Desert Kickboxer (1992)

SAND KICKIN

Most of these kung fu/martial arts films are very similar: a loner hero who gets the poop kicked out of him enough to show he's not superman; vile villains who have little acting ability; endangered damsels and often times they have a sidekick who's either incredibly stupid or in this case, a mildly retarded brother. Drugs are usually involved, and the hero gets to show off his muscles by doing kung fu dances with appropriately inappropriate music.
In DESERT KICKBOXER, we have unknown John Haymes Newton in the role of Hawk, a half breed who killed a competitor in a weekend kickboxing match. Hawk quits his job as a policeman and returns to his native Arizona land, becoming a reluctant deputy for Sheriff Larry (Biff Mardin). Larry seeks Hawk's help in busting up the drug empire of Santos (played with Orson Welleish aplomb) by veteran character actor Paul L. Smith. Smith's head henchman is a kickboxer named Bruno, who is played by stuntman Michael Foley. Santos' accountant, Claudia (Judie Aronson, in a professional performance), has stolen 20 million dollars from Santos and is on the run with her mildly retarded brother, Anthony (played well by Sam DeFrancisco). Hawk ends up on the run with these two, and all hell breaks loose.
No surprises, no real major cinematic achievements, but there is a sense of honor and loyalty, and the brother/sister/Hawk relationship seems sincere.
If you like this kind of movie, you can do much worse. July 30, 2004

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