Kickboxer: Splits, Beer, and Villainy...Oh My!

Alright, alright, settle down kids. Moviebuff_marc's gonna drop some knowledge. So, I re-watched Kickboxer (1989) the other night. I gotta say, it still holds up in that gloriously cheesy, late-80s kinda way. It’s no Enter the Dragon, let's be clear, but it definitely scratches that itch for righteous vengeance and ridiculously exaggerated martial arts. Van Damme at his peak flexibility, people! That training montage with the beer? Iconic. Though, realistically, could anybody get that ripped just by kicking palm trees and dancing like a goofball? Maybe in a world where shoulder pads were king. Tong Po, man, what a villain! He's up there with Bolo Yeung from Bloodsport in terms of pure, unadulterated bad-guy intensity. The scene where he paralyzes Eric Sloane... still makes me cringe. Brutal stuff. And the final fight? Forget about it. Total adrenaline rush, even if it's predictable as hell. It's a simple story, sure, but the execution is so over-the-top good. Reminds me of those old Charles Bronson flicks where you knew what you were getting: a bad dude getting what he deserved. Okay, so maybe it's not high art. The acting is...well, let's just say it's committed. And yeah, the plot borrows heavily from everything from The Karate Kid to a dozen other revenge flicks. But Van Damme's charisma is undeniable, and the fight choreography (especially for its time) is pretty damn solid. For a Friday night with a pizza, you could do waaaaay worse. Maybe I'm just biased 'cause I grew up on this stuff, but Kickboxer will always have a special place in my heart. Anyone else a fan? Or am I showing my age here?