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.

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.

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.

I'm only here cuz my step-dad told me about a movie that was shot at PV high school where I graduated in 94 and I never heard of a movie being shot there. So I did some research and here it is!!! Too funny! I actually went there for my freshmen year, then they shut the school down for construction for two years and moved us to the new school, then we got to come back to the original "PV" for our senior year. So apparently they shot this movie while we were at the other school. Why the hell didn't I ever hear about this??? You would've thought everyone who lives near there would've been talking about this. Oh wait I know why....cuz it's a low budget straight-to-video B movie! LOL!!! Now I HAVE to see it!!! Bring back some memories! Peace out!