| Sam Sloan 2005-10-18, 7:31 pm |
| I finally got around to seeing this movie today in DVD format.
However, there were major, major changes from the original version I
saw as an in-flight movie on Thai International Airways. The changes
are so big that it is almost a different movie. Here are some of the
changes:
The Viet Nam War veteran Winston Taylor part does not exist in the
original. There is no such person.
The female lead MyLee does not exist in the original.
The only female in the original is the hooker who the elder brother is
taking into a hotel. The hooker in the original is a different girl
and more beautiful.
All or almost all of the actors are different. The bad guy Tong Po is
a different actor in the original. In the original, that part is
played by a very mean looking black man. He kills three people
unnecessarily, and is killed himself in the end.
The trainer in the original is a different actor. He is a much younger
man who merely wants to retire from fighting, so at first he pretends
not to be that person. We later learn that he is hiding from the Tong
Po character who wants to hunt him down, kind of like in the old
western movie where the two fastest gunslingers in the west want to
battle each other to see who is the fastest.
The final fight scene does not take place in an arena in front of a
paying audience. Rather, the final fight takes place in the jungle and
it is a fight to the death.
With all these changes, one must wonder if it is really the same
movie. Yet, it is clearly the same. The earlier part up to the point
where the defeated and injured elder brother is taken out and left on
the street is virtually identical to the in-flight movie I saw.
The movie I saw was very primitive. It looked like it had been shot
with a home movie camera. What I suspect is that some Hollywood
producers saw the original I saw, realized its potential and purchased
the rights and remade the movie completely.
I still prefer the original. Perhaps they should go back and find the
original if it still exists and remake THAT movie.
Sam Sloan
On Sun, 14 Sep 2003 14:30:30 GMT, Martin Wilber
<martinwilber@nospam.com> wrote:
quote:
>Wasn't that the one with Jean-Claude Van Damme as the brother?
>
>Kickboxer [DVD] (1989)
>Martial arts sensation Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as an American who
>must learn the ancient and lethal art of kickboxing to avenge his
>brother's injury at the hands of a ruthless Thai fighter. Brutal action
>and a fight to the death make this a "must-see"! 97 min. Standard;
>Soundtrack: English; scene access
>
>Category: Martial Arts Director: Mark DiSalle
>Cast: Dennis Chan, Michel Qissi, Jean-Claude Van Damme
>
>Marty
|