No Retreat, No Surrender

No Retreat, No Surrender (1985) was a Seasonal Films production that was filmed in the United States. Corey Yuen was the director and Hoi Meng was the co-action director. This film marked the Western debut of future superstar Jean Claude Van Damme. This was also the first of three official No Retreat, No Surrender films.

A kid witnesses his dad being brutally beaten by a group of thugs and their new fighter, a big mean Soviet kick-fighter (J.C.V.D.) The kid does what anybody else would do if they saw their own dad nearly beaten to death, swear a blood revenge against those who put him in traction. There's one problem, the kid can't punch his way out of a paper bag and his fighting skills are virtually non-existence. What's a kid to do? Turn to a higher power! Will that be the stuff needed to beat down the mean Red fighter and avenge his father?

The fight scenes are realistic looking and bone crunching. The direction is real good and the acting is okay. A Hong Kong style movie made in America. J.C.V.D. is pretty scary and mean looking in his big debut. He'll make a bigger splash in his first true success Bloodsport.

If you enjoy old school kung fu movies where the son has to avenge his father with a blood oath, then this one's for you. Followed by No Retreat, No Surrender 2.