The King of the Kickboxers

Last updated
King of the Kickboxers
The King of the Kickboxers (1990) Film Poster.jpg
Directed byLucas Lowe
Written byKeith W. Strandberg
Produced by See-Yuen Ng
Keith W. Strandberg
StarringLoren Avedon
Richard Jaeckel
Don Stroud
Billy Blanks
CinematographyViking Chiu
Music byRichard Yuen
Distributed bySeasonal Film Corporation
Release date
  • 1990 (1990)
Running time
99 min.
LanguageEnglish

The King of the Kickboxers (also known as Karate Tiger V and No Retreat, No Surrender 4) is a 1990 martial arts film directed by Lucas Lowe and starring Loren Avedon as Jake Donahue and Billy Blanks as Khan.

Contents

Plot

1981, Bangkok, Thailand. Sean Donahue is in the kickboxing ring against the current Thai champion. In his corner is his little brother Jake, who is cheering Sean on. Sean is able to overpower his opponent and wins after a spin kick knocks the Thai fighter out. Sean is rewarded with the championship. En route to their hotel after the fight, Jake and Sean are ambushed by some armed men. Sean is able to fight them off until he is shot at by Khan, who warned Sean he was not to have won the fight. Sean admits that it wasn't his intention but the opponent wasn't much of a contender. Khan, angry with the decision, fights Sean and obliterates him in front of young Jake. Khan performs a triple kick combination starting with a double jump kick to the head, followed by a double jump kick to the chest and a jump spinning back kick, which kills Sean. Jake, saddened and angry, races towards Khan who beats Jake up and knocks him out.

It has been ten years and Jake is now a New York City detective who has gone undercover to bust a drug deal in an abandoned warehouse. Jake mocks the dealer and tells the dealer that he is a cop. The dealer laughs it off at first, until Jake reveals his badge and wire, which infuriates his fellow officers. The dealer and his two men attempt to begin fighting Jake, who resorts to a street fighting style to ultimate stop the dealer and his men. SWAT arrives and the team leader is unhappy with Jake for his actions. Back at the office, Jake is getting reamed out by Captain O'Day, who tells Jake the dealer may have a chance to call police brutality due to his actions. However, O'Day makes Jake a deal that could get him out of his potential bind. Interpol has contacted NYPD about an operation involving snuff films and wants Jake to take on the operation. When Jake learns the operation is in Thailand, Jake refuses to take the assignment. However, that night, while viewing one of the films, he learns the man who stars in the film is Khan, which triggers the flashback of his brother's death. When Jake gets a call from O'Day to let him off the hook, Jake tells him he's taking the assignment.

Upon his arrival in Thailand, Jake meets his contact Anderson, who tells him that the men behind the snuff films look around for fighters to star in their films. Therefore, Jake must find a way to get attention. While this is going on, an American fighter, Dan Handel, is the latest star of Khan's new film, in which he learns the hard way about what filming is like. When Dan is cut for real and then shot at, he is shocked to discover the body of a dead woman. Khan arrives and beats up Dan before impaling him on a hook, causing his death. Jake's first attempt at a Muay Thai school proves to be unsuccessful. However, his actions grab the attention of Thasi, a Thai-American Muay Thai fighter. That night, as a reward for his latest actions, Khan is given a chance to choose a woman to spend the night with and chooses Molly, an American who came to Thailand to start a modeling career only to find herself duped with nowhere else to go. When she tricks Khan into doing a tradition of washing up for him, she escapes. When Khan sends men after her, Jake comes to her rescue and the two bond over the experience.

The next day, Thasi follows Jake, Jake confronts him only to be beaten up. Jake is convinced that he will need more than street smarts if he plans to defeat Khan. Thasi, knowing Jake will not be able to stand a chance against Khan with his current skill, recommends a fighter named Prang, who is the only man to come close to defeating Khan. Since the devastating loss, Prang has resorted to becoming a hermit living off the Mekong River. When Jake arrives to Prang's place, Prang seems to be completely drunk and blows Jake off. As Jake sets off to leave, Prang's chimpanzee steals Jake's passport. The next day, Jake heads to Prang to retrieve his passport and sees Prang getting mugged. Jake's attempt proves unsuccessful with Prang showcasing his martial arts skills, knocking out all of the muggers and sending them away. He admits the mugging was a ruse to see how well Jake can fight and invites him to dinner.

