FINAL IMPACT (1992) ***

Lorenzo Lamas stars as a former kickboxing champion slumming on the strip club circuit, fighting matches just before the oil wrestling main attraction.  A young, idealistic student (Michael Worth) wanting to make a name for himself comes to Lorenzo to pay homage.  After busting the kid’s balls a bit, Lamas eventually takes him under his wing so he can beat the fighter who stripped him of his belt.  

On the surface, Final Impact is a generic kickboxing movie.  If you look deeper, you find it’s a character study of how a man’s shortsighted quest for revenge winds up costing him everything.  I love stories about a stubborn ass man sticking to his guns, living life on his terms, and refusing to accept his situation until the last possible moment.   Sure, the sports genre clichés are overly familiar, and the fight choreography is nothing to brag about, but there’s plenty of quirky character moments here that help to make it memorable.

I knew Final Impact was going to be special the moment Worth beat a guy in the ring, pumped his fist, then pointed at Lamas and said, “I’m invincible!”  Later, back at the motel, Worth gets jumped by two guys in front of a Dr. Pepper machine.  Lamas intervenes and says, “Nobody’s invincible!”  What makes this scene so great is Lamas’ deadpan delivery… and the fact that he’s wearing a leather vest and no undershirt.  I know it doesn’t sound like much to hear me tell it, but I must’ve replayed this scene like three times, rolling in laughter each time.

Then of course there’s the great scene where Lamas gets drunk, breaks into the arena, and crawls into the empty ring where he falls to his knees and screams while flashbacks of his crushing defeat play out.  I’m not going to lie, the moment late in the third act when Lorenzo arrives at his big lifechanging realization, it’s unexpectedly powerful.  In lesser hands, a line like, “Winning isn’t about getting even.  It’s about being true to yourself!” would elicit chortles.  To hear Lamas tell it, it’s a heartbreaking punch to the gut.  

I can’t say this is Lamas’ best performance because that’s easily Snakeeater.  What I can say is he’s incredibly earnest, heartfelt, and genuine.  He hits the dramatic notes with surprising authority, but still looks funny with no shirt and cowboy hat while being belligerent too. What I’m saying is, Lorenzo Lamas is awesome.