Purely Joyful Movie!

Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Good concept, poorly executed.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Open Question to Albert Pyun: What is with your obsession with Tong Po?Granted, Po was a pretty memorable villain – I remember him more vividly than Van Damme's character. But for crying out loud, move on already! I'm almost – almost – inclined to review Kickboxer 4 favorably for at least trying to transcend its limited budget with a slicker visual style and ambitious shots/frame composition that leaves Kickboxer 3 in the dust; however, it never quite succeeds on a technical level (it tries, but fails.) More distractingly – the plot goes overboard in waters reserved for the more outrageous black comedies and spoofs (and the film doesn't seem smart enough to realize where it's dropping anchor.) True to sequelitis, this one has to attempt to top its predecessors in all departments. Tong Po cannot remain just a very disturbed, overly violent, guy who goes out of his way to cripple his opponents in the ring. Now he's a murderous gun-toting womanizing evil-Shang Tsung-wanna-be Asian Drug Lord in Mexico out for revenge against the Sloan family, and what the hell? Let's say he's also Keyser Soze, Freddy Krueger, and he drinks puppy's blood while biting the heads off of cute little bunny rabbits – we get it. He's a mean guy.Oh, did I mention a new actor has donned the role of Tong Po? Disguised in makeup to look like the original actor, which just looks downright creepy in its "close, but not quite right" Uncanny-Valley way. Just wait till he takes his shirt off, making visible the contrasting flesh tones of the face and body.Sometime between Kickboxer 3 and 4, Tong Po had David Sloan put in jail and kidnapped Sloan's wife (as you recall, the Sloan family has been the bane of his existence for two films, and David was the bane of his existence in Kickboxer 2.) The premise of Kickboxer 4? The authorities release Sloan to compete in Po's conveniently held little tournament in the middle of nowhere. Problem: If Tong Po is so hell-bent on getting even with David, wouldn't that obsession lead him to, you know, be able to recognize David? The film answers (in David's words, no less), "It's been 5 years – he won't recognize me" proving indisputably that David Sloan is a complete moron.Don't despair, the personality of the main character has atrophied along with his intellect during those five long years in prison. In other words, David Sloan has devolved into something actor Sasha Mitchel can handle, and for the first time since his debut in the series I did not want to see him slip on a banana peel, break his neck, and retire in disgrace. In the previous film, he'd grin, he'd talk, and try to carry on a conversation with his intellectual equal (a 10 year old boy) only to be upstaged by the brat the same way a lamp is upstaged by anything that can move. In this film, however, Sloan is content to show up, kick ass, and walk away. Thank you, Albert Pyun.And what was the point of all the additional characters? Darcy? Megan? Lando? They exist in the screenplay to fill an off-the shelf role, and none of them develop into anything more than plot requirements. David needs an ally, therefore Lando must exist. David should have a positive influence on someone (to mentor, if you will), therefore Megan must exist. The screenplay needs David and his Ally to be caught, and a character on the path to redemption needs to be sacrificed hence Darcy's presence. And, there has to be another cruel villain, so Pyun introduces whats-his-name who likes to slam people's faces into the dirt. But, really, do any of these characters add anything to the central story? These aren't characters, these are props.On a visual level, Kickboxer 4 wants to look like a more expensive film, and in some respects it succeeds (at least partially.) There's a nice shot that follows Lando and Megan as they walk away to their rooms, and then the camera returns (rotating almost 180 degrees) to show Darcy and one of Po's lead henchmen behind her – capturing 4 characters (polar opposites of each other) in a single unbroken shot with surprisingly competent composition. Unfortunately, the latter half is slightly out of focus. Even still, this one shot (with all its flaws) is twice as sophisticated and ten times more interesting than the prepackaged coverage and editing found in Kickboxer 3. Earlier in Kickboxer 4, Sloan and one of Po's agents are filmed from a distance. David starts walking towards the camera (becoming larger via the perspective), leaving the agent behind. A whole half-hearted conversation plays out while both men are in frame together – simple as it may be, again, this single extended shot proves easier to look at and more intriguing than the snooze-inducing editing of its predecessor.As ridiculous as the plot is, as pointless as the characters are, at least Kickboxer 4 has some ambition, and even if it never quite succeeds visually on a technical level it does at least try.

if you read my review of kick boxer 3,you'll know i liked that movie quite a bit.however,you may be surprised to know that i liked this movie even more.Sash Mitchell again returns as our hero,David Sloane.this time,there is no wise(cracking)old mentor.this movie has very little humour.it is much darker in tone and the stakes are higher.the story is deeper than the previous installment(and when i say deeper,i mean deeper for this genre).what i really liked however,is that the fight scenes are even better in this one.there are some amazing fights in this movie.i also liked the fact that the antagonist(the villain)is stronger in this film.And again Mitchell comes off looking like a real action hero.more so in this film than the 3rd.i give this film a strong 7/10

After watching Kickboxer 4, late last night (2am-4am) on FX, my only response is, wow. I thought the movie was fun to watch! The acting was pretty bad, the story was stupid and cliché, the fight scenes were poorly done and I was expecting the main character to all of a sudden say his catch phrase "DUDE!" from Step by Step.What was with almost every character looking like a famous person? I'm really happy to see Frank Zappa was able to act in a film before his untimely death.Also, why did every bad-ass character in that movie end up to be a wimp at the end. Frank Zappa snapped a guys neck, then smashed his head into the ground for fun (in an OR scrub) and beat the crap out of all those people in the beginning (in a bright red polo shirt). But here comes big bad Cody, doesn't even elbow him in the face, "I've had enough!". Same thing with the so called "savage international terrorist". He kicked total butt in the beginning and then at the end he scurrys off like one of those flying monkeys in the Wizard of OZ. I did enjoy the movie though, wouldn't nominate it for a Grammy though. But my liking was mostly due to the fact that I felt like a member of the "Mystery Science 3000" cast, making fun of almost every scene.And what the hell was with that "hiss" Sloan did at the end? Damnit, i need a cigarette.

Kickboxer 4 (1994) is a down beat tale starring Sasha Mitchell. He's the last of the Sloanes (the two brothers from the first Kickboxer). A series of events have left Sloane in disgrace. His only saving grace is his beloved wife. The nasty Tong Po is back and he took Sloane's old lady. Now, he's on a mission. To find his wife and uphold the family's honor. Will this be the final battle between Sloane and the mean and nasty Tong Po? Check this one out! A fun film. Not a great one mid you but a watchable one. I wouldn't go out of my way looking for a copy however. If you love the Kickboxer series or a Sasha Mitchell fan then this one's for you. Average.CThe pint sized kung-fu fighter is a cutie.