Eric Sloane (Dennis Alexio) is an American kickboxing pro, helped by his brother, Kurt (Jean-Claude Van Damme), in his quest for glory. But when the two go to Thailand to take on legendary Tong Po (Michel Qissi), the opponent viciously beats Eric and leaves him paralyzed. Swearing vengeance, Kurt tracks down master Xian Chow (Dennis Chan) and begins learning the sport himself while also getting caught up in criminal intrigue involving thuggish crime boss Freddy Li (Ka Ting Lee).

For thoughts on Kickboxer, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/e75oPdYf6F0?si=lAfh9YojGRyKVxOL&t=1858]

Video Quality

Kickboxer gets a disappointing Blu-Ray re-release courtesy of Lionsgate that recycles the Blu-Ray release first seen in 2009 that was poor when it debuted and has only gotten worse with time. With Lionsgate doing such a terrific job with their 4K UHD Blu-Ray upgrades over the past several years, this seems like it would be an ideal candidate – or at the very least a remastered Blu-Ray. The transfer provides an overly processed aesthetic that robs the picture of its rich detail. The lack of nearly all of the natural film grain means the presentation is starved of any semblance of fine textural detail.

The disc experiences some banding and black crush in the darkest moments, and some of the highlights get a bit unwieldy. Skin tones look pretty good compared to other aspects of the disc. The source shows its age as there are plenty of specks and scratches to go around. The best aspect of the disc is in the vibrancy of the color in this world, especially when it comes to the jungle foliage. Lionsgate has provided a Blu-Ray disc that is in major need of an overhaul.

Audio Quality

Lionsgate brings us this Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that is not quite as underwhelming as the video side of things, but it is still not great. The dialogue present comes through clearly without being drowned out by the score or sound effects. With that being said, the U.S. version of the movie is slightly edited (as it always has been) with the original voices dubbed over to make things more listenable for American audiences. The lip sync is not seamless with the main track, so we can only hope the original language track is included on potential upgrades in the future.

Pertinent information is somewhat crunchy in the center channels with some stretch into the side speakers. Ambient details are acceptable and given some spread throughout the speakers. The sounds of the crowds at the fights and certain environmental elements bring life to the rear speakers. The movie features an appropriate score which sounds the best out of any element in the mix. This is a track that could use a refresh just as much as the video, but it avoids being an outright disaster. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Lionsgate has provided Kickboxer with an optional sleek new SteelBook available exclusively at Wal-Mart that is truly lovely in person. The artwork features Van Damme prominently with the antagonist over his shoulder, and the rear features a training silhouette. The interior sports a look at the theatrical poster. Video of the SteelBook can be found above.

Trailers

Final Thoughts

Kickboxer is a pretty fun action film that shows the talents of star Jean-Claude Van Damme. It follows a conventional storyline, but the action is brutal and keeps you shrinking away from every bloody hit. There are even a handful of bizarre developments like some dancing sequences that add a bit of levity to the proceedings. For what it is trying to accomplish, it does so well. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has delivered a Blu-Ray featuring a lacking A/V presentation and no special features in a snazzy new SteelBook. If you don’t own this one yet, it might pay to hold off and keep an eye out for a potential 4K upgrade.

Kickboxer is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray SteelBook exclusively at Wal-Mart.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.