- 1991movierewind
Episode #53: Kickboxer 2: The Road Back
Listen to Episode 53 of the Podcast here while you enjoy the show notes.
SUMMARY - Kickboxer 2: The Road Back follows David Sloan (played by Sasha Mitchell) as he deals with the death of his brothers Kurt and Eric and the impending bankruptcy of his gym. Although he wants to stay retired, he takes an exhibition match in the newly formed United Kickboxing Association. That draws the attention of friends of Tong Po who are eager to get rid of the last Sloan brother.
Screenplay by David S. Goyer; Directed by Albert Pyun, and released on June 14, 1991.
FILM DISCUSSION
Did you know that Kurt and Eric had a third brother? Neither did we when watching the first movie. Well, here's proof with everyone looking exactly how you expect them to look. No actor replacing here.
They all had a gym which is now struggling. So, the new professional association comes in strong with an offer.
Something we noticed early is that a lot of the fight actions take place just off frame, like this "kick."
Or it's masked through camera angles in various ways.
For the more important fights, virtually every hit is done in a close-up and in slow motion instead. It takes a bit of the oomph out of it.
Xian is back for this installment and he becomes a bigger comic relief character.
We see David's friend Brian go to the dark side. In this case, literally, with the low-lit gym where everyone wears black so you know its evil.
How and why they bring back Tong Po is pretty questionable. There are a lot of character motivations all around that don't make a lot of sense.
Just know that Sanga has unfinished business of some kind and basically wants the last Sloan brother dead.
We had a lot of problems with the way things were handled after Tang Po's fight with Brian, but the movie wouldn't have had its important climax if they did things our way and called the cops.
Overall, its a silly popcorn movie that isn't meant to be taken seriously (just like the first one). After all, you have this 12 year old girl working as a corner man and recruiting kids for the gym. How and why, we don't know.
Awards Talk: None to speak of this time around, but at least the gas was under $1.
TRUE CRIME & POP CULTURE
This week we our true crime segment talks about the allegations and trials around Sasha Mitchell. You can read more about the court case and subsequent events here.
If you're interested to know more about Muay Thai and how accurate the Kickboxer movies are:
Moving on to music, Kickboxer 2 had three different songs sprinkled throughout and each of them were delightfully cheesy.
Eric Barnett - My Brother's Eyes
Savoy Brown - A Man Alone
Daniel - It’s All Up To You
And for stuff you would be more likely to hear on the radio, here at the bottom 5 songs on the Billboard 100 charts for this week.
100. Cartouche - Feel the Groove
99. Ice-T - New Jack Hustler (from the movie New Jack City which we covered a few episodes back.
98. Another Bad Creation - Iesha
97. Troy Newman - Love Gets Rough
96. The Party - Summer Vacation
RANKINGS & RATINGS
Nikki 1-5 star scale - 2 out of 5
Jon 0-4 star scale - 2 1/2 out of 4
Would you watch it again? - Nikki says she'd watch the first one again, but doesn't care to go farther into the sequels. Jon liked this one slightly better than the original and is interested to see where the series could go. It's goofy, mindless fun that is great for a background watch.
If you want to watch Kickboxer 2: The Road Back, as of this recording in February 2022, it’s available on Tubi, Vudu, Plex, Roku Channel, Digital Rental, VHS, DVD. Check your local listings.
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