Bloodsport (1988) Cannon/Action RT: 92 minutes Rated R (language, strong martial arts violence, brief partial nudity) Director: Newt Arnold Screenplay: Sheldon Lettich, Christopher Cosby and Mel Friedman Music: Paul Hertzog Cinematography: David Worth Release date: April 29, 1988 (US) Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton, Forest Whitaker, Bolo Yeung, Ken Siu, Roy Chiao, Philip Chan. Box Office: $11.8M (US)/$50M (World)
Rating: ***
Two things are immediately obvious in Jean-Claude Van Damme’s first starring vehicle Bloodsport: (1) he’s a terrible actor and (2) he’s a terrific martial artist. Inspired by tales told to co-writer Sheldon Lettich by real-life martial artist Frank Dux (pronounced “dukes”), the action takes place at an illegal full contact martial arts tournament called the “Kumite”. Only the best fighters in the world are invited to compete. Dux, played by JCVD, wants to compete as a means of upholding the family honor of his sensei (Chiao, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) but his Army superiors refuse to grant him leave. He goes AWOL and makes his way to Hong Kong with a pair of military cops, Rawlins (Whitaker, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai) and Helmer (Burton, Diamonds are Forever), in pursuit.
A few other pertinent plot points: (1) Dux befriends fellow competitor Ray Jackson (Gibb, Revenge of the Nerds), a tough biker type whose fate is all but sealed by virtue of his friendship with Dux, (2) Dux falls for an American journalist (Ayres, The Burning) trying to get the 4-1-1 on the Kumite, (3) the defending champ is a vicious behemoth named Chong Li (Yeung, Enter the Dragon) and (4) there are only three ways to win a match: (a) knock your opponent unconscious, (b) make the opponent submits and shout “matte” (uncle!) or (c) throw your opponent out of the fighting area. Also, it doesn’t take a member of Mensa to guess who will face who in the big final match.
Let me ask a rhetorical question. Do you really believe anybody cares about the “plot” of Bloodsport? The premise isn’t all that different from other martial arts flicks. The storylines play out predictably. The movie is a complete no-brainer. It exists only for its fight scenes. It’s a good thing there are a lot of them. Each fighter has his own style; it’s interesting to see them face off against each other. In keeping with the non-PC mentality of the time, the African fighter employs a style that involves him jumping around like a monkey. The fights are brutal and exciting. By the end, the arena floor is covered with blood stains. Bloodsport excels in this area alone. It certainly isn’t a showcase for acting or writing.
Newt Arnold, the assistant director of such diverse projects as The Killer Elite, The Jerk and Blade Runner, assumes first chair for Bloodsport. Never let it be said he slacks off here. He keeps it moving at a quick pace with some nicely choreographed fight scenes. They make up for the fact that “The Muscles from Brussels” is as wooden an action star as they come. Oh, he kicks ass quite well. His fighting skills are superior. This has served Belgian-born JCVD well in many movies. But acting, let’s say it’s definitely NOT his strong suit. Gibb is pretty good even though I can never NOT see him screaming “NERDS!!!” Ayres is basically eye candy.
Over the years, Bloodsport has become a cult film and I can see why. What guy doesn’t enjoy a movie with wall-to-wall fights? It’s pretty good in a Saturday matinee kind of way. Interestingly, it opened around the same time as Above the Law, the cop actioner that introduced the world to Steven Seagal. As the 80s were coming to a close, it was time to bring out the new action stars that would define the 90s. JCVD, Seagal and Dolph Lundgren (I Come in Peace) would lead the charge. None of these guys can actually act, but at least you can tell when Seagal is pissed off. His stone face gets stonier. In any event, Bloodsport is decent action-oriented entertainment even if its facts aren’t actually factual. Lettich claims Dux’s stories of the Kumite are complete BS. It’s never been confirmed that such an event even exists. Oh well, it makes for a good movie.
