Showdown

Billy Blanks headlines in this hilariously cheesy Karate Kid rip off as an ex-police officer turned school janitor(!) who makes it his mission to break a cruel kickboxing tournament whilst simultaneously teaching one poor wimp how to defend himself against the local school bully. Well, if you enjoy movie clichés then you'll absolutely LOVE this little gem! Yes, it's all here; new kid getting bullied by karate bad boy who trains under a psychopath; both share the same love interest; kid learns karate to defend himself and is an expert in about......um.....all of what appears to be a about a week(!!!!) Of course the newly trained student must inevitably meet up for a climatic showdown with his bullying nemesis whereupon by seeming contractual obligation he is subsequently beaten to the point of apparent near death but suddenly, as if by some divine intervention an ostensible miracle transpires and he subsequently leaps back to his feet (plus rips off his shirt to reveal his macho, oiled down physique) and administers a miraculous and victorious come back (wow!!!!!!) then for the grand finale the psychopath instructor by clichéd obligation of course faces off against the kids teacher - cue our Billy in turn taking a brutal beating to near coma before suddenly realising that good guys are supposed to win and getting back to his feet (now obviously sans his shirt in order to show off his macho, oiled down physique) and forgetting his pronounced injuries, wins in style (with a series of lovingly shot, slow motion spin kicks no less!) Great Scott! - This doesn't have an original idea in it's body but frankly who cares - it's pure dumb fun of the highest calibre.

As a final note (or is that insult?) although this was made in 1993, judging by the hair styles and clothing the students (who curiously all look as though they are actually in their thirties and forties!!!!!) wear, it looks more circa 1980's! Tremendously daft stuff and a real hoot if you're in the correct frame of mind.

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.

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.

I have to agree with most of the comments in here.

This movie IS cheesy, bad, cliché and VERY Karate Kid'ish.

That being said, i've had this film on my shelves since 1996 and might have watched it more than 10 times. So it must contain SOMETHING watchable, to the point of good, in it.

Well, i guess every critics has got something different out of it. And that's a quality right there. even though it's a rather bad movie, it still may manage to reach something inside of you.

For being a big Billy Blanks fan and a HUGE martial arts fan, there was disappointingly less fights and even less good choreography. But still i've been seeing it again and again. Why? To be totally blunt. The story is entertaining from beginning to end and the most characters are actually likable. And the characters who aren't are actually quite good (Especially Ken McLeod as the asshole boyfriend Tom is terrific).

But the thing about'"Showdown" that i'm most fond of, is the soundtrack/training song "Draw the line". I just can't get tired of that song and it's been driving me insane that it's impossible to find either the band that has performed it or the soundtrack anywhere!!! :o(

Can anyone help?

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*

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