15 Mindless Action Films You Must See Before You Die

A late entry in the cinematic subgenre known as Brucesploitation, No Retreat No Surrender might still be marketed as such but for an early acting role for Jean-Claude Van Damme, who appears for barely ten minutes, says next to nothing and still walks away with the movie.

It’s a low-budget Karate Kid rip-off with a weird twist – instead of being taught martial arts by the local Mr Miyagi, a bullied teen is tutored by the ghost of Bruce Lee. If you’re not in stitches when a badly dubbed Lee impersonator, who looks absolutely NOTHING like the Little Dragon, emerges from a mysterious pool of light and says, “you asked me to come”, check your pulse.

Nobody’s more impressed than Van Damme who, come their final reel tussle, changes his normally blank expression to mild surprise. It’s this kind of subtlety that won JCVD roles alongside fellow acting heavyweights Kylie Minogue and Dolph Lundgren.