gridoon
I watched "High Kicks" as part of the 10-movie DVD set called "Women Who Kick Butt". No doubt if that's the first film of the set you watch you'll be disappointed, but if you watch it (like me) after such atrocities as "Death Run To Istanbul" or "Flight To Danger" it seems comparatively better. The female lead takes her role very seriously and gives a convincing emotional and physical performance (she was stunt-doubled in some scenes by Michelle "Mouse" Krasnoo). The acting of the men sucks, but at least they seem to know what they're doing when it comes to martial arts. And although the film was cheaply shot on video, the camera-work is decent. Of course there are a lot of things that could be improved. The script is short on logic (how do they always manage to find the villains so easily?), the fight choreography is sometimes clumsy, and there should have been more action - the climactic fight, for example, should have been longer than 1 minute! (*1/2)
Space_Mafune
After being attacked and raped by a gang of hoodlums, an aerobics instructor named Sandy turns to her new friend Sam, a karate expert, for help. After some martial arts training, she and her newfound karate cohorts decide to bring their own brand of justice to these hoodlums since the police won't do anything about them. It should also be noted with regards to the plot that never ever, not even for one single moment, does it become convincing in its portrayal of events.I swear I could feel my brain cells literally melting away as I watched this cheese fest that is when it wasn't being utterly overwhelmed by the almost vomiting inducing level of political correctness constantly a presence in this film. Indeed, the gang is made up of members from nearly every different race (must not discriminate after all when it comes to male sleaze balls) and all the guys in the film who seem to be actually able to fight seem to also be totally ineffectual as males for the most part, wearing pink t-shirts or sweatshirts, doing aerobics and basically anything our leading lady Sandy asks them to do. It's interesting that only the effeminate men seemed to be portrayed in a positive light. Possibly as a means to appease all those male sleazes watching at home, the camera does seem to continuously leer at women as they work out to the point you honestly expect this to turn into a full blown porno film at any moment (the music even lends itself to this suggestion). However it never does. In fact, it doesn't even have any nudity.
edgein15
Inconceivable! What was the director thinking? Hmm, we're shooting on video, we have no stars, and we have a budget of 7 bucks for our martial arts stuntmen. I have an idea that will put us over the edge!!!! We'll feature tons of women with fake boobs doing aerobics....and we'll have no nudity at all!!!! It's cinema gold! People, there's a reason why you can only find this flick in a bundled DVD 4-pack at Best Buy for 6 bucks. And frankly, I overpaid.
mazinz
Here we have a really funny film that has hit cult status among a bunch of us. This is a really badly made and shot on video "action" (quote unquote) film. This is acted like a porno without the porn. Thanks to Brentwood dvd this has become available in a dvd budget boxed set. In a nutshell. Sandy opens an aerobic studio called Highkicks. A politcally correct looking street gang (every race is accounted for), harass, and then rape Sandy. Sandy hires a new guy (Sam) to help out at her place and after the attack finds out he knows martial arts (umm i guess you can call it that). You should be able to pick up the rest of the film, he teaches her and then they go after the gang. Again this film is hilarious. The really crazy clothes, definitely the 80's hair styles (even though this was done in the 90's), and acting are at the bottom of the barrel and highly worth viewing. Some funny lines are when Sam mentions to Sandy he has to go to his brothers wedding in San Francisco and that it will take him a week to get there, keep in mind he is in San Diego. Another funny one is When Sam mentions he pulled into a port (he drives a boat) and was raped by the natives. it just doesn't get any better then this. If you want a really funny fun time, rent this with a bunch of people and just mock the entire film.
AD
