Plot: What’s it about?
A young woman (Moon Lee) has a great relationship with her brother, but she wishes he would find a new, less dangerous profession. You see, he fights in kickboxing matches and of course, that means he is always in danger of being injured, perhaps even killed. She has begged him to leave his career behind, but he continues to battle it out, no matter how hard she tries to stop him. As he prepares for his latest match, he is approached by a man who wants to pay him to take a dive, but he refuses. The man is of course upset, as he wanted to have a sure bet and now, that option is unavailable. Soon the match begins and before the final bell, the young girl’s brother has been killed in the ring by this opponent (Billy Chow). This sends her into a blind rage and in the heat of passion, she challenges the fighter to a match herself and soon, she battles him with such fierce skills, that she kills himself within the ring also. Now the boss of this fighter wishes to settle the score with her, since his best fighter is now out of action. He sends a femme fatale (Yukari Oshima) to take her on, but who will emerge as the victor in this intense battle?
This disc has a low price point and you can tell why, as it is given a budget treatment, to be sure. An English dubbed track with no Cantonese option, full frame only video, and minimal extras are all seen here, so the reason for the low price is obvious. But if you’re a fan of the movie, this is a good chance to pick it up, since the price is so reasonable. I would love to have a remastered edition and would even pay a hefty sum for one, but for right now, this is the best edition fans have at their fingertips. The movie itself is very cool, with Moon Lee (Iron Angels, Angel Force), Yukari Oshima (Story of Ricki, Angel Hunter), and Billy Chow (Fist of Legend, Robotrix) all present and in fine form, with a solid storyline to work within. I like the premise and it allows for plenty of action, whether via intense kickboxing matches or femme fatale rumbles. The main draw is of course the tension between the two lead female characters, as it means cat-fights and then some. In the end, Kickboxer’s Tears is a good movie and with a low priced disc from Tai Seng, I see no reason not to check it out, although a new remastered disc is more than welcome, of course.
Video: How does it look?
Kickboxer’s Tears is presented in a full frame transfer, which alters the original 1.66:1 aspect ratio. I would have loved an anamorphic widescreen edition of course, but since not much is altered here, it is more than watchable. The image itself is shaky at times and has some rough spots, but never becomes unwatchable. I found the colors to be stable and contrast to be more than solid, but the image is very soft, which lessens the visual impact. The print also shows some wear and grain, which doesn’t help matters much. I’ve yet to see a better home video version of this film however, so while this is less than stellar, it’s still worth a look.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is presented in an English dubbed track, with no option for the original Cantonese soundtrack. This is a let down of course, but as far as English dubs go, this one isn’t too bad and on a technical basis, this track is solid enough. I don’t think this will be a new reference track by any means, but it sounds good and no serious problems surface. The music and sound effects are well presented and while not too powerful, the material here is not exactly audio dynamite, at least not most of the time. The vocals are crisp and never hard to understand, although the voice actors aren’t top notch, to be sure.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s trailer.
