El Desafió

Watched this on Prime last night and was in fits of laughter from start to finish. Brought back so many memories from the mid-eighties including BMX bikes, breakdancing, terrible hair, terrible music and questionable values.

Couple this with some of the worst acting, editing, scriptwriting, sound recording and direction you've ever seen and you've got yourself a modern classic. 6/10.

No Retreat, No Surrender (1985) was a Seasonal Films production that was filmed in the United States. Corey Yuen was the director and Hoi Meng was the co-action director. This film marked the Western debut of future superstar Jean Claude Van Damme. This was also the first of three official No Retreat, No Surrender films.

A kid witnesses his dad being brutally beaten by a group of thugs and their new fighter, a big mean Soviet kick-fighter (J.C.V.D.) The kid does what anybody else would do if they saw their own dad nearly beaten to death, swear a blood revenge against those who put him in traction. There's one problem, the kid can't punch his way out of a paper bag and his fighting skills are virtually non-existence. What's a kid to do? Turn to a higher power! Will that be the stuff needed to beat down the mean Red fighter and avenge his father?

The fight scenes are realistic looking and bone crunching. The direction is real good and the acting is okay. A Hong Kong style movie made in America. J.C.V.D. is pretty scary and mean looking in his big debut. He'll make a bigger splash in his first true success Bloodsport.

If you enjoy old school kung fu movies where the son has to avenge his father with a blood oath, then this one's for you. Followed by No Retreat, No Surrender 2.

Although Jean-Claude Van Damme's image takes prominence on the cover of the DVD (front and back), the Belgian martial arts star only shows up briefly at the very beginning of the film, and for the entertaining finalé; the real 'star' of No Retreat, No Surrender is the lesser known Kurt McKinney, who plays young, headstrong karate student Jason, who, with a little help from break-dancer RJ (J.W. Fails) and Bruce Lee's ghost (Tai Chung Kim), helps defeat the New York gangsters who have been seizing control of the country's dojos for use as fronts for their criminal activities.

While the lack of Van Damage in the majority of the film could be off-putting for some, anyone who enjoys a large dollop of 80s cheeze should definitely stay on board...

Directed by Cory Yuen, No Retreat, No Surrender only proves mildly satisfying as a martial arts movie, with just a few unmemorable fights between Jason and local bullies before his inevitable showdown with hired heavy Ivan Kraschinsky (Van Damme). However, when the feet and fists aren't flying, the film is side-splittingly funny, with lousy performances (McKinney is much better at kicking than acting), a dumb plot (clearly inspired by The Karate Kid), ridiculous characters, the silly supernatural element, and hilarious 80s music and fashion unintentionally making this a lot more enjoyable than it really has any right to be.

The film's dumbest, and therefore most entertaining moments include a hilarious nightclub scene that sees RJ busting some moves in full Michael Jackson regalia, and the unforgettable sight of Jason training with RJ perched on his lap (their friendship clearly being taken to the next level).

Before watching the movie I had in my mind that this was just going to be another dodgy movie but with a bit of van damme thrown in. How wrong. This movie truly is a classic, the cheesy music, (especially the end credits) brilliant montage scenes and especially the fighting itself. This isn't your traditionally badly choreographed Van Dammeesque movie but a very well done job. The fight scenes a lengthy and extremely enjoyable, and everyone in the movie can kick and punch very well. The main character Kurt McKinney (Jason) turns up the style later in the movie by pulling off some unbelievable training exercises, such as his two-finger one handed push ups! OK - so the acting is very ropey - but who cares! If you're looking for an enjoyable evening in and a self motivational movie - this is the one!

From the stilted dialogue, through the ridiculous storyline, the amazing disco sequence and a rousing finale the sheer spirit of this FUN FUN FUN movie shines through. Forget all the computer generated fights of today, this how it was and should be. Over the top, funny, satisfying and possible. They don't make 'em like this anymore, and more's the shame.