THE UNTOLD STORY OF ‘NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER’ Kickstarts Crowdfunding For The New Documentary
Filmmaker Oliver Harper (In Search Of The Last Action Heroes) has launched a campaign on Kickstarter for The Untold Story Of ‘No Retreat, No Surrender’. Harper is collaborating with producers Sean David Lowe (The Last Kumite), and Christopher Stratton (FPS: First Person Shooter) on the documentary which is still in production.
The Corey Yuen-directed 1985 coming of age flick was written by Keith W. Strandenberg and produced in part by Ng See Yuen for Seasonal Film Corporation. It starred Kurt McKinney, J.W. Fails, Kim Tai-chung, and Jean-Claude Van Damme in the story of a beleagured young teenager and martial arts enthusiast who connects with the ghost of Bruce Lee to help regain his confidence ahead of a timely challenge match spearheaded by a New York crime boss and his Russian strongarm, Ivan.
The movie took hold of Western audiences with its opportune blend of American storytelling drama and Hong Kong-stylized fight choreography. It preceeded two more installments of the No Retreat, No Surrender franchise and sits among the cadre of other memorable Hong Kong-crossover titles of its kind, such as King Of The Kickboxers, American Shaolin, Superfights, and Bloodmoon among others.
Additionally, the movie signaled an expansion for Seasonal Films which launched in 1974 and already began propping up numerous Hong Kong stars like Jackie Chan, Bruce Liang, Hwang Jang-lee, Conan Lee, Hiroyuki Sanada, Yasuaki Kurata, and Leslie Cheung to name a few.
Harper’s upcoming documentary has already shot a handful of interviews with the cast of No Retreat, No Surrender, including Cynthia Rothrock and Matthias Hues who appeared in the second installment, No Retreat, No Surrender: Raging Thunder. The goal now is to round out the production’s interview schedule and break even through crowdfunding – something which I reckon fans of the franchise would welcome ahead of another potential prospect that was announced a few years back.
Check out the campaign video below and hit up the Kickstarter to lend your support!
Lead image: Kino Classics
