No Retreat, No Surrender - Definition

No Retreat, No Surrender (also known as Karate Tiger) is a 1985 film directed by Corey Yuen and starring Kurt Mckinney as Jason Stillwell and Jean Claude van Damme as Ivan Krushensky.

Jason Stillwell is a young Karate student who trains in his fathers Los Angeles dojo. One night after training has finished, the dojo is visited by members of an organised crime syndicate. Jason's father is attacked and has his leg broken by Ivan Krushensky. The family moves to start a new life in Seattle. Jason has a hard time adjusting and is picked on by the locals. One night after being beaten he is visited by the ghost of Bruce Lee. After being trained by the ghost, Jason goes from a below average fighter to near invincibility. Local fighters organise a fight in an arena between themselves and fighters from the crime syndicate. This sets the scene for Jason to meet up with Ivan to settle it once and for all.

The film is generally considered to be bad cinema. It borrows a lot from the theme of the The Karate Kid (1984) and Rocky (1976) films. It is however considered a cult classic among buffs of martial arts films. It is only remarkable for being the first major role and springboard of the acting career of Jean Claude van Damme.

In 1987 a film called No Retreat, No Surrender 2 was made but which has no connection in plot or cast to this film.