•
Rating: A few years before taking on roles as a positive hero mastering all forms of combat (from muay thai to street fighting, including spitball tournaments and booger throwing), action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme played a small but significant part in the film "Kickboxers - Vendetta Personale".
The film, which dates back to between 1985 and 1986, fits squarely into that cinematic genre often accused of pro-Reaganism, with "Rocky IV" being its most famous representative, as well as its scapegoat. It seems that in those years directors who wanted to stage contests tinged with patriotism were entirely exempt from the rules of being diplomatically correct; it was no secret, therefore, that the political confrontation between the USA and USSR became a pretext for epic and gratifying battles, more or less sporty. Just think that even in the contemporary "Highlander", in which Christopher Lambert played a Scottish Highlands warrior transplanted in America, the villain (the legendary Kurgan) was descended, according to legend, from a distant land that today corresponds to Russia.
But let’s return to the film in question which, in light of these premises, presents itself as a full-fledged adaptation of "Rocky IV" in the field of martial arts. The only substantial difference concerns the budget: quite a few dollars spent on the first, about 3,000 lire for the second.
Jason is the classic good guy who helps his dad, an honest and loyal karateka, manage a gym in Los Angeles. One fine day, a gang of thugs shows up intending to recruit the man into their criminal organization. However, he pays for his refusal by being soundly beaten by one of the boss's henchmen, the Russian Ivan Krashinski, whom we’ll simply call "Ivan Damme" for convenience (it remains a mystery, at least to me, why he shares the same name as other cinematic Soviet characters like Ivan Drago and Ivan Danko). Concerned for his family’s safety, the poor man moves to Seattle, but even there they do not have an easy life. Due to a simple misunderstanding, Jason fails to get into the local karate school and is repeatedly humiliated by some members. Only the help of Bruce Lee’s spirit, of whom he is a big fan, gives him the strength to withstand the abuse and restore his self-esteem. Meanwhile, the criminal organization that Ivan Damme is part of also arrives in Seattle, but this time the "negotiations" lead to a match between the sensei (whose sister is involved with Jason) along with 2 other representatives from the local gym and the formidable Russian, in whom total faith is placed. As was to be expected, the villainous Soviet shows up the three American athletes, displaying a repertoire halfway between wrestling and Dragon Ball (with a double-kick he literally sends an opponent flying out of the ring); but as happened in "Rocky IV", the Russian, however strong and seemingly unbeatable, does not reckon with the "American heart"; a furious Ivan Damme was about to pounce on Jason's young flame, but he, who would have been easily beaten even by Malgioglio a week earlier, rushes to the ring in time to save her and victoriously face his opponent, thanks to the wise advice and training of a Bruce Lee ex-machina.
While Stallone's much-maligned work concluded with a message of hope and détente between the two superpowers, this does not happen in this film, decidedly more cynical. With the Soviet threat averted, the American hero is carried in triumph and so be it. But the real reason why this film is worth appreciating is another: Van Damme got beaten, a circumstance that never occurred again in the next 25 years of his career! And if we add that it wasn’t Dolph Lundgren or Chuck Norris who beat him, but an anonymous guy barely more physically imposing than Fassino, I’m sure this will become your favorite fighting film!
To be reassessed.
Loading comments slowly
