To the Death (1993 film)

Last updated

To the Death
Directed by Darrell Roodt
Written byGreg Latter
Produced byAnant Singh
Starring
  • John Barrett
  • Michel Qissi
  • Robert Whitehead
  • Michelle Bestbier
  • Greg Latter
CinematographyMark Vicente
Edited byRenee Engelbrecht
Music byFrank Becker
Production
company
Distant Horizon
Distributed by Cannon Films
Release date
  • 13 October 1993 (1993-10-13)(United States)
Running time
95 minutes
Countries
  • South Africa
  • United States
LanguageEnglish

To the Death is a 1993 South African martial arts film directed by Darrell Roodt and starring John Barrett, Michel Qissi, and Robert Whitehead. It is the official sequel to the 1991 film American Kickboxer . [1]

Contents

Plot

Professional kickboxing champion Rick Quinn has announced his retirement from the sport. Willard, the one time reporter he could not stand, has now become good friends with him and Quinn plans to live quietly with his pregnant wife Carol. However, one person unhappy with the retirement is Jacques Denard, who has wanted revenge on Quinn from their previous fight. Denard wanted to fight Quinn for the championship and now he finds that chance gone as Quinn has retired. When Denard shows up at Quinn's house to confront him, he is forced to leave at gunpoint by Carol.

Meanwhile, Quinn has attracted the attention of Dominique Le Braque, a rich businessman and lover of fights. As a fight promoter, he stages underground fights in which the loser finds himself shot in the head by the referee after the match is over. When Le Braque attempts to woo Quinn to fight for him, Quinn refuses as he tells him he is done as a professional. To ensure Quinn does join him, Le Braque hires some men to plant a car bomb, killing Carol and their unborn child. The incident destroys Quinn mentally to the point where despite help from Willard, Quinn has turned to alcoholism. He thinks Denard was the one who is responsible for killing Carol and in a drunken rage, confronts him and serves a three-month jail sentence for drunken assault. Le Braque bails Quinn out.

Deciding with nothing left to lose, Quinn takes up Le Braque's offer and is forced to stay at his mansion and land, where he begins to train. He also gets attention from Le Braque's wife Angelica, who slowly begins to tire of her husband's business overshadowing their marriage. When Quinn has his first fight and wins, he learns the horrid truth about what happens to the losers and he demands to leave. However, knowing he has been trapped, Quinn has no choice but to continue winning to keep himself alive. Eventually, he begins an affair with Angelica, which much to Le Braque's chagrin, gives the businessman a good idea. Quinn soon finds he has a familiar face as an opponent, Denard. Quinn attempts to snap some sense into Denard about what happens to the loser. Finally realizing it himself, Denard helps Quinn and together, they begin to take on Le Braque's men. When Le Braque points his gun at Quinn, Angelica shoots Le Braque, killing him.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in South Africa in 1992. The film has been considered an unusual production for director Roodt, who before this film had just earned major credentials after directing the film Sarafina! . [2]

Release

The now defunct Cannon Video released the film on VHS on 13 October 1993.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Denard</span> French mercenary (1929–2007)

Robert Denard was a French mercenary. He served as the de facto military leader of the Comoros twice with him first serving from 13 May 1978 to 15 December 1989 and again briefly from the 28th of September to the 5th of October in 1995. Sometimes known under the aliases Gilbert Bourgeaud and Saïd Mustapha Mhadjou, he was known for having performed various jobs in support of Françafrique—France's sphere of influence in its former colonies in Africa—for Jacques Foccart, co-ordinator of President Charles de Gaulle's African policy.

<i>Bloodsport</i> (film) 1988 film by Newt Arnold

Bloodsport is a 1988 American martial arts film directed by Newt Arnold. The film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, with a supporting cast of Leah Ayres, Forest Whitaker, Donald Gibb, Roy Chiao, and Bolo Yeung. The film centers on Frank Dux, a United States Army Captain and ninjutsu practitioner who competes in an underground full-contact martial arts tournament called the Kumite in Hong Kong. Based on Dux's real-life claims, the film was marketed as a true story. It was one of Van Damme's first lead roles and showcased his abilities, launching his career as a mainstream action star.

<i>Kickboxer</i> (1989 film) 1989 American martial arts sports drama film

Kickboxer is a 1989 American martial arts film directed by David Worth and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Former world kickboxing champion Dennis Alexio is also featured. The plot revolves around Kurt Sloane seeking revenge on the fearsome kickboxing champion Tong Po who paralyzed his brother Eric Sloane. The film is regarded as the first movie to bring Muay Thai to a global audience.

<i>Lionheart</i> (1990 film) 1990 film directed by Sheldon Lettich

Lionheart is a 1990 American martial arts film directed by Sheldon Lettich, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Deborah Rennard, Harrison Page, Lisa Pelikan and Brian Thompson. It also features the acting debut of Ashley Johnson. Van Damme plays a French Foreign Legionnaire stationed in Africa, who must desert to the United States and enter the underground fighting circuit to raise money for his murdered brother's family.

