Even though it's often overshadowed by Bloodsport, Kickboxer is definitely one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's best movies, and a great slice of 80's cheese. It's got everything from permed mullets, to terrible synth-pop, to our boy Jean-Claude making an ass of himself by attempting to dance...

Anyway, the basic story is that JCVD plays Kurt, the trainer for his brother Eric (Dennis Alexio), who heads to Thailand to take on their kickboxing champ, Tong Po (Michel Qissi). Tong Po makes a fool out of Eric and paralyzes him, so of course Kurt swears revenge.

After pairing up with an nutty sidekick, Winston (Haskell Anderson), Eric begins training with the mysterious Xian (Dennis Chan). Eric becomes a very strong fighter, but will it be enough to defeat Tong Po? If you don't know (or can't guess) the answer, then please shut off your computer, then go and tell mommy that your diapie needs to be changed because you just made boom-boom. Kickboxer is by-the-numbers stuff all the way.

But that's not really a bad thing. The acting, for the most part, is done really well, and the viewer doesn't mind watching the exposition scenes. Dennis Chan is especially good in a role that could have easily turned into the stereotypical "crazy sifu" stuff. And the fight scenes (helmed by Van Damme himself) are pretty exciting. In fact, Kickboxer's main fault that there just isn't enough of them. While I enjoyed the film, it still fells like it need more punch -- literally.

There are a few very solid action scenes, most notably the final confrontation between Kurt and Tong Po, but Kickboxer really needed a couple of additions in the fight department if it was to be raised to the level of action movie greatness. As it stands, though, Kickboxer's still a fun movie, and perfect for those nights when you're armed with a gutful of beverages and looking for some good old-fashioned brainless entertainment.

RATING: 7