No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers aka American Kickboxing
1990
Cast: Loren Avedon, Keith Vitali, Joseph Campanella, Wanda Acuna, Rion Hunter
Genre: Action Martial Arts
Plot: Rival sons of a slain C.I.A agent seek martial arts revenge on an international terrorist
'A Fun Kick-Ass Romp'
Made in Hong Kong, this low-budget martial arts action affair is a tasty treat.
When their ex- CIA agent father is brutally murdered in the hands of terrorists led by the peroxide Franco whose son was killed by the dad, two squabbling brothers attempt to put their differences aside to avenge his death. Casey Alexander is a CIA operative, with a younger sibling, Will who is a karate instructor and two couldn't be any more different from one another, personalities-wise.
The third film in the franchise, this one is without Hong Kong action choreographer and filmmaker Corey Yuen's involvement: he of whom helmed other martial arts gems in Yes Madam! starring Cynthia Rothrock and Michelle Yeoh and 1990's She Shoots Straight . The action in Blood Brothers is swift, due to the quick editing, and is reminiscent of many 1980s and early 1990s Hong Kong martial arts films, and impressive with some brilliant fight scenes & stuntwork as both Avedon and Vitali (& their stunt doubles) show off their agility and fight choreography. The script is a little corny in places and there is some overacting as well, yet No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers knows how to entertain in the action stakes and when it does so, it's worth seeing alone especially.
Some sexist language such as ''b****'' is uttered a few times, which was unpleasant, but besides that, this was a really good watch. Blood Brothers opts for a different approach in contrast to the previous films with the sibling rivalry theme that treads similar waters to that of another action martial arts flick, Double Impact starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, who plays the dual roles of twin brothers. The villain reminds me of the one played by Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner . Loren Avedon ( King of the Kickboxers) returns from the last film with Keith Vitali (Revenge of the Ninja, Wheels on Meals) playing a smug-assed cop with a penchant for flashy suits, who also beds attractive women and the two exhibit an impressive array of kicks, punches, spins, flips, as well as shooting. The relentless third and final act as the brothers do battle with Rion Hunter is a corker.
It is, however, problematic when it comes to the portrayal of the women in this film, as they are presented as attractive types parading alongside a swimming pool in a bikini as such and is also a tad homophobic as illustrated in one scene with the use of terms 'f**got' and 'queer'.
The line uttered by Rion, 'can you smell it? Not unlike roast pork' earns a chuckle, however.
When it comes to B-movie action flicks, NRNS3: BB is very, very good. I'm reviewing and watching these in reverse order, and alas, I enjoyed this instalment. There is not a single scene where I switched off and the runtime at under 1 hour, 40 mins is ideal.
It has that high-tempo, high octane Hong Kong martial arts-feel, which is a plus for me, and it shows through the production, as well edited as it looks, and the entertaining quality of the martial arts scenes. It looks very early '90s and yes, the acting may not be high-class, but you don't watch these films for the acting but for the action and fight sequences. With that, Blood Brothers is a certifiable action film worth tracking down for fans of the genre, in particular martial arts movies.
1990
Cast: Loren Avedon, Keith Vitali, Joseph Campanella, Wanda Acuna, Rion Hunter
Genre: Action Martial Arts
Plot: Rival sons of a slain C.I.A agent seek martial arts revenge on an international terrorist
'A Fun Kick-Ass Romp'
Made in Hong Kong, this low-budget martial arts action affair is a tasty treat.
When their ex- CIA agent father is brutally murdered in the hands of terrorists led by the peroxide Franco whose son was killed by the dad, two squabbling brothers attempt to put their differences aside to avenge his death. Casey Alexander is a CIA operative, with a younger sibling, Will who is a karate instructor and two couldn't be any more different from one another, personalities-wise.
The third film in the franchise, this one is without Hong Kong action choreographer and filmmaker Corey Yuen's involvement: he of whom helmed other martial arts gems in Yes Madam! starring Cynthia Rothrock and Michelle Yeoh and 1990's She Shoots Straight . The action in Blood Brothers is swift, due to the quick editing, and is reminiscent of many 1980s and early 1990s Hong Kong martial arts films, and impressive with some brilliant fight scenes & stuntwork as both Avedon and Vitali (& their stunt doubles) show off their agility and fight choreography. The script is a little corny in places and there is some overacting as well, yet No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers knows how to entertain in the action stakes and when it does so, it's worth seeing alone especially.
Some sexist language such as ''b****'' is uttered a few times, which was unpleasant, but besides that, this was a really good watch. Blood Brothers opts for a different approach in contrast to the previous films with the sibling rivalry theme that treads similar waters to that of another action martial arts flick, Double Impact starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, who plays the dual roles of twin brothers. The villain reminds me of the one played by Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner . Loren Avedon ( King of the Kickboxers) returns from the last film with Keith Vitali (Revenge of the Ninja, Wheels on Meals) playing a smug-assed cop with a penchant for flashy suits, who also beds attractive women and the two exhibit an impressive array of kicks, punches, spins, flips, as well as shooting. The relentless third and final act as the brothers do battle with Rion Hunter is a corker.
It is, however, problematic when it comes to the portrayal of the women in this film, as they are presented as attractive types parading alongside a swimming pool in a bikini as such and is also a tad homophobic as illustrated in one scene with the use of terms 'f**got' and 'queer'.
The line uttered by Rion, 'can you smell it? Not unlike roast pork' earns a chuckle, however.
When it comes to B-movie action flicks, NRNS3: BB is very, very good. I'm reviewing and watching these in reverse order, and alas, I enjoyed this instalment. There is not a single scene where I switched off and the runtime at under 1 hour, 40 mins is ideal.
It has that high-tempo, high octane Hong Kong martial arts-feel, which is a plus for me, and it shows through the production, as well edited as it looks, and the entertaining quality of the martial arts scenes. It looks very early '90s and yes, the acting may not be high-class, but you don't watch these films for the acting but for the action and fight sequences. With that, Blood Brothers is a certifiable action film worth tracking down for fans of the genre, in particular martial arts movies.
Final Verdict :
Far better than many American-based martial arts films of this type, but primarily because the action fight choreography is equal to many Hong Kong equivalents and given it is a Hong Kong martial arts movie shot and filmed in the U.S., No Retreat No Surrender 3 is a fun, solid, action-packed romp that doubles up as a guilty pleasure fest and showing that U.S, or be it Western martial arts films, with some effort, can stand alongside their higher tier Chinese and Hong Kong counterparts.
Overall:
Far better than many American-based martial arts films of this type, but primarily because the action fight choreography is equal to many Hong Kong equivalents and given it is a Hong Kong martial arts movie shot and filmed in the U.S., No Retreat No Surrender 3 is a fun, solid, action-packed romp that doubles up as a guilty pleasure fest and showing that U.S, or be it Western martial arts films, with some effort, can stand alongside their higher tier Chinese and Hong Kong counterparts.
Overall:
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