<i>Kickboxer 4</i> 1994 American martial arts film

Kickboxer 4 is a 1994 American direct-to-video martial arts film directed by Albert Pyun. The film is the fourth entry in the Kickboxer film series. This was the last film to star Sasha Mitchell, who reprises his role as David Sloan.

<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>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>Kickboxer 2</i> 1991 American martial arts film

Kickboxer 2 is a 1991 American martial arts film directed by Albert Pyun and written by David S. Goyer. The film is the second entry into the Kickboxer film series, and stars Sasha Mitchell in the role of David Sloan, the brother of Kickboxer's lead character Kurt, portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme.

<i>Redemption: Kickboxer 5</i> 1995 American martial arts film

Redemption: Kickboxer 5 is a 1995 American direct-to-video martial arts film starring Mark Dacascos and directed by Kristine Peterson. The film is the fifth entry in the Kickboxer film series and the first to have a plot that does not revolve around a member of the Sloane family. It instead revolves around a character named Matt Reeves, said in dialogue to be a friend of the Sloane family.

<i>The Man from Hong Kong</i> 1975 film by Brian Trenchard-Smith

The Man from Hong Kong, originally released in the US as The Dragon Flies, is a 1975 action film written and directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith in his directorial debut and starring Jimmy Wang Yu and George Lazenby, with Hugh Keays-Byrne, Roger Ward, Rosalind Speirs, Rebecca Gilling, Sammo Hung, Grant Page and Frank Thring in supporting roles. The first film to be made as an international coproduction between Australia and Hong Kong, it serves as a satire of the James Bond and Dirty Harry franchises, combined with tropes of the concurrent chopsocky craze. Its plot follows Inspector Fang Sing Leng (Wang) of the RHKPF's Special Branch, who travels to Sydney to perform an extradition, only to find himself locked in battle with Jack Wilton (Lazenby), the city's most powerful crime lord.

Raging Phoenix is a 2009 Thai martial arts film starring Yanin "Jeeja" Vismistananda, in her second film performance. It is directed by Rashane Limtrakul, with martial arts choreography by Panna Rittikrai.

Arthur Mitchell (<i>Dexter</i>) Fictional character in the Showtime TV series Dexter

Arthur Mitchell, often referred to as the "Trinity Killer," is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the fourth season of the Showtime TV series Dexter. Mitchell is a serial killer who presents himself as an unassuming church deacon and family man. FBI agent Frank Lundy dubs him the "Trinity Killer" because of a recurring pattern of three killings based on traumatic events during Arthur's childhood. In the series, Mitchell is portrayed by John Lithgow.

Michel Qissi is a Moroccan Belgian actor, filmmaker, and martial artist best known for his action films. Qissi is the co-founder of The World Cinema Combat Federation (WCCF), an organization he formed with Grand Master Beom Jhoo Lee which teaches fight choreography in filmmaking.

<i>Bloodmatch</i> 1991 American film

Bloodmatch is a 1991 martial-arts film directed by Albert Pyun and starring Thom Mathews, Hope Marie Carlton, Marianne Taylor, Vincent Klyn, Michel Qissi, and Benny "The Jet" Urquidez.

<i>Kickboxer: Vengeance</i> 2016 American martial arts film

Kickboxer: Vengeance is a 2016 American martial arts film directed by John Stockwell, and starring Dave Bautista, Alain Moussi, Gina Carano, Georges St-Pierre, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. It is the sixth film in the Kickboxer franchise and also serves as a reboot. The film has a similar premise as the first film in the franchise. The film was released in select theaters and on VOD by RLJ Entertainment on September 2, 2016.

<i>Kickboxer: Retaliation</i> 2018 American martial arts film

Kickboxer: Retaliation is an American martial arts film directed and written by Dimitri Logothetis. It is the seventh in the Kickboxer film series and a direct sequel to the 2016 film Kickboxer: Vengeance, also written by Logothetis. The film stars Alain Moussi, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Christopher Lambert, Ronaldinho, Mike Tyson, Rico Verhoeven and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. Aside from Moussi and Van Damme, Sara Malakul Lane and Sam Medina reprised their roles from the previous film.

<i>American Kickboxer</i> 1991 film

American Kickboxer is a 1991 South African-American martial arts action film directed by Frans Nel and written by Emil Kolbe, based on an original story by the film's lead actor, John Barrett.

American Kickboxer 2 is a 1993 Filipino/American martial arts action film directed by Jeno Hodi and starring former world champion kickboxer Dale "Apollo" Cook and martial artist and actor Evan Lurie. Despite the title, it is not related to the 1991 film American Kickboxer.

Mister Bob is a 2011 French drama film directed and co-scripted by Thomas Vincent.

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. ↑ "To the Death (South Africa, 1993)". WorldFilmGeek. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  2. ↑ "Martial-Arts Movies Find a Home In South Africa". The New York Times. 23 February 1992.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.