"No Retreat No Surrender" - 6.5 / 10
Well.. first time watch - yep.
I knew about this film for decades - & for whatever reason, never got around to seeing it - especially with a few of my friends being heavily into martial arts growing up & talking about this film.. I'm even more at a loss for an explanation for not having seen it till now.
Yeah. It's a nice story.. when it's not making you cringe.
Karate Kid definitely has it over this for longevity. Those 'Bruce Lee' mentoring scenes.. my god - wtf. He didn't look OR sound like him. That token fat guy was beyond irritating too.
Anyway, the kid playing the main character is likeable enough, & his break dancing friend - while annoying, added some cool scenes, like at the club etc. The real draw though, is the fights, & they were all fairly good. The end with Van Damme was a little cheesy in places, but pretty solid. I actually bought this cheap on DVD, so while it not
rocking my world so to speak, I've started my Van Damme library now. Again - always been a fan of his old films, but never bought any. till now.
"The Last Samurai" - 8.5 / 10
Well, another film I haven't seen till now. I've always wanted to sit down properly & watch it, & I finally got the chance last night - loved it. I was tempted to give it a 9, but there were a few 'Tom being Tom' moments I felt, which made me chuckle a tiny bit.
That said - the story, the cast, cinematography, the authenticity in recreating period Japan / the Samurai society, the battle scenes - awesome. All in all - pretty damn epic, & I'm going to buy it.