Kickboxer 4K UHD (1989)

[BladeRunner2007]

Originally Posted by Telemachus

Isn't this the movie they meme on in Hot Shots Part Deux when Charlie Sheen is dunking his fists in TCBY toppings before the fight? Lol I think it's coming back a little bit.

yes

[maverick22]

I completely overlooked the story by our fellow member in the OP.

Wow, that is incredible …. Just awesome stuff from Joel! Thanks for pushing for this, Joel!

I was on the fence after watching the trailer (hadn’t seen it since it came out years and years ago), but that backstory and your persistence have persuaded me to buy it day 1!

[Markgway]

Originally Posted by dallywhitty

I've said it before, Joel, but man, I wanna live with you.

I think we all do.

[JoelGoodsen]

Originally Posted by Telemachus

Isn't this the movie they meme on in Hot Shots Part Deux when Charlie Sheen is dunking his fists in TCBY toppings before the fight? Lol I think it's coming back a little bit.

Haha yes it is! I need to rewatch the Hot Shot movies. Both very funny.

[JoelGoodsen]

Originally Posted by maverick22

I completely overlooked the story by our fellow member in the OP.

Wow, that is incredible …. Just awesome stuff from Joel! Thanks for pushing for this, Joel!

I was on the fence after watching the trailer (hadn’t seen it since it came out years and years ago), but that backstory and your persistence have persuaded me to buy it day 1!

More than welcome mate! I appreciate you buying a copy too.

Bloodsport and Kickboxer will always be compared, but both are essential in any collection when it comes to JCVD. I hear what people are saying about the fun spirit of Bloodsport compared to the sometimes mean spirit of Kickboxer, but you couldn't have Kickboxer any other way. That is what makes Tong Po as memorable and vicious as he is. He is a mean mofo!

Kickboxer wouldn't work as well as it does if it was overly playful. Tong Po is a remorseless killing machine and that is why Kurt has to train as hard as he does.

Plus, Kickboxer isn't all serious and mean. Winston is a fun character and even Xian has a sense of humour, like the bar scene where he gets Kurt drunk;

"I tell them you say they no good fighters... and that their mothers have sex with mules. Oh make them very angry"

The whole bar/famous dance scene alone makes it fun in my book

[BladeRunner2007]

Originally Posted by JoelGoodsen

More than welcome mate! I appreciate you buying a copy too.

Bloodsport and Kickboxer will always be compared, but both are essential in any collection when it comes to JCVD. I hear what people are saying about the fun spirit of Bloodsport compared to the sometimes mean spirit of Kickboxer, but you couldn't have Kickboxer any other way. That is what makes Tong Po as memorable and vicious as he is. He is a mean mofo!

Kickboxer wouldn't work as well as it does if it was overly playful. Tong Po is a remorseless killing machine and that is why Kurt has to train as hard as he does.

Plus, Kickboxer isn't all serious and mean. Winston is a fun character and even Xian has a sense of humour. The famous dance scene alone makes it fun in my book

All of this. It's also one of the most inspiring movies ever. All these great training montages with Paul Hertzog's amazing score. Goosebumps all over my body.

[JoelGoodsen]

Originally Posted by BladeRunner2007

All of this. It's also one of the most inspiring movies ever. All these great training montages with Paul Hertzog's amazing score. Goosebumps all over my body.

Hear hear mate. It's bloody good isn't it!? Love the score, the training scenes, the location of the training scenes and the final fight with their hands wrapped in glass. What a way to close out the 80s with a film like Kickboxer.

[maverick22]

Originally Posted by JoelGoodsen

More than welcome mate! I appreciate you buying a copy too.

Bloodsport and Kickboxer will always be compared, but both are essential in any collection when it comes to JCVD. I hear what people are saying about the fun spirit of Bloodsport compared to the sometimes mean spirit of Kickboxer, but you couldn't have Kickboxer any other way. That is what makes Tong Po as memorable and vicious as he is. He is a mean mofo!

Kickboxer wouldn't work as well as it does if it was overly playful. Tong Po is a remorseless killing machine and that is why Kurt has to train as hard as he does.

Plus, Kickboxer isn't all serious and mean. Winston is a fun character and even Xian has a sense of humour, like the bar scene where he gets Kurt drunk;

"I tell them you say they no good fighters... and that their mothers have sex with mules. Oh make them very angry"

The whole bar/famous dance scene alone makes it fun in my book

Getting more and more excited to revisit this now!

