An American soldier trained from his youth by a Japanese ninjutsu master goes AWOL to Hong Kong in order to participate in an illegal, no-holds-barred tournament. In the 1980s, when Western fascination with Asian martial arts reached a peak, Jean-Claude Van Damme arrived on the scene with his legendary helicopter kick, and nothing was ever the same again. One of the most cultish of all cult martial arts movies, this flick made a name for the then little-known Belgian, but it also gave a boost to Bolo Yeung, the film’s onscreen nemesis, who wound up a lifelong friend of Van Damme. It’s time to dust off your kimono and start practicing your deathblow. Hajime!