No Retreat, No Surrender (1986) New World/Action RT: 98 minutes Rated PG (violence, language) Director: Cory Yuen Screenplay: Keith W. Strandberg Music: Paul Gilreath Cinematography: David Golia and John Huneck Release date: September 1986 (Philadelphia, PA) Cast: Kurt McKinney, Jean-Claude Van Damme, J.W. Fails, Kathie Sileno, Kim Tai Chong, Kent Lipham, Dale Jacoby, Ron Pohnel, Pete Cunningham, Tim Baker, Gloria Marziano, Joe Verroca. Box Office: $4.7M (US)
Rating: ***
I got the surprise of my life when I sat down to watch No Retreat, No Surrender the other day. I never knew a longer version of the 1986 movie existed. I was shocked when I saw that it had a running time of 98 minutes. Granted, it’s been a long time since I last watched it (summer ’87) but I remember it being only 84 minutes long. It turns out there’s also an international cut of the movie containing scenes that weren’t in the American release including a couple of crucial scenes; namely, the ones introducing us to the hero’s girlfriend. In the shorter version, we first meet her at her birthday party. There’s no explanation as to how the hero knows her. A reference to a visit to a pet shop is left unexplained. It’s obvious a scene or two is missing. As such, the shorter version of No Retreat, No Surrender feels oddly incomplete.
That being said, let’s talk about the movie’s good qualities. I like No Retreat, No Surrender. It was distributed in the US by New World Pictures which, to me, is a strong point in its favor. One of the things I love about that studio is how they blatantly rip off hit movies and make no apologies for it. This one is a compilation of The Karate Kid, Rocky IV and The Last Dragon. How can I not love a mix like this? Alas, I didn’t get to experience it in a theater since it didn’t open near me back in September ’86. Another cool thing about New World is that it didn’t take long for their movies to come out on video. I was able to rent No Retreat, No Surrender about a month later. I set aside my homework (community college, first year) to watch it right away. Certain things just take precedence, know what I mean?
After refusing to sell his karate dojo to an organized crime syndicate, the owner (Baker, Bloodfist II) has his leg broken by a thug known as Ivan the Russian (Van Damme in his first role). Not wanting to put his family in any further danger, he relocates to Seattle and gives up martial arts. His teenage son Jason (McKinney) is of a different mind. He sets up shop in the garage and continues to practice on his own. It doesn’t take him long to run afoul of neighborhood bully Scott (Lipham, Extreme Prejudice) and his pals at a local karate school. It has something to do with a long-standing rivalry between Scott and R.J. (Fails), Jason’s new best friend.
After being humiliated at his girlfriend Kelly’s (Sileno) birthday party by Scott and arrogant martial artist Dean (Jacoby), Jason visits Bruce Lee’s grave and pleads for help. He’s a Bruce Lee superfan. Sure enough, the late martial artist materializes and agrees to train him. Naturally, Jason is the only one that can see him which earns him some funny looks from R.J. Meanwhile, things aren’t too great on the homefront either. Jason constantly argues with his father about his getting into fights. During one heated argument, Jason calls his dad a coward for running away from the thugs that took his school.
Sure enough, said thugs show up in Seattle and try to strong-arm champion fighter Ian Reilly (Pohnel) into selling them his karate school. It will all be decided by a full-contact kickboxing tournament between Ian’s best students and a team from New York. At the last minute, the lead thug announces that the team is to be replaced by….you guessed it, Ivan the Russian. Naturally, the climax is a final showdown between Ivan and a vengeful Jason who jumps into the ring after Ivan defeats all the others.
No Retreat, No Surrender is hardly great cinema, but it is a good movie. It has its flaws. There are gaps in the narrative. For example, how is it that Ian seems to have no clue that his students are harassing Jason? He’s a decent guy (and Kelly’s big brother) and would likely boot the troublemakers out of his dojo. Also, the nature of the rivalry between R.J. and Scott is never explained. Many 80s action movies feature a training montage of the hero getting into shape to face-off against his nemesis. No Retreat, No Surrender has three. It gets redundant.
Despite these flaws, it’s a fun movie. R.J. is a great sidekick. He’s funny and has serious skateboarding skills. There’s a scene in a breakdance club which erases any doubt as to what decade it’s set in. McKinney is very likable in the lead. Van Damme isn’t in it that much; the opening scene and the finale, that’s it. He’s as wooden as Ivan the Russian as Dolph Lundgren was as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. The fight scenes are very well-choreographed. The storyline is predictable but compelling. I love the addition of Bruce Lee’s ghost; it gives No Retreat, No Surrender its own identity. It’s an unusual movie, that’s for sure. It’s also highly enjoyable. I can see why it attained cult status.
