Kickboxer

Van Damme in Thailand

A year after Bloodsport, Jean-Claude Van Damme went back to the formula that made him: a Westerner, an Asian country, a local martial art and a fight with everything at stake. Kickboxer was directed by Mark DiSalle, who had produced Bloodsport, and David Worth, from a story by DiSalle and Van Damme. It was shot in Thailand, in Bangkok and the old royal capital of Ayutthaya, with the training scenes filmed among the ruins of Wat Mahathat.

Muay Thai for a mass audience

Eric Sloane is a cocky American kickboxing champion who thinks his belts are enough. Against Tong Po he meets a sport where knees and elbows matter as much as fists and kicks: an elbow is what paralyses him. Eric is played by Dennis Alexio, a former world kickboxing champion, and Tong Po by Michel Qissi, Van Damme's childhood friend from Brussels, unrecognisable under heavy make-up.

Kurt has to start over with Xian Chow (Dennis Chan), an old master living on the margins. Practitioners will spot the weight given to the clinch, elbows and knees, and the final bout is fought under an old rule the film puts front and centre: hands wrapped in hemp rope dipped in resin and crushed glass.

Reception and legacy

The film opened with $4.1 million in the US and grossed $14.7 million there. Critics were harsh (36% on Rotten Tomatoes from a handful of reviews), but it became a home-video staple. It is often credited with bringing Muay Thai to a global audience, and /Film listed it among the most influential martial arts films. Four sequels followed without Van Damme, then a 2016 remake, Kickboxer: Vengeance.