Kickboxer 3

Kickboxer 3 (stylized on-screen as Kickboxer III: The Art of War) is a 1992 direct-to-video martial arts film directed by Rick King. The film is the third in the Kickboxer franchise with only Sasha Mitchell and Dennis Chan returning from the previous films. It was also the last film to feature Dennis Chan as Xian Chow and first entry into the series to be released direct-to-video.

Kickboxer 3
UK DVD cover
Directed byRick King
Produced byMichael D. Pariser
Written byDennis A. Pratt
StarringSasha Mitchell
Dennis Chan
Richard Comar
Noah Verduzco
Alethea Miranda
Ian Jacklin
Music byHarry Manfredini
CinematographyEdgar Moura
Edited byDaniel Loewenthal
Distributed byLive Entertainment
Columbia TriStar
Release date
  • September 4, 1992 (1992-09-04)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Portuguese
Budget$5 million

Plot

The movie opens with a distressed woman being chased through a tropical forest by an unknown pursuer. It is soon revealed that the woman is attempting to escape from Frank Lane, an American running an illegal child sex ring operation in Brazil. Upon being recaptured, she is taken back to Lane's home and executed in front of the other slaves, as punishment for her actions.

Meanwhile, kickboxing champion David Sloane and his trainer Xian arrive in Rio de Janeiro for a championship bout. Though Xian is mostly interested in training for the upcoming fight, David dismisses the idea in favor of relaxing in the city. While eating lunch, their camera is suddenly stolen by a young thief, and David gives chase. After fending off a pair of drunken assailants, he catches up to the boy who then brandishes a knife, but David easily disarms him and takes back the camera. When the boy, Marcos, follows him back to the restaurant to reclaim the knife, Xian invites both him and his beautiful sister Isabella to join them for lunch, and they eventually become friends.

At a charity kickboxing event, David is asked to be the cornerman for another young fighter in an exhibition match against Eric Martine, an Argentine kickboxer managed by Lane, who also happens to be David's opponent for the upcoming championship fight. However, the aggressive Martine brutally beats the young fighter, prompting David to physically intervene on his behalf. As a result, David's bout with Martine is billed as a grudge match. Lane apologizes to David for Martine's actions and invites him to a party he is hosting.

David attends the party with Marcos and Isabella as his personal guests. Upon meeting her, Lane becomes infatuated with Isabella. When David parts ways with the children for the night, Lane secretly sends out a group of men to kidnap her. In a panic, Marcos asks for David's help. They file a police report, but with an overwhelming backlog of unsolved cases on their hands, the authorities do not consider their case a priority and advise them to simply forget about Isabella.

Undeterred, David and Xian launch their own investigation, which ultimately leads to their arrest. Although Lane bails them out in an attempt to cover his tracks, the two continue their search, only to find that the trail leads right back to him. They confront Lane in his home but are ambushed and taken prisoner. Lane forces David through a series of grueling exercises designed to weaken him before his match with Martine, such as hiking with a backpack full of rocks and water-skiing without skis. He then releases both men back to their hotel, with the condition that if David doesn't show up for the fight, Isabella will disappear forever. With Marcos' help, Xian is able to create and administer a cure for David's fatigue.

At the fight, David manages to defeat Martine, and Xian is successful in rescuing Isabella before Lane can flee the arena, leaving Lane bankrupt. Upon being reunited with Marcos, Isabella tells him about the other girls Lane has imprisoned, and David resolves to free them as well. In retaliation, Lane pulls a gun on David, but Marcos suddenly appears and stabs Lane in the stomach with his knife.

In the end, the police sergeant decides to cover up Lane's murder, and David arranges for Marcos and Isabella to attend school. Upon realizing that they have missed their flight back home, David, Xian, and the police sergeant decide to go out for drinks together.

Cast
  • Sasha Mitchell as David Sloane
  • Dennis Chan as Xian Chow
  • Richard Comar as Frank Lane
  • Noah Verduzco as Marcos
  • Alethea Miranda as Isabella
  • Ian Jacklin as Eric Martine
  • Milton Goncalves as Sergeant
  • Ricardo Petraglia as Alberto
  • Gracindo Junior as Pete
  • Miguel Orniga as Marcelo
  • Lenor Gottlieb as Margarida
  • Renato Coutinho as Branco
  • Kate Lyra as Branco's Wife
  • Marco Ruas as Jealous Husband at Party

Production

In an interview with Sam Weisberg for the web site Hidden Films, director Rick King said working with Sasha Mitchell was extremely difficult, with frequent temper tantrums and even threats of violence. “I think he thought people thought he was stupid, which was true,” King [said]. “And he was also violent, and so he used his position of privilege as the star in a very negative way.” [1]

Reception

The film was not well received by critics.

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References
  1. "Hidden-Films.com – Article about Rick King". Retrieved May 28, 2013.
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