NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER (1985)
For every film actor or star who has ever made it in the entertainment business, there's that covered "first film" everyone seeks out eventually, to see their humble beginnings. More often than not, if the star in question got their start in the 80s or 90s that first outing may not be that auspicious. Such is the case with Jean-Claude Van Damme. As great as he might be in NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER, he's not in the movie enough to be the reason to suggest the film. This may be a good thing, as the film is without a doubt one of the weirdest and most scatterbrained movies you will ever see.
Jason Stillwell (Kurt McKinney) is the kind of teenager that was emblematic of a certain time and place. A mega Bruce Lee fan, Jason constantly gets reprimanded at his father's dojo (Timothy D. Baker), for not taking Karate seriously enough. After a shady businessman tries to muscle the Stillwell family out of their dojo and his henchman (Jean Claude Van Damme) breaks the dad's leg, they hightail it to Seattle. There, Jason quickly makes a best friend in neighbor R.J. (J.W. Fails) and rekindles his romance with Kelly (Kathie Sileno). All while trying to further his martial arts training without his father's blessings and the crime syndicate showing up again.
That's the basic setup for the film but doesn't indicate that NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER takes the express train to crazy town. There's a local bully, named Scott (Kent Lipham) who is introduced eating an entire box of cake. Scott borders on sociopath, continually tormenting Jason and R.J. for no reason. Were that relatively tame, this is also a film that features a Michael Jackson impersonator dance battle, a very confusing relationship, and drunks threatening to kill a bartender and follow through on it. Not to mention an iconic training montage that features Jason doing pelvic pushups, with R.J. sitting on his chest eating a popsicle.
"NO SENSE, NO EXPERIENCE " would actually serve as a better title for the movie. That starts with writer Keith W. Strandberg, who had never written a screenplay before. As evidenced by a fair amount of the dialogue. The same too goes for the actors who come off as a tad stilted and delayed. That last bit adds to the film's unintentional comedy (and charm), with an extra beat or two between each line reading. A couple of years later Strandberg would make an even more exciting "so-bad-it's-good" film in AMERICAN SHAOLIN, which centers on a martial artist who wants to learn the fighting skills of the Shaolin, after a match in which a kickboxer pants him in the middle of a right. These two films would make for a great double feature.
It should be noted out of all the weird and out-there martial arts movies in the universe, this is the only one where a guy gets taught how to fight by the ghost of Bruce Lee. Yes, you read that right. Forbade from fighting by his father, Jason does the smart thing and sets up a makeshift gym in an abandoned house. After a tussle at a birthday party throws him over the edge, Jason breaks down at Lee's grave and asks him to train him, because bullies are giving him a hard time. Since Lee apparently finds it his duty in the afterlife to help all depressed individuals who cry at his grave, he teaches Jason the ways of a warrior. Which, to anyone not with Jason's POV looks like he's talking to no one, as he does high spin kicks in a place probably filled with asbestos.
The head-scratching part of all this is that NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER is directed by stalwart Corey Yuen. To American audiences, he's responsible for THE TRANSPORTER and DEAD OR ALIVE films. Overseas though, he's done a lot. At the time he was coming off the one-two punch of YES, MADAM! (starring Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock) and RIGHTING WRONGS (co-starring Yuen Biao). Those films are a far cry from this one, making one wonder what was lost in translation when it came to making a film that took place in the US.
"What about JCVD?" you might cry! You wouldn't be alone in screaming that to the heavens when watching the film. He's on the cover and appears in the first sequence. Surely that would mean he's a presence throughout? Wrong. JCVD's Ivan is relegated basically to the opening and closing sections of the film. Creating a weird question not so much about his inclusion, but why this part of the story exists. A crime syndicate that goes around buying up dojos across the US and possibly implementing their brand of karate, is a strange choice. Yet with all that surrounds it, it kind of makes a little sense.
As for JCVD, despite only a little screen time, he still impresses. There's a ferocity to his technique and prowess that looks more dangerous than any of the other martial arts in No Retreat, No Surrender. Where others are sloppy and pulling their punches, he's crisp and going all out. The reason for that, as noted by a few actors, is that JCVD was a bit reckless while filming. To the point that Yuen had to ask him to stop making contact with the other actors. As disappointing as that is, he still does the splits impressively and that's all that matters.
There's no way that anyone would label NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER a good film, let alone a "film Jean-Claude Van Damme". It's a movie that has been roasted by RiffTrax, as well as on one of Mystery Science Theater 3000 live tours. A movie that features a whiny little hero asking for help at a dead movie star's grave and then goes on a training spree while possibly fighting some form of hallucination. What cannot be argued with is that JCVD gives a glimpse of his prowess, and gets put on better display just three years later, in 1988's BLOODSPORT. Come for the "Muscles from Brussels," stay for the montage in short shorts that's probably illegal in some countries.
