Kickboxer (1993)
Reviewed by: ButterflyMurders on 2002-06-05
Summary: Well, to give a different opinion...
Firstly, I think it's a bit harsh, and wrong to say that this film wants to be OUATIC. There are certain elements pulled from OUATIC (a few characters, Po Chi Lam) but overall it's an entirely different film.

As most probably know, Yuen Biao wasn't impressed with how much his character had been cut out of OUATIC, so he decided to even the ledger with this.

The most impressive thing about this film were the fights. They were-Wow. Very nice choreography and camera work. Especially the finale battle between Yuen Biao and Yuen Wah, concluding with the pair suspended on chandaliers. The other fights were quite well done as well, with lots of ass being kicked!

Wu Ma's films usually have strong women characters, and this one is no exception. One even gets to kick some ass. I found Yuen Wah's wife quite chilling. For instance during the dinner scene in the beginning after Yuen Wah blasted someone's brains out with a gun, she continued eating nonchalantly as though seeing people shot dead at a dinner table was a daily occurence. Eww.

Overall this film is pretty entertaining, and under-rated. For something on a budget it still looks quite nice. I liked how it didn't take the obvious route of completely focusing on Yuen Biao, but instead focusing on a few different characters. This film deserves being given a chance :) 7.5/10