fight sequence and you can be sure that barely five minutes pass before another comes along. They are well choreographed and well shot but the problem is that there is little in the way of variation. Mostly they look the same and there is never any doubt as to how they will conclude.
The weak revenge storyline is the connective tissue between the action beats and this is barely enough to sustain the ninety minute running time. The film follows a well-worn path starting with the loss of the brother, moving on to early defeats and humiliation. The middle section is taken up with the training montages before we get to the climactic ‘big boss’ fight sequence.
It doesn’t help that the acting is pretty poor. The best actors are hardly on screen for any time at all or have very limited dialogue. Gina Carano is barely on screen at all and Dave Bautista character is not called on to do anything more than growl and occasionally beat people up. It is a real waste as Bautista has shown that he is a real screen presence with impressive acting talent. Van Damme at least has something to do in-between the fights. His character is a Rocky Balboa type trainer and mentor. He doesn’t feature for much of the film but is memorable at least.
Alain Moussi’s main strength is in his fighting ability and athleticism. When he is called upon to carry a dramatic scene or indeed the majority of the film it is beyond him. A stronger script would have helped in this regard.
Overall, a bit of a dull film which is a pity as the sport lends itself quite well to the cinematic treatment.
- Moviescramble podcast – Ep 76: Hit Man and The Killer - November 18, 2024
- Moviescramble podcast – Deleted scenes Ep 75 - November 18, 2024
- Hugh Bonneville surprises young patients at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children for MediCinema Screening of Paddington in Peru - November 7, 2024
