NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER is one of those films that came out in the wake of THE KARATE KID in an attempt to emulate the style and success of that blockbuster. Some of them took the same general theme as the kid's classic and turned it into a successful adult movie, like Van Damme's own KICKBOXER. This particular effort is aimed halfway between kids and adults as it goes for the teenage market, no doubt to cash in on the success of various John Hughes movies.
The hero, played by Kurt McKinney – who never starred in a kung fu film again despite his impressive abilities here – sees his father get his leg smashed by a martial arts master. Instead of vowing vengeance, as you might, he just sets about trying to emulate his idol Bruce Lee in plenty of long, drawn-out scene of him training in his garage. Eventually, Bruce Lee's ghost shows up (yep, I'm not joking here) and teaches McKinney some real skills, just in time for him to fight the guy who crippled his father in the first place.
First off, this is a film that can't be taken seriously. In fact it's one of the CHEESIEST films I've ever witnessed. This is a film that's so '80s, you can only really enjoy it if you lived through that decade. Everywhere there are '80s influences, from the mullet haircuts to the appalling fashions (the ripped t-shirt look is obviously in). For the most part, I found it hilarious. J. W. Fails, who plays the comic relief black guy, is very funny in his over-the-top role and the Michael Jackson influence is everywhere, with moon walking going on and people dressing up as the singer in nightclub scenes. There's also a strong influence from the whole BREAKDANCE thing and often the film stops to let some guys show off their funky moves. Great! Another reason you can't take the movie seriously is the acting. It's REALLY bad; over the top and completely mannered, like the guys are barely suppressing themselves from laughing while reciting their dialogue. Nobody here is a good actor, and nobody really went on to be famous – apart from Van Damme, and he only gets a couple of lines as it is. The bit where Bruce Lee's ghost appears will just have you burst out laughing, as he doesn't really look like Bruce Lee at all (and I already noticed that when I watched Kim Tai Chong playing Bruce in Game of Death and its sequel).
The film doesn't have as much action in it as I'd hoped, but that doesn't matter as I was laughing so hard. There are a few bouts, mainly involving McKinney getting beaten on and humiliated by some bullies (annoyingly, he doesn't get to kick their asses later on). Then the final twenty minutes is just one huge punch-up as Van Damme takes centre stage in a boxing ring and proceeds to beat up a succession of tough opponents. The finale sees our hero tackling the Muscles from Brussels with a predictable outcome, although you'd never really believe he has it in him, despite some cool training sequences earlier on. Van Damme is in his prime here and looks tough as heck, and scary with it. He rarely plays bad guys but he IS good at them, and watching him whup ass here is good fun.
The main reason the film is a success is down to director Corey Yuen, who is a guy who DEFINITELY knows how to choreograph a fight scene. This is a US/Hong Kong collaboration and while the backdrop is definitely US, the fights are out of a Hong Kong flick. Yuen focuses on long takes and avoids unnecessary editing; he also has his actors perform some excellent moves that are shown in slow motion, just like in his Chinese flicks. I think Yuen surpasses Yuen Woo Ping and is second to none when it comes to delivering high intensity, great looking martial arts. He's this film's real saviour and without him it would have been a bomb. Two unconnected sequels followed.
The hero, played by Kurt McKinney – who never starred in a kung fu film again despite his impressive abilities here – sees his father get his leg smashed by a martial arts master. Instead of vowing vengeance, as you might, he just sets about trying to emulate his idol Bruce Lee in plenty of long, drawn-out scene of him training in his garage. Eventually, Bruce Lee's ghost shows up (yep, I'm not joking here) and teaches McKinney some real skills, just in time for him to fight the guy who crippled his father in the first place.
First off, this is a film that can't be taken seriously. In fact it's one of the CHEESIEST films I've ever witnessed. This is a film that's so '80s, you can only really enjoy it if you lived through that decade. Everywhere there are '80s influences, from the mullet haircuts to the appalling fashions (the ripped t-shirt look is obviously in). For the most part, I found it hilarious. J. W. Fails, who plays the comic relief black guy, is very funny in his over-the-top role and the Michael Jackson influence is everywhere, with moon walking going on and people dressing up as the singer in nightclub scenes. There's also a strong influence from the whole BREAKDANCE thing and often the film stops to let some guys show off their funky moves. Great! Another reason you can't take the movie seriously is the acting. It's REALLY bad; over the top and completely mannered, like the guys are barely suppressing themselves from laughing while reciting their dialogue. Nobody here is a good actor, and nobody really went on to be famous – apart from Van Damme, and he only gets a couple of lines as it is. The bit where Bruce Lee's ghost appears will just have you burst out laughing, as he doesn't really look like Bruce Lee at all (and I already noticed that when I watched Kim Tai Chong playing Bruce in Game of Death and its sequel).
The film doesn't have as much action in it as I'd hoped, but that doesn't matter as I was laughing so hard. There are a few bouts, mainly involving McKinney getting beaten on and humiliated by some bullies (annoyingly, he doesn't get to kick their asses later on). Then the final twenty minutes is just one huge punch-up as Van Damme takes centre stage in a boxing ring and proceeds to beat up a succession of tough opponents. The finale sees our hero tackling the Muscles from Brussels with a predictable outcome, although you'd never really believe he has it in him, despite some cool training sequences earlier on. Van Damme is in his prime here and looks tough as heck, and scary with it. He rarely plays bad guys but he IS good at them, and watching him whup ass here is good fun.
The main reason the film is a success is down to director Corey Yuen, who is a guy who DEFINITELY knows how to choreograph a fight scene. This is a US/Hong Kong collaboration and while the backdrop is definitely US, the fights are out of a Hong Kong flick. Yuen focuses on long takes and avoids unnecessary editing; he also has his actors perform some excellent moves that are shown in slow motion, just like in his Chinese flicks. I think Yuen surpasses Yuen Woo Ping and is second to none when it comes to delivering high intensity, great looking martial arts. He's this film's real saviour and without him it would have been a bomb. Two unconnected sequels followed.