In The Ancient Style

Sure, it might not have the greatest acting or dialogue, but I enjoyed watching Jean-Claude Van Damme in Kickboxer. One of the best parts of the movie is when there is a fight, "in the ancient style" where the fighters coat their hands in shards of glass. I usually like to immerse myself in some tv documentaries and movies about the country I'm visiting prior to getting there, but in this case rewatching Kickboxer was more of a guilty pleasure.

I asked my friend to go with me to see a real Muay Thai fight while we were in Bangkok, not fully knowing what to expect. I thought it'd be fun to go for an hour or so and would then get bored and move on. Once you get inside the stadium though, and there's a crowd of people cheering for their favorite fighter (whom they may have money riding on), you pretty easily get into it. Not all the fights were amazing, but the title match was definitely entertaining, if not a little bloody. Money well spent in my book!

Muay Thai fight at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium