I can't let a conversation about the Salad Days go by without mentioning one of my personal B-movies of the era, a little gem I like to call "No Retreat, No Surrender."
Filled with a cast of several--including Jean Claude Van Damme in what I think is his very first movie--the story follows our hero Jason, as he and his family move from L.A. to the mean streets of Seattle. It is there that Jason meets R.J., (a poor man's Alfonso Riberio), and we learn of Jason's adoration of Bruce Lee. In this clip, check out R.J.'s mad rapping/dancing skills. Fargo will want to pay special attention to the Chris Tuft-esque bully shown briefly in the background.
Jason runs afoul of the bully and his minions, so he gets help from none other than the ghost of Bruce Lee! The movie ends in a thrilling climax as Jason fights Van Damme in a high school gymnasium.
The movie also has some of the most homoerotic training montages ever committed to film, but we won't talk about that.
3 comments:
BREAK DANCE FIGHTING!!!!!
Wasn't that Carl Douglas' big hit? "Everybody was break dance fighting?"
You know the other great 80's kung fu movie was "Gymkata." Finally, the worlds of martial arts and male gymnastics were married in a union of holy awesomeness.
Because it's like "Hey! I'm surrounded by a gang of killer ninjas!! Oh, look! A Pummel Horse!"
How could you not notice the pummel horse in any situation?!? Way too distracting.
Post a Comment