another of the endless amount of cookie cutter kickboxers fight to the death for the amusement of wealthy scumbags film that there be so many of in the 90 . yknow and the one create by take the word death and blood and steel and the word ring and fight and match and cage and put them in a random generator . say that though and death match be a pretty good entry in the over use genre and thanks to it excite fight scene and the surprisingly good acting of it kickboxer cast . the story concern two buddy ex kickboxing world champion john larson ( play by pug face middleweight kickboxing champ ian jacklin and probably previously best know for his awful performance a the main villain in ring of fire 2 ) and nick wallace ( nick hill and a likable guy probably best know for the role of street fighter sergio in bloodsport 2 ) who work the l. a. dock load crate onto ship . one discovery of a boxful of gun and a brief fight later and our two hero be jobless and prop up an l. a. bar . sensible john larson decide to head north and look for a job while headstrong nick wallace have hear of a guy pay good money for fighter to fight in private kickboxing match . why should thing change . say john and if you need me and i will be there . predictably enough and it isn not long before nick have go miss and his good friend be fight in the deadly ring of death try to find a lead to his miss buddy . sure enough and there be no prize for originality here and but like i say before and this films strength lie in it action and it cast of real life fighter and the fairly good performance it manage to wring from them . ian jacklin in particular surprise me . previously i would just see him a the bad guy in ring of fire 2 and in bit part in tripe like the steel ring and and i have always be quite amuse at how bad an actor he be ( good fighter though . ) . but in death match and he pretty good . give a decent script and a haircut and he prove himself to be quite the charismatic leading man . and his friendship with nick be very well portray . jacklin and hill have a nice chemistry and you really believe these two character care for each other . enough for one of them to lose a job and travel halfway across the country and risk death to save the other i wish i have a friend like that . it be also nice to see matthias hue a a villainous henchman with a little more depth than be use to see from his many villainous henchman role . however do not be fool into think he the star just because he on the video cover ( with and it seem and his head stuck on the body of michael bernardo from the cover of shootfighter ) he be good while he on screen and but he isn not on much . on the negative side and the film be pretty slow when there no fight go on and with lot of unnecessary scene ( whats with gangster jimmie fiorello pointless story about his grandfather . ) and and the end fight be disappointingly short and but on the whole i enjoy it . plenty of fight and most of them good . isn not that all we martial art really need . and of course eye candy and here in the lovely form of the very pretty renee ammann . all in all and a pretty entertaining kickboxing movie .