That night, Prang tells his story of how he fought and ultimately lost to Khan. The loss caused Prang to start playing the part of a drunken hermit nobody could feel threatened by and yet he had wanted revenge on Khan for a long time. When Jake reveals how Khan had killed his brother ten years ago, Prang is at first reluctant to teach Jake for revenge but sees the opportunity as redemption and decides to put Jake through a painful regiment of training. When Jake grows tired of the pain he must endure at the hands of Prang, a confrontation leads to Jake almost leaving Prang, only to apologize and decides to take the training seriously. Molly looks for Jake and must escape Khan's men. Eventually, Molly does reach Jake and the two start a romance. Jake becomes more proficient in martial arts and proves his mettle in an underground fight. When Jake begins winning his fights, it grabs the attention of Mr. McKinney, the scout for the snuff films. Jake accepts McKinney's offer. However, that night, while having dinner with Molly, Jake is stunned by the arrival of both Anderson and Capt. O'Day, who learns Jake's real reason why he accepted the mission. O'Day wants Jake off the mission, but Jake has told them he made contact and he makes his "movie" the next day. Anderson fully decides to side with Jake and at first reluctant, O'Day agrees as well.

The next day, Jake is ready and heads to the location, which consists of a booby-trapped dome made of bamboo. However, when he leaves, Khan has Molly kidnapped and Prang killed. As Jake, wearing the mask of Hanuman makes his way through the first round of goons in the dome, he plays it off pretending like he doesn't know what's going on and even throws his mask to the ground. However, Khan, wearing a black mask, arrives and has Molly tied up and throws Prang's body to the bottom, watery lake where Jake is shocked. Khan and Jake start out with a sword fight until Jake is hit in the side and Khan's mask is sliced off, revealing his face. A visibly upset Jake reveals the photo of Sean from ten years ago and throws it to Khan. Khan knows who Jake is now and promises to send him to Hell. Jake says he has been there for ten years and the two go one-on-one with both nearly equally matching their skills. Khan gets the upper hand and almost sends Jake to death via impalement on a ground spike only for Jake to barely hang on to the cage. When Khan breaks a piece of bamboo as a staff to knock Jake down, Jake grabs the staff and jumps up and begins his assault on Khan. Khan attempts the triple death kick combination only to learn that thanks to Prang's training, Jake has learned to counter the three kicks. Jake finally defeats Khan, to the shock of everyone on set. When Jake attempts to get Molly, Khan gets up and runs towards Jake, who kicks Khan to the dome entryway, which falls on Khan. In his last breath, Khan grabs the rope in an attempt to send Molly to a grounded spike in the water only for Jake to rescue her.

The Thai authorities arrive with O'Day and Anderson. Jake is relieved to see the film finally get shut down. The Thai authorities blow up the bamboo dome as Molly and Jake celebrate as they can start their lives over together.

Cast

Production

According to an interview with actor Loren Avedon, [1] he shot his scenes independently with his scenes involving Richard Jaeckel as his boss. In addition, in the scene where Avedon's character does the Stallone-like scream after seeing Khan and remembering the death of his brother, Avedon told director Lo he wanted to just toss the film tape into the fire in anger. He also did not get along well with actress Sherrie Rose. Avedon claimed Rose was acting like a "prima donna" and told her to "shut up" and that she had bad-mouthed him afterwards.

According to an interview with screenwriter/producer Keith W. Strandberg, [2] actress Sherrie Rose had issues with a scene where she was to go topless in a love scene with co-star Loren Avedon. She replaced an actress who refused to do the nudity scene but she also had complained once it was time to shoot the scene. However, the filmmakers were careful in only getting a few seconds of the nudity in the scene. Strandberg also confirmed that Billy Blanks' character of Khan is actually the son of a Thai mother abandoned by his American serviceman father, thus Khan having a hatred for Americans.

The film has some noticeable similarities to the Jean-Claude Van Damme film Kickboxer , which was released a year earlier and features similar locations, plot and general atmosphere. Van Damme was becoming a big star in the late 80s early 90s so there would be attempts to copy.[ citation needed ] He is even referenced by Avedon in a joking manner. Actor Billy Blanks appeared with Van Damme in 1990s Lionheart.

Influence

James Goddard, former member of Research and Development at Capcom confirmed in an interview with Capcom Unity that Blanks' character of Khan was the inspiration for his creating the character of Dee Jay in the video game Super Street Fighter II in 1993. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior</i> 2003 Thai film

Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, also known as Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior or simply Ong-Bak, is a 2003 Thai martial arts film directed by Prachya Pinkaew and featured action choreography by Panna Rittikrai. It stars Tony Jaa in the lead role, alongside Petchtai Wongkamlao and Pumwaree Yodkamol.

Hwang Jang-lee is a Korean martial artist and actor best known for his Hong Kong martial arts films. He is a ninth-dan grandmaster in Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo who began training in 1957. Prior to his acting career, Hwang was a martial arts instructor for the Korean military in Vietnam.

<i>No Retreat, No Surrender</i> 1986 martial arts film by Corey Yuen

No Retreat, No Surrender is a 1985 martial arts film directed by Corey Yuen in his American film directorial debut. It is the first title in the No Retreat, No Surrender franchise, whose plot lines and characters are mostly unrelated. It stars Kurt McKinney, with a supporting cast of Jean-Claude Van Damme, J.W. Fails, Kathie Sileno, and Kim Tai-chung. The film was released in Italy on October 20, 1985, and in the United States on May 2, 1986. McKinney performs as Jason Stillwell, an American teenager who learns martial arts from the spirit of Bruce Lee. Stillwell uses these lessons to defend his martial arts dojo against Soviet martial artist Ivan Kraschinsky.

<i>Tom-Yum-Goong</i> 2005 Thai martial arts film

Tom-Yum-Goong is a 2005 Thai martial arts film directed by Prachya Pinkaew and stars Tony Jaa in the lead role. Pinkaew also directed Jaa's prior breakout film Ong-Bak. As with Ong-Bak, the fights were choreographed by Jaa and his mentor Panna Rittikrai.

<i>No Retreat, No Surrender 2</i> 1987 film by Corey Yuen

No Retreat, No Surrender 2 is a 1987 Hong Kong-American martial arts film directed by Corey Yuen, and starring Loren Avedon, Matthias Hues, Max Thayer and Cynthia Rothrock. Despite its title, it does not have any narrative or character connection to No Retreat, No Surrender, as it plots an independent story. The film was originally released as Raging Thunder in the Philippines. It is the second film in the No Retreat, No Surrender franchise.

<i>Fearless</i> (2006 film) 2006 Hong Kong martial arts film

Fearless, also known as Huo Yuanjia (霍元甲) in Chinese, as Spirit in Japan and as Jet Li's Fearless in the United Kingdom and in the United States, is a 2006 martial arts film directed by Ronny Yu and starring Jet Li. It is loosely based on the life of Huo Yuanjia, a Chinese martial artist who challenged foreign fighters in highly publicized events, restoring pride and nationalism to China at a time when Western imperialism and Japanese manipulation were eroding the country in the final years of the Qing Dynasty before the birth of the Republic of China. Li stated in an interview that the film was his last wushu martial arts epic, a point also made in the film's television promotions and other publicity.

<i>Bloodfist</i> 1989 American film

Bloodfist is a 1989 American martial arts film directed by Terence H. Winkless, starring Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Rob Kaman, Billy Blanks and Cris Aguilar. The plot sees an American former kickboxer travel to Manila, where he re-enters competition to avenge the murder of his brother and fellow fighter.

<i>Bloodfist II</i> 1990 film directed by Andy Blumenthal

Bloodfist II is a 1990 American martial arts action film directed by Andy Blumenthal and starring Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Kris Aguilar, and Ronald Asinas. It was written by Catherine Cyran.

