Karaté Tiger : Le Tigre rouge

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.

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).

I loved it...the original film of the series is a great find for martial arts fanatics. Seeing this for the 1st time at the age of 7 and finding it on video 7 years later on a class trip to D.C., I had to get it.

Corey Yuen's 1st international film, the film features present soap opera Kurt McKinney and a young Jean-Claude Van Damme as the teen Rocky and Ivan Drago-kung fu style. Loved the little comparison of "Seattle Karate" and "L.A. Karate"...so reminiscent of those ol' kung fu films of yor. Excellent fight scenes and the Bruce-alike Tang Lung (aka Kim Tai Chung) as Bruce Lee's ghost makes this a classic 80's US kung fu flick.

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.

I'm not a fan of watching campy movies. I can laugh an inept movie for a few minutes but then I get bored. Some people might watch "No Retreat, No Surrender" as camp. I don't but that doesn't mean that it's a good movie. It's not. It does, however, have a certain charm that makes the ridiculousness watchable. I watch "No Retreat, No Surrender" every once in a while. I won't say that it hits the spot but it's a strangely almost satisfying watch.