Kickboxer 4: The Aggressor B-Movie Review

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KICKBOXER 4: THE AGGRESSOR - 2 Slimes

Rated R

Reviewed by Joe Pingree on 22 August 2007

The Characters:

David Sloan - The last of the great Sloan kickboxing dynasty. Certainly not the happy-go-lucky guy he was in "Kickboxer 3." His two years in prison have definitely hardened him.
Megan Laurence - A feisty blond female fighter who lives to take a beating, particularly with beer bottles. She plans to retire, from unemployment, if she wins the tournament.
Lando Smith - The undercover DEA agent who serves as Sloan's backup in the film. His rapid palm strikes are to be feared by all.
Vicky Sloan - David's wife, imprisoned by Tong Po after Sloan's arrest. She cracks a few spines before being taken hostage.
Tong Po - The once proud Muay Thai champ, now turned notorious drug lord. He delights in various methods of torture, and also (badly) plays an instrument.
Darcy - Nymphomaniac mistress in charge of hospitality in Tong Po's compound. Her bedroom guest list is undoubtedly quite long.
Bill - Obnoxious drug-addicted assistant to Tong Po. He takes a sharp knife through the skull and, thankfully, dies.

The Plot:

We open with an exterior shot of the state penitentiary where David Sloan is being held. Inside the prison, Sloan is writing a letter to his dear wife, Vicky. We're then shown a video montage of the first two Kickboxer movies, before the series really started going downhill. We learn that Tong Po has since framed David, and is now planning to kidnap his wife. He urges Vicky to hide and remain hidden until his release.

But apparently she doesn't receive the warning in time, as in the very next scene, she is already in Tong Po's custody. A very capable fighter on her own, Vicky manages to make short work of a few of Po's henchman before being taken down by the big boss himself, who seems to have undergone quite a bit of cosmetic enhancement in his time away. Being the fiend that he is, Tong Po wastes little time in having his way with his rival's wife.

Meanwhile, back in prison, Sloan receives a photograph from Tong Po confirming his worst fears. In the next scene, we see him inexplicably taking out his frustrations on a fellow inmate before being tossed into solitary confinement. But it isn't long after that Sloan receives a visitor from the DEA, who presents to him a deal. In exchange for his release, the agency wants David to infiltrate Po's desert fortress by entering an exclusive $1,000,000 tournament and ultimately bring the drug lord to justice. Though he despises the DEA almost as much as he hates Tong Po, naturally, Sloan agrees to the deal, this time vowing to kill his nemesis for what he has done.

Following a series of street fights, David wanders into a roadside bar, where the local toughs are harassing a young girl. After doing away with some of the toughest barroom brawlers I've ever seen in a martial arts flick, Sloan turns his attention to the girl, who basically tells him to drop dead for his trouble, but also makes it clear that she is headed for the same competition as Sloan.

After hitching a ride across the border to Mexico, David arrives at Tong Po's compound, where he ultimately qualifies for the tournament by easily besting the same girl who he helped in the bar. Shortly after being shown to his room, David sneaks out and begins the search for his imprisoned wife. He runs into an old friend along the way, Lando Smith, who joins him in the search.

Before the tournament begins, the fighters are summoned to a party in the courtyard, where Sloan gets his first glimpse of Tong Po in over two years. Though we're unable to see the hatred in his eyes through his shades, his icy-cold expression more than tells the story.

Not at all interested in the festivities, David leaves the party early, more determined than ever to find Vicky. In his absence, Po returns to the party and announces that Ms. Laurence, the young girl whom Sloan eliminated in the qualifying round, has requested a second chance to compete, and essentially throws her to the wolves by offering a cash bonus to whomever defeats her. Laurence holds her own against the mob at first, but is eventually blindsided by Tong Po. Unable to sit by and watch her destruction, the chivalrous hero, Lando, interrupts the beating and challenges Po on the spot. Smirking at the "boy's" insolence, the former Muay Thai champ backs away and orders his men to attack. Together, Lando and Ms. Laurence beat the living daylights out of Po's henchmen.

