Return of the Kickfighter (1987) User Reviews

Cheap but tough Rambo clone with Aussie star Richard Norton

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 12 November 2016]

I saw this cheapjack American action film under the title MISSION TERMINATE. It's certainly a more relevant title than RETURN OF THE KICKFIGHTER. This US-financed production was shot in the Philippines by a Filipino director and with a Filipino supporting cast. That country stands in for Vietnam as it so often did in the 1980s. The plot is about some corrupt American soldiers who discover a stash of Vietcong gold and hide it away, only to find themselves being bumped off one by one in the present day by the gold's vengeful owners.

This is in essence a cheap RAMBO clone with bearded Aussie Richard Norton playing the hero. I've loved Norton ever since I saw him in his Hong Kong thrillers and although wooden he's good value here. It's a pity the film doesn't have more martial arts in it because when he fights it looks great, particularly the tough kicks he dishes out to his opponents. The supporting cast is mainly taken up by Filipinos, although we do get to see former Bruceploitation star Bruce Le as an ally and the truly great Hong Kong star Dick Wei as the villain of the piece. I love Wei so was really stoked seeing him acting in something other than a Hong Kong movie.

The first part of the movie is a little slow in setting up the story but it all works out well in the end with plenty of low rent action. There's a random ninja training camp built in the middle of nowhere which Norton and Le have to infiltrate and plenty of explosive action come the climax. The usual gamut of corrupt officials and violent death combine to make a vivid if derivative movie. The only real complaints are that the print is so dark it's hard to make out what's going on at times and more hand to hand combat was needed to liven things up a bit.

"He may have been raised in Australia, but he's all American!"

[wecantbestopped · 2/10 · 7 February 2009]

Richard Norton, one time world kickboxing champion, returns to the role of Col. Brad Cooper, bad-azz killing machine extraordinaire. You see, it seems that sometime in 1970, in Vietnam, a bunch of US marines wiped out a VC village and stole a bunch of gold. The gold, however, belonged to one very POed ninja warrior (Bruce Le.) Fast forward to 1986, when that very same ninja warrior is picking off the marines from that unit one by one, trying to get the gold back. This is making Maj. Ryan (Rex Cutter), the leader of that unit, rather nervous, understandably. So in an effort to save his own ass, he calls on Col. Cooper to go to Vietnam and stop whoever is responsible. He only has one condition for Cooper: don't ask any questions. This, of course, leads Cooper to ask a bunch of questions, and his investigations lead him to the massacre, the cover-up, and the gold. Turns out there is a giant training camp in the mountains, where an army of ninjitsu terrorists are being readied to attack a nuclear plant. Throw in a dash of martial arts mysticism, and one of those gunfights where the hero never misses, but the 200 enemies he's fighting can't hit the side of a barn, and boom, you've got yourself an A.I.P. action flick.

This movie is rather interchangeable with any number of other low-budget action flicks from the period. The wooden acting of Norton certainly doesn't help matters, but at least it comes in at a mercifully short 88 minutes. I really don't know why I watch this dreck, but I will say this: it was better than "Rachel Getting Married," which I also saw yesterday.

Solid and respectable action film.

[tarbosh22000 · 7/10 · 10 May 2015]

Col. Brad Cooper (Norton) is sent by Col. Ted Ryan (Cutter) to investigate the shady doings of a military unit who served in North Vietnam in 1970. It seems "Recon Team Charlie" were some very bad boys. They killed a bunch of innocent people and stole some gold. Now, in "Southeast Asia 1986" - naturally, some ninjas are upset about the missing gold. The head ninja is Quan Nhien (Le), and he's not happy. He begins systematically killing members of Recon Team Charlie to get revenge. So, with a hearty "Anything for the Corps!", Cooper embarks on his mission to stop the murders, stop the ninjas, and also get to the bottom of the story of the corrupt soldiers and the inevitable cover-up. Can he possibly do it? The role of Col. Ryan is played by a man named Rex Cutter. This might be the greatest name of all time. Evidently, he was in Silk (1986), but why change his name to Ted Ryan, when he was born with the gold? The nameplate on his desk doesn't want you to forget the name Ted Ryan, however. It's unnaturally huge. Moving on, Mission Terminate is the directorial debut of Anthony Maharaj, who went on to work with Richard Norton again, notably on the very similar Cross Fire (1988) the next year. The movie is also known as Return of the Kickfighter, which would be a strange name for a debut film, especially as it's unrelated to the later Norton/Maharaj vehicle Kick Fighter (1989). We know, it's all very confusing, but here's the important stuff to know: Mission Terminate does have the exploding huts, exploding helicopters, other blow-ups, gun-shooting, flamethrow'd villages, neck snaps, and bar-(in this case strip club) fights in the jungle we've all come to know and love. There are some slow moments that bog things down at times, but there are some very cool moments as well which kind of mitigate the duller passages and make you forget them, and you're willing to give the movie the benefit of the doubt. A bearded Norton rides down a zipline and shoots some people. When we first meet him, he's competing at the "Ryder Invitational Full Contact Karate Meet". It took them a long time to paint the sign.

Of course, there are the prerequisite overdubbed funny voices blaring out of the characters' mouths, but when they're shouting racial epithets about, and we quote, "pesky Charlies", and of course, "gooks", it seems especially ridiculous, if not entertaining in an anti-PC way you would never see today. Besides the time-honored racial slurs, we get tidbits like this description of the elite Thai army's abilities: they're "trained to stare down a cobra!" If that doesn't spell victory in war, what does? The cast and crew are chock-full of Philippine-shot movie mainstays: the movie was written by Joe Mari Avellana, and stars, besides Norton and the majestic Rex Cutter - who gives Wynn Irwin a run for his money - Bruce Le, Nick Nicholson, Dick Wei, Willie Williams, and Henry Strzalkowski. And, as it was the 80's after all, there is, of course, a ninja training camp.

So, for a first go-round for Maharaj, Mission Terminate is pretty good, and Norton fans will want to see it, because he raises the level of pretty much everything he's in. Outside of the slow moments, the movie is solid and respectable, but most likely one-time watch for most.