This was the first martial arts film I ever saw and the one that got me to take up Muay Thai Boxing. The plot is actually very similar to a lot of other martial arts films and is predictable in the sense that you know from the start that Kurt is going to beat Tong Po eventually.
It is well done though, and I do like the storyline of Kurt (Van Damme) wanting revenge on Tong Po for brutally breaking his brother, Eric's (Dennis Alexio), back in a fight. There's some great fight scenes and the film is quite inspirational and, in parts, comical, especially the character of Taylor and his "jungle survivor quiche". Taylor is the one who introduces Kurt to Mr Xion. Mr Xion agrees to train Kurt and equip him with the skills he needs to beat Tong Po. There is, of course, a love interest for Jean-Claude Vandamme in the form of Mr Xions niece Mai Li.
Since then, I've done Muay Thai for 15 years. My instructor trained in Thailand for a while and he tells me that, yes, the part where they dip their roped hands in glue and broken glass IS accurate, the Thais really did used to fight that way. I've also personally met Michel Qissi (who, although uncredited in the first film, played Tong Po), he was at an exhibition I went to, and what a gentleman he was too.
If you like a decent story with great fight choreography, then this is the film for you.
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Production Year: 2002 - Martial Arts - Director: Yimou Zhang - Original Language: Mandarin - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang
Production Year: 1981 - Martial Arts - Director: Kenji Misumi, Robert Houston - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Ohki, Akiji Kobayashi, Shin Kishida, Masahiro Tomikawa, Tomisaburo Wakayama
Production Year: 1994 - Martial Arts - Director: Wong Jing - Original Language: Cantonese - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Gary Daniels, Chingamy Yau, Jackie Chan, Joey Wong, Kumiko Goto, Richard Norton
Production Year: 1972 - Martial Arts - Director: Bruce Lee - Original Language: English\Cantonese\Chinese - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, Chuck Norris, Robert Wall, Jon T. Benn
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