Later that night, Sloan dons a ninja suit in his quest to find Vicky. After knocking out a couple of guards, he attempts to pry open a window into his wife's cell, but an alarm suddenly sounds, and David is forced to retreat. Early the next morning, he makes peace with Ms. Laurence, and even teaches her a few moves.

The first day of the tournament goes off without a hitch, with the trio of Sloan, Lando, and Ms. Laurence all advancing to the next round. Hoping to learn some information about Vicky, Lando Smith willingly goes to bed with Darcy, Tong Po's femme in charge of hospitality. The consequences prove disastrous, however, when their scheme is uncovered and Darcy is murdered by Tong Po's own hand. Meanwhile, in the midst of another daring rescue attempt, Sloan is discovered and captured alongside his buddy, where Lando finally comes clean to David about his background with the DEA.

All of this leads up to the final battle, where the rest of the tournament plays out and the finalists are ordered to fight Sloan for yet another cash bonus. Naturally, Sloan defeats all who challenge him, until young Ms. Laurence speaks out against Po and calls the remaining fighters to action against Po's forces. In the midst of the chaos, Lando gets utterly destroyed by Tong Po, who then escapes into the courtyard. Sloan immediately follows, and the final fight takes place.

While Kickboxer 4 isn't one of the better Kickboxer titles, I will freely admit to liking this one. And though few of Albert Pyun's movies can be considered good movies, the ones that aren't so bad often turn out to be pretty good on the whole. If you're in the mood for a few hours of mindless, butt-kicking fun, check this one out.

Things I Learned From This Movie:

Cracked windows are nearly impossible to break, especially when trying to kick a hapless thug through them.
Smart-mouthed young girls are suckers for the beer-bottle-bash.
Contrary to the world of professional wrestling, a sleeper hold can incapacitate you in a matter of seconds.
Plastic surgery does wonders for washed-up Muay Thai masters, and can apparently lighten your voice as well.
Hiding behind closed doors in a depraved drug lord's lair may incidentally subject you to the viewing of an orgy.
If ever invited to a martial arts tournament hosted by Tong Po, be prepared to go the distance.

Stuff To Watch For:

2 mins - RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST A MUAY THAI MASTER!
7 mins - Oooh, that's gotta hurt!
10 mins - RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST A PRISON INMATE!
20 mins - Uhh, this is where you fall down.
24 mins - RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST BEER BOTTLES!
25 mins - RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST BAR PATRONS!
30 mins - Jeez, don't you think that's enough already?!
40 mins - Yeah, Tong Po is just a wonderful humanitarian, Bill.
50 mins - Fear my swift and deadly palm strikes, fool!
55 mins - Ok, now I really want someone to kill this guy.
64 mins - RANDOM GRATUITOUS BREAST SHOTS!
75 mins - In the words of Jim Ross: "Lando Smith is a bloody, bloody mess."
84 mins - Is it just me, or has Tong Po lost a step or two over the years?
89 mins - Eat steel, scum!

Audio clips in wav format

SOUNDS

Starving actors speak out

	File	Dialog
	kickboxeriv1.wav	Darcy: "Some of the world's most dangerous men are here. Brubaker was very taken with you. He says you're a hard man. Just how hard are you, Mr. Jones?" Sloan: "Um, hard enough."
	kickboxeriv2.wav	Sloan: "Look, I'm sorry I choked you out." Megan: "Yeah, you got lucky."
	kickboxeriv3.wav	Lando: "There's something I've got to tell you." Sloan: "What?" Lando: "I never told you what I grew up to be: DEA agent. I'm your backup." Sloan: "You're DEA?" Lando: "Bet you were right when you said there was no hope for me."
	kickboxeriv4.wav	Tong Po: "You! Fight or die!"

Click for a larger image

IMAGES

Scenes from the movie

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VIDEO

MPEG video files

	kickboxeriv1.mpg - 4.8m
	Chaotic bar fight time. In the space of thirty seconds, two men go out of windows and one even comes back in - after being hit by a van.