Blu-ray Review – No Retreat, No Surrender

1986's "No Retreat, No Surrender" was supposed to be a calling card for director Corey Yuen, helping him break into the international marketplace with an Americanized martial arts extravaganza boasting a bright, handsome leading man in Kurt McKinney. Instead of making a name for himself, audiences and investors were drawn to a supporting turn from Jean-Claude Van Damme, who finally found a place to showcase his brute force, famed grimace, and amazing flexibility (two year prior, he was an extra in "Breakin'"). It was the start of something major for Van Damme, and while he's not the focus of the endeavor, he's the highlight of it, delivering Yuen's impressively non-stop choreography with real fury, also embodying the feature's cartoon antics with style and stone-faced menace. This certainly isn't a strong effort, frequently crippled by cornball antics, but "No Retreat, No Surrender" has scenes of cartoon hostility that keep it rolling along, peppered with engaging displays of physical strength. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com