Author’s Note: This Post is Spoiler Free
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayers, Bolo Yeung
Directed By: Newt Arnold
Written by: Sheldon Lettich (story/screenplay), Christopher Cosby (screenplay), Mel Friedman (screenplay)
Rating: R
Released: 1988
Style: Action, Biography (?)
For more information, check out the page on IMDB
The Heart of It
Jean-Claude Van Damme (JCVD) was one of “those” martial arts action stars of the ’80s – he’s iconic. The low-budget, high-action movies made him an international star. This movie was his first starring role, and he came out with a high-flying sidekick of a movie.
Overview
Bloodsport was based on the supposedly true story of Frank Dux (played by JCVD). In the movie, he is trained in a form of Japanese martial art from a young age by his instructor Tanaka. He escapes from the Army and goes to compete in an illegal fight competition in Hong Kong called the Kumite in the place of his Sensei. Along the way, he makes friends with another fighter named Jackson (played by Donald Gibb), gains an enemy in the previous champion Chong Li (Bolo Yeung) and is being chased by the Army for abandoning his post. One of the government investigators looking for him is played by a young Forest Whitaker.
Movie Review: 4/10
The movie part of the movie is not good. It’s low-budget, the acting is pretty bad, and the racial representations are bad by today’s standards. But that badness is all part of the charm of the movie. If you go in expecting an artistic piece of Shakespeare, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. If you go in with popcorn, wanting a throwback, HEAVILY 80s-feeling movie, then you’re in luck. It even includes a rambunctious chase through the streets of Hong Kong with a Stan Bush song playing in the background.
That’s why I’m going to give it a 4 out of 10. If you go with the feel of the movie, then it gets a bonus point over the 1 out of 5 for pure moviemaking that it should get.
Martial Arts Review: 6/10
Pros
JCVD is known for his kicking abilities. Which follows since he studied Shotokan and Kickboxing. He gets to showcase those skills very well in the fight scenes. None of which would have been part of the Ninjutsu he was supposed to have learned, but hey… let’s not let reality get in the way of looking cool. There’s an especially influential scene where JCVD drops into a full split to deliver a ball punch. This particular scene was the inspiration for Mortal Kombat’s Johnny Cage. If you like old school kung fu movies, then this one is right up your alley.
Cons
Watching this movie, you really get a feel for how more advanced our martial arts storytelling is today. The punches and kicks are almost painfully slow by today’s standard, the reactions are also overdone, and painfully inaccurate. But it was still a newer genre at the time, and we, the American audience, were unused to the quick movements of martial arts. Because we didn’t know what we were seeing, the action was slowed down for the purposes of storytelling.
Overall Rating and Review: 5/10
Even though the combined score for movie and martial arts review only totals 5 out of 10, this is still one of those classic movies that you HAVE to see to call yourself a martial arts movie fan. Yes, the acting is bad, the martial arts are slow, but it is a fun movie, showcasing a rising star in JCVD. If you haven’t seen this… go do it.
What do you think of Bloodsport? Did you love it, hate it, or something in between? Let me know in the comments section below.
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