KICKBOXER 3: THE ART OF WAR sees Sasha Mitchell and Dennis Chan teaming up to battle some Brazilian thugs in this South American adventure. It's very much a cookie-cutter production, with the actual kickboxing tournament sidelined in favour of some distinctly B-movie style shenanigans and high energy bouts. That said, it's a film not without a certain early 1990s charm, in that acting and plot are sidelined in favour of plentiful, hard-hitting action.

The storyline is basic to say the least and involves a nefarious bad guy who has a habit of kidnapping innocent girls to use in his brothel. Inevitable, our hero and his sidekick end up getting involved with said villain, and plenty of fisticuffs and shoot-outs ensue. The best thing about the movie is the action; it will never win prizes for originality, but it certainly proves to be satisfying. The choreography is basic but the style is pleasingly violent and packed to the brim with mayhem.

Mitchell himself is a wooden, stilted actor and yet he proves himself a powerhouse in the fight scenes; certainly a guy you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of. Dennis Chan, however, is the best person in this, bringing plenty of that trademark mentor charm from the original. The rest of the cast, both good guys and bad, are distinctly undistinguished, but as sequels go this straightforward B-movie isn't without charm.

Kickboxer 3: The Art of War starts as US kickboxing champion David Sloan (Sasha Mitchell) & his mentor Xian (Dennis Chann) arrive in Brazil in Rio de Janerio to take part in a kickboxing tournament against brutal Argentinian champion Martine (Ian Jacklin). While enjoying a bit of lunch on the beach a young local boy named Marcos (Noah Verduzco) steals David's camera, David gives chase & catches Marcos & finds out that he is homeless & trying to get money to support himself & his older sister Isabella (Alethea Miranda). David & Xian take pity on the pair & hire them as local guides, while at a charity event Martine's manager Lane (Richard Comar) takes a fancy to Isabella & has her kidnapped in order to sell her as a sex slave & also tries to get David to throw the upcoming fight against Martine so he can make lots of money from betting which doubly annoys David & Xian who set out to rescue Isabella & beat Martine in a fair fight...

Directed by Rick King this was the third film the the Kickboxer franchise which started with the reasonably watchable early Jean-Claude Van Damme flick Kickboxer (1989) & Kickboxer 2: The Road Back (1991) both of which featured the two main character's David Sloan & Xian who also take center stage here in the exotic Brazillian location of Rio de Janerio which is just about the only thing Kickboxer 3: The Art of War has going for it. For a film called Kickboxer there is actually very little kickboxing in it, there are a few fight scenes & the final big fight between Sloan & Martine but otherwise the script goes for plot development. Unfortunately the story just isn't that good, the two homeless kids, the bad guy, the grudge match against the evil fighter, the proverb reciting Chinese mentor & some lame attempts at sporting drama as once again the underdog who has the odds stacked against him comes through & wins in the end. At almost 90 minutes Kickboxer 3: The Art of War feels longer, a lot longer as it's a fairly slow going film that fails to be exciting or surprising or funny or good. I suppose it's competent, it tells a story even if it's not a very good one & some may enjoy the mixing of thriller, martial arts & sporting drama although I didn't.

There's not much action here, maybe they blew the budget on the Brazillian locations? There are a few shoot-outs, a couple of fairly lame fights & even a training montage in which Lane tries to torture Sloan but to me was just making him even fitter & stronger by pushing him. Wouldn't it have been better to break his foot or something? There isn't even much of a showdown between Sloan & Lane at the end. Also, why was it OK for Sloan to kill all those bad guy's but when Marcos tries Xian tells him that it's wrong?

Actually filmed in Rio de Janerio, this looks alright but has dull photography & forgettable production values. The acting isn't that good, Sasha Mitchell acts more like a Californian surfer dude than a world kickboxing champion while the two Brazillian kids are very annoying.

Kickboxer 3: The Art of War is a forgettable martial arts action thriller with little in the way of martial arts or action, there are better films out there. Followed by Kickboxer 4: The Aggressor (1994) & Kickboxer 5 (1995).

This is actually my favorite "Kickboxer" movie of all the follow ups. This movie is actually lighter and a little easier on the nerves with the distracting and beautiful backdrop of Rio De Janeiro Brazil.

Sasha Mitchell expertly reprises his role of David Sloan as only he can and I was very happy to see a repeat performance by Dennis Chan as Xian.

The action is good in this movie and the story well written. The dialogue flows and the characters(down to even the most minute ones) work well together to make this a well rounded, well thought out and easy to watch movie.

Sasha Mitchell's character of David Sloan is also more believable in this movie and it is easy to see him as "human" instead of just a "kick ass machine" like he is normally portrayed. I enjoyed getting to see the more human side of him and he displays his great sense of humor (however so subtly, but effectively)in numerous places throughout the movie.

Dennis Chan and Sasha Mitchell are a wonderful compliment to each other and are believable in their characters. I wish they could have made more movies together.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes good action, beautiful locale and good flow in a movie.