No Retreat, No Surrender (1986)

Jason, a Bruce Lee fan, sees his karate instructor/dad beaten by martial art thugs. They move to Seattle where, after humiliations, he trains with Bruce Lee's ghost so he can defend himself and others against thugs.

Director:

Corey Yuen

Writers:

See-Yuen Ng (original story) (as Ng See Yuen), Corey Yuen (original story)

Stars:

Kurt McKinney, Jean-Claude Van Damme, J.W. Fails

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kurt McKinney	...	Jason Stillwell
Jean-Claude Van Damme	...	Ivan Kraschinsky the Russian
J.W. Fails	...	R.J. Madison
Kathie Sileno	...	Kelly Reilly
Tae-jeong Kim	...	Sensei Lee (as Kim Tai Chong)
Kent Lipham	...	Scott
Ron Pohnel	...	Ian Reilly
Dale Jacoby	...	Dean Ramsay
Peter Cunningham	...	Frank Peters (as Pete Cunningham)
Timothy D. Baker	...	Tom Stillwell (as Tim Baker)
Gloria Marziano	...	Mrs. Stillwell
Joe Verroca	...	New York Agent (as Joe Vance)
Farid Panahi	...	New York Assistant #1
Tom Harris	...	New York Assistant #2
John Andes	...	New York Boss

Storyline

Jason Stillwell, a Bruce Lee fan, is beaten numerous times and trains from the ghost of Lee. Jason then must use his newly acquired skills to save Seattle from a crime syndicate, whose top martial artist is the deadly Ivan.

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Plot Keywords:

bruce lee character | cult favorite | exercise | low budget | billiard cue | 

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Taglines:

When life is on the line there can be ...

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Keith W. Strandberg: One of the thugs outside of the bar who beats up Tom before Jason saves him.

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Goofs

When Ivan enters the building for the Karate championship at the end of the film, some guys in his entourage (especially the Hispanic-looking man in a white shirt and beige pants) show up as extras in the crowd who are booing Ivan.

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Quotes

RJ Madison: Hey, ain't no shelves built to stop THIS dancin' machine.

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Crazy Credits

Jean-Claude Van Damme's character is Ivan, but in the ending credits, next to his name reads, "Karl Brezdin".

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Alternate Versions

Another scene cut out in US video releases was a small chase sequence in which Scott, after being yelled at by his father for his laziness, chases R.J. only to fall in wet cement after R.J. jumps a hurdle on his skateboard.

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Connections

Featured in Movie Nights: No Retreat, No Surrender 2 (2012)

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Soundtracks

Close to You
Written by Frank Harris and MJ Lallo (as M.J. Lallo)
Sung by MJ Lallo (as M.J. Lallo)

User Reviews

Oh, boy

I'm not a fan of watching campy movies. I can laugh an inept movie for a few minutes but then I get bored. Some people might watch "No Retreat, No Surrender" as camp. I don't but that doesn't mean that it's a good movie. It's not. It does, however, have a certain charm that makes the ridiculousness watchable. I watch "No Retreat, No Surrender" every once in a while. I won't say that it hits the spot but it's a strangely almost satisfying watch.

Details

Country:

USA Hong Kong

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 May 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ring of Truth

Filming Locations:

14556 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$739,723, 4 May 1986

Gross USA:

$4,662,137

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,662,137

Company Credits

Production Co:

Seasonal Film Corporation, New World Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 94 min (2004) (DVD) 79 min (1986) (video) 99 min (International Cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1