American Karate Tiger
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | American Karate Tiger |
| Original title | Showdown |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1993 |
| length | 100 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 (Cut / Uncut) |
| Rod | |
| Director | Robert Radler |
| script | Stuart Gibbs |
| production | Todd King |
| music | Stephen Edwards |
| camera | Bryan Duggan |
| cut | Florent Retz |
| occupation | |
| |
American Karate Tiger (Original Title: Showdown ) is an American martial arts film directed by Robert Radler from 1993 and starring the African-American martial artist Billy Blanks . The film was released in the United States on September 17, 1993. The first performance in Germany took place on July 25, 1994.
action
The teenager Ken Marx moves with his mother from the US state of Kansas to Missouri , where the single parent takes a new job. The new high school , however, quickly proves to be a place ruled by violent youth. The teaching staff remains inactive. On the very first day, Ken falls in love with the attractive Julie and befriends the outsider Mike. Julie is, however, the friend of the school-known thug and kickboxer Tom, who trains in the combat school of the brutal Lee, where illegal competitions take place regularly. When Ken tries to get closer to her, Tom threatens him at school and even beats him up after class. Injured, he is taken in by the wise caretaker Billy, an ex-policeman who resigned his duties for reasons of conscience after he accidentally killed a criminal, Lee's brother, during an operation.
After Ken's recovery, Ken tries to avoid Julie at first. But the beauty is well-disposed towards him and makes friends with him, which makes Tom aggressive. The jealous thug tries to abuse his rival, but Ken is rescued again by janitor Billy, who turns out to be a gifted martial artist. The former cop takes Ken and trains him in karate until he is up to Tom. In the end there is a showdown in the martial arts school, in the course of which Ken defeats his rival Tom. Then Lee appears and pushes Tom aside for demanding revenge for his dead brother. A tough fight ensues between Lee and Billy. Billy wins the fight, and Lee is arrested by the incoming police.
Reviews
The lexicon of international films wrote that the production was “not an extremely brutal action film” , although it “even offered moralizing only violence as a means of conflict resolution” .
Web links
- American Karate Tiger in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Comparison of the cut versions BBFC 18 - FSK 16 by American Karate Tiger at Schnittberichte.com