Movies like The Raid: Redemption are awesome. There’s just enough plot to tie together a string of amazing, head-spinning (and smashing) fight scenes. But technology is so advanced these days; isn’t there a way to boil a movie down to its most violent core? Why yes, yes there is. Enter the below video, which streamlines the Jean-Claude Van Damme classic Kickboxer to the film’s most important five minutes: just the kicks. No fuss, no muss. But, as Movieline points out, it still manages to grasp the essence of the film:
The crazy thing about this supercut is that, in addition to being strangely mesmerizing at times, the chronological edit comprised only of onscreen kicking scenes completely conveys Van Damme's entire emotional arc as he goes from supportive cornerman to avenger-in-training to ring champ. It's also a reminder of just how majestic Van Damme was in his prime, doing split kicks in mid-air and roundhousing heads left and right all young and oiled up and stretchy…
It’s true. Enjoy the majesty below.