By Geno McGahee
“We don’t tolerate bullies here.” – Cindy (Cynthia Rothrock)
There is a great formula in the action genre that was made very popular by the 1984 “THE KARATE KID”, where a new kid comes to town and encounters bullies only to fight back and put the bad guy into their place. That film inspired many others including another notable entry in the 1993 Billy Blanks film “SHOWDOWN.” Following in the footsteps of such films is the 2015 Michael Baumgarten movie “THE MARTIAL ARTS KID,” an incredible film that will satisfy the action fans as well as bring home a message to parents and children everywhere.
THE MARTIAL ARTS KID features two of my favorite action stars. Don “The Dragon” Wilson (BLOODFIST) and Cynthia Rothrock (CHINA O’BRIEN, RAGE AND HONOR) still have it after all these years. Having these two in this film immediately makes is a must see. Much like Arnold Schwarzenegger, they are still able to play the tough role at an age that most cannot. They are believable.
Robbie (Jansen Panettiere) is a teen that has lost his mother tragically and has been acting out. His grandmother has seen him getting apprehended by the cops enough and sends him away to live with his Aunt Cindy (Rothrock) and Uncle Glen (Wilson). He immediately gets into trouble and meets up with a bully. When talking to Rina (Kathryn Newton), her boyfriend, Bo (Matthew Ziff), storms over and beats him up. When he goes to his new school, he sees Rina again and speaks to her, but, once again, Bo gets aggressive.
Rina begins to have feelings for Robbie and they begin working together at her father’s bike shop. Initially, when Robbie goes to the shop, he arrives with his Uncle Glen, and they walk right into a dispute. Some thug is trying to shakedown the owner, holding a pink Huffy bike and insisting that he bought it there. When the thug grabs owner by the neck and insists that he is going to get his money, that is when we get to see Don “The Dragon” Wilson back in action. He hasn’t missed a beat and puts that thug into his place. It was quite funny to see the thug ride away on the pink Huffy bike.
Rothrock gets some action too and watching her kick ass again after all these years was great. Some punk pulled a knife on her and she quickly beat him to a pulp. A few beach bullies try to rough her up as well and they pay the price. We learn that Aunt Cindy and Uncle Glen have a long history of fighting and it is further shown by the pictures of the two at Glen’s dojo.
At Glen’s dojo, he teaches martial arts and shows the students that it’s about self-defense and balance, but that is not the case with Coach Kaine (T.J. Storm). Kaine teaches assess, assert and dismantle and Bo is one of his pupils. Glen is no stranger to Kaine. They used to be friends but their difference in philosophies sent them into different directions. Although they have remained on friendly terms, there is a rivalry.
Glen begins training Robbie and Rina dumps Bo and becomes his girlfriend, making a bad situation worse. When Rina gets physically assaulted by her ex, Robbie goes into action, beating everyone in his path, leading to a dojo vs. dojo brawl. It is Kaine and his students against Glen and his students in an epic showdown. Once again, Rothrock and Wilson in action again! This seems too good to be true!
During the chaos, Kaine exits but Glen isn’t too far behind, leading to a one on one fight. Earlier, Glen had noted that Kaine would be a most dangerous opponent and now he is finding that out. They fight with fists and with baseball bats. Kaine proves incredibly strong and does not fight with the honor that Glen exhibits. He even notes: “Honor. How traditional.”
THE MARTIAL ARTS KID is a fantastic movie. Cynthia Rothrock is still a cute and tough force that can throw down with the best of them. Don “The Dragon” Wilson also has a lot left as the likable badass. He has had that persona his entire film career and it carries over well once again. Credit also to Jansen Panettiere for his work as the lead in this film. He played the weak but strong role well and Kathryn Newton did a great job as the conflicted girlfriend.
Much like THE KARATE KID and SHOWDOWN, this film brings the action and the charm that makes this formula so great. I highly recommend THE MARTIAL ARTS KID.
Rating: 8/10
Great review Geno!!!
Thank you Curtis!
Great review Geno!!
You Da Man Geno! You definitely “Get IT” when it comes to our film. It’s about the core values of the martial arts and how they can help improve all aspects of one’s life. Thanks for a great review!
Thank you Don! You were amazing in this and this film was incredible! I expect big things from this film.