<i>Young Doctors in Love</i> 1982 film by Garry Marshall

Young Doctors in Love is a 1982 American comedy film directed by Garry Marshall. It spoofs a variety of medical shows and has many guest stars from ABC soap operas.

<i>No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers</i> 1990 American martial arts film

No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers is a 1990 American action film directed by Lucas Lowe and starring Loren Avedon and Keith Vitali. While financed by Seasonal Entertainment, it does not have any narrative or character connection to No Retreat, No Surrender or the sequel, both directed by Corey Yuen.

<i>An Eye for an Eye</i> (1981 film) 1981 film by Steve Carver

An Eye for an Eye is a 1981 American crime action film directed by Steve Carver. It stars Chuck Norris, Christopher Lee, Richard Roundtree, Matt Clark, Mako Iwamatsu, and Maggie Cooper.

<i>The Contender Asia</i> 2008 Singaporean TV series or program

The Contender Asia was a reality-based television series that follows 16 Muay Thai middleweight fighters from 12 countries as they compete in a series of outdoor challenges and sanctioned matches. The series is a deviation from the original Contender series, which involved boxing. The winner received US$150,000 and bragging rights as "The Contender Champion".

<i>Final Impact</i> (film) 1992 American film

Final Impact is a 1992 Direct-To-Video martial arts film starring Jeff Langton, Mimi Lesseos, Lorenzo Lamas and Michael Worth. It was directed by Joseph Merhi and Stephen Smoke. The film was shot in 18 days.

<i>Blood and Bone</i> 2009 film by Ben Ramsey

Blood and Bone is a 2009 American martial arts film directed by Ben Ramsey and written by Michael Andrews. It stars Michael Jai White, Julian Sands, Eamonn Walker, Dante Basco, Nona Gaye, Michelle Belegrin, and Bob Sapp. The film also features martial artist Matt Mullins, former professional wrestler Ernest "The Cat" Miller, Kimbo Slice, Maurice Smith, and Gina Carano.

<i>Knucklehead</i> (2010 film) 2010 American film

Knucklehead is a 2010 American comedy film starring Big Show, Melora Hardin, Mark Feuerstein, and Dennis Farina. It was released on October 22, 2010 in select theaters and garnered strongly negative reviews from critics, who found fault in the film's premise, execution, and clichéd tropes. The DVD was released on November 9, 2010. Farina later called it the most embarrassing project of his career.

Ninja Turf is a 1985 martial arts film, starring Jun Chong and Phillip Rhee. Loren Avedon, Thomas F. Wilson in his feature film debut, and Peter Malota appear in this film in small roles.

Ron Smoorenburg is a Dutch martial artist and actor, who is best known for his film debut as the high-kicking henchman in the final fight of Jackie Chan's Who Am I? in 1998. He currently lives in Thailand, where he works as an actor, stuntman, and fight choreographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prison Fight</span> Rehabilitation program for inmates through combat sports

Prison Fight is a controversial rehabilitation program for inmates through combat sports organized in partnership with the Thai Department of Corrections, an agency of the Thai Ministry of Justice. The program gives Thai prisoners who are incarcerated former fighters the opportunity to take on foreign fighters in exchange for sentence reduction and even gain their freedom if they win. If the inmates win sufficient amounts of fights against foreigners and have good behaviours, the Department of Corrections can reduce their sentences or even grant them a Royal pardon. Prison Fight holds events inside various maximum security prisons in Thailand and provides inmates with money and equipment to prepare them to reintegrate society. Convicts can engage in Muay Thai and Boxing matches in exchange for an early release.

Loren Rains Avedon is an American martial artist and actor best known for his portrayal of Jake Donahue in The King of the Kickboxers and Scott Wylde in No Retreat, No Surrender 2.

The Last Kumite is a Kickstarter-funded 2024 low-budget martial arts film. It is directed by Ross W. Clarkson with a soundtrack by Paul Hertzog and Stan Bush. It is an homage to popular action movies of the last century.

References

  1. "Interview with Loren Avedon at cityonfire.com".
  2. "Interview with Keith Strandberg at cityonfire.com".
  3. "The origin of Dee Jay, straight from creator James Goddard".