Search - Chok Dee: The Kickboxer on DVD

Gritty but Real

Martin Asiner | Jersey City, NJ | 01/07/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Dida Diafat is not a known name in the United States. He is a French former world champion in Thai Kick boxing, who emigrated to Thailand and became the first non-Thai to win numerous Thai fighting titles. In CHOK DEE, Dida plays himself as Ryan, a former French prison inmate who has learned the rudiments of Thai fighting from an older inmate. Upon his release, Ryan flies to Bangkok to try to enter a school of kick fighting. He is refused entrance since he is a non-Thai. The bulk of the film is how he convinces the school's trainers to enroll him and once having done so, prepare him to fight in competition.



The problem with CHOK DEE is that the director did not know whether to film a KARATE KID with Dida in the Ralph Macchio role, a ROCKY with Dida as Sly, or even KICKBOXER with Dida as Jean Claude Van Damme. The result is a gritty pastiche of all three. That is not necessarily a bad thing either, so long as Dida would have been permitted to take center stage as the focus of action. Instead, they muddled the plot by introducing a number of subplots that worked at cross purposes with an otherwise strong performance by the surprisingly frail looking Dida, who can truly act better than he can fight. In order for a martial artist to resonate with the audience, he needs a worthy opponent. Look at Tong Po, the villainous Thai fighter from KICKBOXER, who pushed JCVD to his limits. In CHOK DEE, Dida's opponents were interchangeable and I had a hard time keeping straight one from the other. What I liked about Dida is that he limited his fighting mostly to the ring where he engaged in sanctioned bouts with rules. Tony Jaa, by contrast, another Thai movie martial artist fought numerous street thugs in a manner that distracted attention from fighting one on one and redirected it, Bruce Lee style, to one on many. Dida has natural dramatic talent and he has a future in film, even if that future has no punches or kicks in it.

"

So damn good!

RMT | Oakland CA | 01/08/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Very good movie. What more could you want? Classic martial arts story. Meet master, stand outside in rain until master accepts you, train, meet super hot girl that becomes girlfriend/lover/wife and then become champion.

Played by real Muay Thai champion Dida Diafat, so the fights scenes are awesome."

Getting past

mark groleau | wyandotte mi | 05/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"once the story takes over this film gets really,really good!

and i 've seen a lot of horriable martail art films.



and this is quite good, buy it you watch it alot, its like the movie "iron and silk" but better directing and photography"

VERY VERY GOOD MOVIE

Marc Bouhana | FRANCE | 06/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"HEY IF YOU ARE FAN OF THAILAND MOVIES AND EVERYTHING ABOUT THAI BOXING THIS MOVIE IS FOR YOU THE FIGHTS ARE NOT EXTRAORDINARY AND NOT SO MUCH VIOLENT BUT THE STORY IS GOOD

AND THE TIME GOES SO QUICKLY THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE A CHOK DEE 2 BUT I DON T KNOW IF THEY WILL DO IT

SO YOU CAN BUY IT NO PROBLEM IT IS A VERY GOOD MOVIE"