Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016)

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.

Kickboxer (1989) Biography, Plot, Production, Fight.

Plot.

Kurt Sloane goes to Thailand and heads to the martial arts compound of Tong Po. He is met with resistance by doorman Kavi. When Kurt pays Kavi to let him in, Kavi starts a fight with Kurt. However, Kurt is able to get the upper hand on Kavi and defeats him. Another compound fighter, Storm, struts his stuff and is able to beat Kurt. Kurt and Kavi are doing laundry when Kavi attempts to steal Kurt’s wallet. Kurt, noticing what Kavi was up to, tells him to return the wallet but lets him keep the money. That night, Crawford introduces Tong Po to the compound and Tong Po shows his strength by using simple knees and elbows to break a stone statue. After a few battles between compound fighters, Tong returns inside to meet with his escorts. Later that night, Kurt wakes up and finds Tong Po. Discovering Kurt has pointed a gun to him, Tong Po tells Kurt that his brother was brave and a

warrior where Kurt is a coward. Tong Po knocks Kurt out and Crawford informs Kurt that because of what he had attempted, the police have been called in to arrest him. Flashbacks reveal that Eric Sloane has won the World Karate Championship. At a celebratory event at the Sloan Gym, fight promoter Marcia arrives and invites Eric to go to Thailand to fight in an underground match. Eric thinks that they can make more money and get their name known, while Kurt is extremely skeptical and attempts to talk Eric out of going. Eric, determined, has made up his mind and tells Kurt he is leaving. A while later, Kurt receives an envelope with Eric’s championship medal and a ticket to Bangkok. Kurt has learned that the night he is there, Eric is scheduled to fight Tong Po. Meanwhile,

Liu, a local Thai police officer, has been planning to stop the underground fights much to the chagrin of her superior, Wattona, who is on Marcia’s payroll. When Kurt arrives to Thailand, he sees Eric being brutalized by Tong Po. Tong Po puts Eric in a headlock and breaks his neck, killing him. Liu and some officers show up, forcing everyone to disperse except for Kurt, who is with his brother. At the coroners, Kurt confronts Marcia, blaming her for what had happened to Eric. Marcia tells him that it was Eric’c choice. As Kurt lashes out at Marcia, he is stopped by police, who then escort him first to meet Master Durand, Eric’s Muay Thai trainer, who gives him Eric’s money from the fight and then to the airport. Kurt is warned to leave Thailand and never come back. However, he ends up staying.

11 Facts About The Movie Kickboxer

Production.

Kings Road Entertainment announced in 2012 that they planned a 3-D remake of the film. Legal battles within the company, however, resulted in this version, along with several other planned remakes from the company, not being made. Radar Pictures began developing a reboot of the film in 2013 with Jim McGrath and Dimitri Logothetis writing; Logothetis is also produced along with Ted Field and Nick Celozzi, Mike Weber and Peter Meyer executive producing and Stephen Fung attached to direct with the film start filming in early 2014. On May 12, 2014, Deadline announced that The Exchange boarded sales on Radar with Brian O’Shea, Jeff Bowler and Nat McCormick executive producing the film and announced stunt man Alain Moussi will

star in his first lead role with co-starring roles by Georges St-Pierre, Dave Bautista, Scott Adkins, and Tony Jaa. J. J. Perry will be the action director and Larnell Stovall will be the fight choreographer. In November 2014, it was announced that Jaa and director Fung had left the project. John Stockwell stepped in as the film’s director. In December 2014, actors T. J. Storm, Matthew Ziff and original film star Jean-Claude Van Damme were cast in the film. On December 4, Sara Malakul Lane joined the film to play the love interest of the lead character. On December 6, 2014, Darren Shahlavi was cast as Eric Sloan, a role was originally meant for Adkins. On December 8, Gina Carano joined the film’s cast to play a fight promoter.

Filming.

Filming began in New Orleans and Thailand on November 24, 2014. Dave Bautista and Alain Moussi shot their final fight scene during the New Orleans shoot, due to Bautista having to leave early to shoot his scenes as Mr. Hinx in the James Bond film Spectre. After completing the filming in New Orleans, Radar Pictures left without fully paying the crew and vendors. On February 10, 2015, producer Logothetis told Variety that all 180 crew members had been paid in early February, and he also revealed that there would a two-weeks shooting taken place in Thailand later that month. After the New Orleans shoot, actor Darren Shahlavi, who played Eric Sloane, died at the age of 42 on January 14, 2015. Dimitri Logothesis said that the film will be dedicated to Darren’s memory. Production re-emerged in June 2015, with Alain Moussi going to Bangkok to film his scenes with Jean-Claude Van Damme. Dimitri Logothetis took over directing the shoot in Thailand.

Why Jean-Claude Van Damme Didn’t Return For Kickboxer 2

Release, Reeption.

The film premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 14, 2016. The film was released in select theaters and Video on Demand platforms by RLJ Entertainment on September 2, 2016. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 41% based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 4.69/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 37 out of 100, based on eight critics, indicating “generally unfavorable reviews”. Similar reviews can also be found on IMDb, with a score of 4,9 out of 10.