Karate Rock

Fabrizio De Angelis leaves it all on the sweat-stained mat at the strip-mall karate studio that hosted the bone-crushing, senses-shattering, kickpocalypse between arch rivals Kevin and Jeff! The final battle would have been pretty lame (well, lamer than it was) if it hadn't been built toward with an unceasing increase in tension as Kevin and Jeff clashed in competitions where the stakes only got higher and higher and even freaking higher! Why, by the time that Kevin had bested Jeff in the race through the Tunnel of Death (neither of them died making the tunnel's name an unfortunate misnomer), I was thinking that surely nothing could top that! Well, nothing but a training montage!

Directed by Fabrizio De Angelis, Karate Rock leans on a strong ensemble — Antonio Sabàto Jr., David Warbeck, Natalie Hendrix Tate — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about action titles of 1990.