BAM Writes A Blog: The Absurd Action Franchise: No Retreat, No Surrender

No Retreat, No Surrender (1985/1986)

Kurt McKinney’s character, Jason, takes on the "Muscles from Brussels" himself, Jean-Claude Van Damme, who plays the lethal Russian, Ivan.

This movie is absolutely worth seeing for the tribute it pays to Bruce Lee. In a standout scene, Jason visits Lee’s actual grave in Seattle to give a moving speech about how the legend inspired him. It’s a moment of "mad respect" that grounds the movie’s supernatural premise.

It serves as a stark reminder of Lee's own philosophy:

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."

This deep reverence was likely driven by director Corey Yuen. Yuen knew Lee personally, having worked as a stuntman (appearing as a Japanese fighter) in Fist of Fury alongside Hidy Ochiai. As a member of the Seven Little Fortunes, Yuen was the perfect person to honor that legacy.

If you can survive the first 45 minutes of slow-burn training and '80s tropes, the movie takes a wild turn. Jason experiences a hallucination where Bruce Lee becomes his Sifu. In a nod to true fans, Jason calls him by his Chinese birth name, “Li Jun Fan.” This "Ghost Bruce" is played by Kim Tai-chung (1957–2011) in his final acting role. Kim was the high-level practitioner who famously doubled for Lee in Game of Death.

The arc of Jason’s training follows Lee’s philosophy of self-perseverance to overcome inner doubt. By the 1:05:00 mark, it’s clear McKinney really did his homework; his movement and mannerisms are a dedicated re-creation of the classic Fist of Fury brawls.

The low budget is obvious: the "grand finale" takes place in a high school gym. However, the ending is anything but small. Calling JCVD a "bad guy" is an understatement; he’s an unstoppable force of nature. When Jason and Ivan clash in the final fight, the epic payoff makes the entire wait worth it.

No Retreat, No Surrender 2 (1987)

The second NRNS has nothing to do with the first. It stars Loren Avedon (a TKD 9th-degree black belt and Grand Master) as Scott, who travels to Cambodia to save his Vietnamese girlfriend.

Cynthia Rothrock appears as Terry.

We see her beating someone up in a ring early on, but her skills are unfortunately sidelined for Loren’s character. Scott takes on the Vietnamese army to save his girlfriend, Sulin (played by Patra Wanthivanond). Terry pops up again as the helicopter operator, aiding Scott and his friend Mac on their heroic mission. Instead of a one-man army, Scott now has a crew of mercenaries helping him save the day. Matthias Hues, the man people call when they need a big, blond villain, plays Yuri, a hardcore killer and the main foe.

So, why did Loren replace McKinney? In a word: He explains that JCVD talked him out of it. It's during a great interview with Scott Adkins in The Art of Action - Kurt KcKinney - Episode 27.

The movie did well, leading to an epic showdown where Scott and Mac save the two women. Is it worth seeing? For me, the film ultimately falters for the same reason the original ending of Righting Wrongs did: Corey Yuen chose to kill off Cynthia Rothrock’s character. It’s a decision that weakens the emotional payoff and sidelines one of the franchise’s biggest strengths. Some fans don’t mind it, but for me, it dilutes the ending's impact and makes the film difficult to revisit.

No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers (1990)

The third movie is better than the second. Loren stars again, but as a new character named Will instead of Scott—because why not? At about the 11-minute mark, a stagehand’s mic is even visible at the top of the screen.

Will and his brother Casey (played by Keith Vitali, a former No. 1 ranked karate champion) clash as they separately attempt to find their father’s killer.

In reality, this movie is a showcase for two epic martial artists and would appeal to anyone who liked Double Impact. One element that makes this superior to the second film is that instead of a "damsel in distress," Wanda Acuna plays Maria, who shines as an equal to Will and Casey.

The King of the Kickboxers (1990)

Time for a deeper dive into this franchise wormhole with the fourth of these "related" movies: The King of the Kickboxers. Here, Loren Avedon plays Jake (apparently, the names Scott and Will were already trademarked).

Jake is the most idiotic undercover cop who ever lived. In real life, he’d either be fired or killed very quickly. This time, he's avenging his brother’s death. Billy Blanks appears as the "big bad" killer, and Jake heads to Thailand to fight him.

The storyline is... interesting. Fighters are acting in action films and then going missing, so naturally, a random police station in America sends a detective to Thailand to investigate, because that’s exactly how international law enforcement works. Keith Cooke (Wushi, TKD, and karate pro) makes an appearance as Jack's martial arts trainer, Prang.