[BladeRunner2007]

Originally Posted by JoelGoodsen

Hear hear mate. It's bloody good isn't it!? Love the score, the training scenes, the location of the training scenes and the final fight with their hands wrapped in glass. What a way to close out the 80s with a film like Kickboxer.

I remember coming home from school, doing homework and then it was always time to watch Bloodsport & Kickboxer back to back. This went on for years. JCVD was my childhood hero and he is still my favorite actor of all time. Kickboxer is a frigging martial arts masterpiece. No matter how often you watch it, it's always a bloody great time.

[JoelGoodsen]

Originally Posted by BladeRunner2007

I remember coming home from school, doing homework and then it was always time to watch Bloodsport & Kickboxer back to back. This went on for years. JCVD was my childhood hero and he is still my favorite actor of all time. Kickboxer is a frigging martial arts masterpiece. No matter how often you watch it, it's always a bloody great time.

Agree with everything you said! As a young kid, Tong Po scared the life out of me. He has that can't be hurt/invincible aura down to a tee.

Plus, I didn't even realise he had any makeup/prosthetics applied until I was older. Always loved how they credited Tong Po in the credits as 'himself'. That alone made me believe he was actually out there destroying fighters somewhere haha.

[BladeRunner2007]

Originally Posted by JoelGoodsen

Agree with everything you said! As a young kid, Tong Po scared the life out of me. He has that can't be hurt/invincible aura down to a tee.

Plus, I didn't even realise he had any makeup/prosthetics applied until I was older. Always loved how they credited Tong Po in the credits as 'himself'. That alone made me believe he was actually out there destroying fighters somewhere haha.

Yes, he was a scary MF. It took me ages to realize the it's the same actor as Paredes in Bloodsport lol.

[BladeRunner2007]

Tai Chi - YouTube

Stone City - YouTube

Second Stone - YouTube

Advanced Training - YouTube

The Eagle Lands - YouTube

[weberrygt]

so much insight, and answers to questions I have been asking for a long time... Tong Po has to be wearing a prosthetic. I should look that up. (Forget about it).... and lo and behold, he is!

[JoelGoodsen]

If anyone has ever wondered how Dennis Alexio (Eric Sloane) felt about his voice being dubbed, I have an article on that too. He was not happy

I've also got a scan of the very early VHS cover that was sent to video shops for them to preview. It has the original plot on the back, very different to the movie we got. Also has Tong Po spelt wrong too lol.

[maverick22]

Can’t wait to see the steelbook art!

Lionsgate is one of the better ones imo with cover art, and I like how they use the protective cover with art as well!

[TylerDurden389]

Just wanna say that both this movie and Bloodsport's scores get many revisits whenever I hit the gym. Heck, VD is in his 60's now and still looks in great shape to this day. It's funny, as a kid, these guys inspired me to get into fitness, and now at 40, they inspire me even more because they refuse to go out without a fight.

[Bishop_99]

Originally Posted by JoelGoodsen

Until we get an official press release from Lionsgate, here are a few of my Kickboxer related items. Original video store posters etc. I also had a very talented friend of mine spray paint my home gym with a Kickboxer theme;

Spoilered the rest underneath as to not take up too much thread space;

[Show spoiler]

Wow Wow Wow..... What an impressive collection you have there. It's like going into an Arcade room with all the great games, but it's all Van Damme and the 80's and 90's action heroes. Extremely impressive.

I have never seen an uncut version of Kickboxer, I didn't even know there was such a thing. I would like to see this version now that I know about it.

Between Bloodsport and Kickboxer? I grew up with both of these films and I equally like them for different reasons. I always enjoyed all the training scenes in Kickboxer and the nice music that plays through out it. I imagine that I will play the 4K of Bloodsport and Kickboxer, back to back, a lot of times.

[Doc Samson]

So excited for this, I finally caved and bought the ancient blu ray last month, but I have no issue double dipping so soon on something as good as Kickboxer. Peak JCVD.

[Liersi]

Originally Posted by JoelGoodsen

Hear hear mate. It's bloody good isn't it!? Love the score, the training scenes, the location of the training scenes and the final fight with their hands wrapped in glass. What a way to close out the 80s with a film like Kickboxer.

As corny as it sounds, both movies build a very effective narrative arc for their characters. The focus not on winning, but on what it takes to win, on what it feels like to train and get better, to hurt and grind it out - to that soundtrack! -must have inspired a generation. That was the 80s, though. We still have great fight films nowadays, but few of them earn their victories like Bloodsport and Kickboxer did.

[Markgway]

Qissi in AWOL/Lionheart