Showdown

This movie is like a car crash on the side of the highway....

You know you shouldn't look, but once you do, you can't pull yourself away.

First off, this movie definitely has an "80's" feel to it.

The only problem is - it was made in 1993.

The movie actually plays well as a "parody" of 80's high school/teenager movies - especially "Karate Kid" (it's a virtual copy).

The only problem is - it parodies these movies unintentionally.

"Showdown" is the perfect example of a movie that is hilarious, without ever once trying to be funny.

As others have stated, Billy Blanks really steals the show in this one, and the other main character is played by a former Ninja Turtle.....what great casting! All the high school students appear to be in their late 20's or early thirties - although if you pay close attention, you can probably find a few pushing 40.

Here's the deal.....if you watch this movie as it's SUPPOSED to be watched you will hate it (if you don't, check your pulse!).

But if you watch it as a parody of movies like the "Karate Kid" than you will find yourself laughing throughout the film.

You have to admire any movie that willingly acknowledges its source material right there in the dialogue. In the case of "Showdown," directed by Robert Radler and written by Stuart Gibbs, that source is "The Karate Kid" (1984). You also have to admire star Billy Blanks. The guy tries so hard and yet never really comes off as anything more than just Billy Blanks, that Karate/Kickboxing/Tae Kwon Do master who would later find fame as the founder of the popular exercise system Tae Bo.

The movie plays pretty much like a watered-down version of "The Karate Kid," except "Showdown" seems more and more like some lame after-school children's special though obviously it's aimed more at teenagers. In the beginning of the movie, Ken Marx (Kenn Scott) arrives on his first day of school after moving from Kansas with his mom. From the get-go as the new kid, Ken doesn't fit in with the other students, his only friend being Mike (John Mallory Asher), another local outcast who shows him the ins and outs of his new environment.

Right away, Ken makes the mistake of hitting on the pretty blonde Julie (Christine Taylor), instantly making mortal enemies out of her extremely possessive boyfriend Tom (Ken McLeod). Of course, Johnny... er... Tom, is a violent Karate black belt, instructed in a macho, unethical form of martial arts under the macho, insane Lee (Patrick Kilpatrick). Ken takes several brutal beatings from Tom, until one day he's saved by the school's janitor, Billy (Blanks). Billy decides he's going to teach Ken to defend himself, so that he can finally stand up to Tom and win over Julie.

"Showdown" plays out more than just a repeat of "The Karate Kid." Gibbs's script combines elements from several completely separate genres and places them in one movie, the two most noticeable being the cop movie and the bullied-teen movie. Yes, I said the cop movie. As it turns out, Billy's an ex-cop with a tragic past that eventually comes back to haunt him in the present. Using his old partner who's still on the force, the two work together to bring down a full-contact fighting circuit organized by Lee that pits teenagers against each other for money. In the meantime, Billy doesn't know that Ken has accepted a challenge to face Tom in this same arena.

"Showdown" also aims to poke fun at the high school movie genre, but doesn't quite succeed at this either. There are plenty of lame sight gags, the usual bullies, cliques and reversals, and even Brion James drops in as the stereotypical hard-nosed principal. But none of this really gets the attention you think it deserves, since the filmmakers went to some lengths to put this stuff there in the first place.

On the plus side, I guess the acting is good from this cast and the movie seems to have a heart and a good message, but it's weighed down by the fact it's been done before. Radler seemed to be onto something when he made the otherwise excellent "Best of the Best" in 1989, but "Showdown" proves to be another tedious entry into an overdone genre. It's best that you save "Showdown" for an afternoon where you have nothing to do, or just want a late-night feel-good martial arts flick where the good guys win, and the bad guys go to jail. Now, isn't that what we all want?

4/10

P.S.: Is also available in both "PG-13" and "R"-rated formats. This review was based on the "R"-rated version.

Putting all of this film's cliches aside, there is nothing left to watch. And, frankly, that's what makes it the entertaining piece it is. This one feels like you've seen it twenty times the first time you see it.

The plot of Showdown is an integration of two main subplots: 1) a retired cop/school janitor joins his old partner to bust an illegal fighting ring lead by an old enemy and 2) a high school senior tries talking to the wrong man's girl at his new school and has to learn martial arts from the school janitor to defend himself from her aggressive boyfriend/fighting champ.

Sound like the Karate Kid? You got it, but this time, Mr. Miagi is a ripped black guy (Billy Blanks, creator of Tae-Bo) who used to be a cop, but quit when he accidentally killed a kid at a party break-up and is now the school janitor. Meanwhile, the master of the local dojo, Lee, plays it rough with his students and offers much more than friendly wagering at his illegal fighting ring. Karate Kid meets Baywatch Nights in this 1994 classic about a nice guy who's just trying to finish first.

The acting in this one is excellent for the type of movie it is, but the production, namely the editting, ran into a couple rough spots. It's nothing you'll notice if you only see it once, but I don't recommend seeing it less than ten times. Try fast forwarding to your favorite parts and you'll end up watching the whole movie.

What is most surprising about this film is its script. So bad, it's good; you'll literally laugh out loud at Vice Principal Kowalski's no-nonsense attitude toward his unruly students. And Lee's anger allows him to deliver some of the best lines in a movie ever. To be honest, the only thing Showdown is missing is sex, but I guess this was a time in Christine Taylor's (Melody from Hey Dude) career when a sex scene would've been going overboard. As a side note, I have heard there is an uncut version wherein there may be a sex scene between Lee's business partner and his best fighter (there's room for it at the dojo), but they don't show that one on Showtime.

The characters may be typical, but it's impossible not to like them, and the scenes outside the school can't be beat; every moment is entertaining. Plus, they even tried to deliver a few moral lessons as suggested by the text at the start of the film, so pay attention.

Also, see how many small-time actors you can point out because this one is full of familiar faces, young and old.

The previous post hit the nail right on the head with its summary of this movie. I just wanted to elaborate a bit more on the sheer cheese factor of this film because there really is SO much of it to be discussed. Namely though, the music.

This movie's score seems to consist of exactly two songs: one for the good guys and one for the crazy/psycho cult dojo members (think Cobra Kai + Marilyn Manson). It is HILARIOUS just how repetitive the soundtrack gets and yet, just like an awful car wreck, you just can't look away.

This movie really is JUST like Karate Kid in terms of of its storyline but the final battle scene takes it all a whole other step further. Not only do the rival teens get to face off in a tournament, but the sensei's end up dueling as well providing for yet ANOTHER opportunity to play the awesomely/disgustingly cheesy "good guy theme" theme. Imagine Mr. Myagi taking on the Cobra Kai sensei but 40x cheesier than what that might be like.

In closing, a memorable quote from Billy Blanks at the end of the film that should be heeded by all:

"I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU HURT ANY MORE KIDS, LEE!"

*CUE Cheesy GOOD GUY THEME*

*SPINKICK*

-- THE END --

I'm a sucker for the high school genre. And while this definitely echoes 'Karate Kid', it's has a John Hughes feel as well...sort of Midwesterny. Then I found out it was shot in Arizona...

Anyway, this is a really funny action film from Imperial Entertainment. It's a howler, suffers from technical problems, but moves along quickly to it's inevitable feel-good conclusion. Kenn Scott as the lead is such an annoyingly nice guy that YOU want to beat him up, but he does grow on you. Christine Taylor is the girlfriend of the bad guy teenager. The bad guy teen has some of the worst fashion and haircut I've seen in a long time; maybe he had stock in Merry Go Round. Brion James turns up in another Imperial Entertainment release in a throwaway role as the vice principal. Maybe he had a contract with them.

Apparently there's a PG-13 as well as the R rated version I saw, which explains once again why Imperial's films have that weird family vibe, then all of a sudden someone's cursing or spitting blood into the camera lens. Billy Blanks is a terrible actor; during SHOWDOWN, my friend kept screaming "He sucks so bad!!" and kept hitting his head, but believe me, he meant it in the nicest possible way. I tell you this....I'd rather watch a Blanks vehicle then a Wesley Snipes big-budget borefest any day of the week.

A true classic of the growing straight to video action cult. These were our drive-in films of the 90's, folks, so if you complain about the lack of that sort of New World/regional independent drive-in fodder you lovingly associate only with the 70's and early 80's, you better start backtracking. There's a lot of stuff to catch up with.