Bloodsport (1988)

 

Yes! 

Sorry, my enthusiasm temporarily got the better of me. But this is one of those simple films that is a ton of fun to watch. Doubly so if you are into martial arts. Triple that if you like Jean-Claude Van Damme.

So that checks all the boxes for me then. 

Now in all fairness: don't expect a masterpiece with Oscar-worthy performances, because this is not that type of film. Heck, the fact that this is a Cannon production already gave that away. But if you have the urgent need to see grown men kicking the living snot out of each other with some pumping 80s music to boot, then this is one for you.

Van Damme plays Frank Dux, a French American soldier who escapes from his base in order to fight in the kumite, a martial arts, no-holds-barred tournament that happens once every five years. Together with fighters from all over the globe they want to be top dog, for immortal glory, I guess. It is a nice hodgepodge of fighters, many of whom have legit fighting experience and pedigree, which explains why the fights are so much fun to watch. You get muay thai, karate, ju-jitsu, kung fu... The works. 

Dux strikes up a friendship with a big American biker called Ray Jackson, who is one of those archetypical 'loud mouth but with a heart of gold'-characters. There's also a love interest in a reporter, but don't expect to much from that, as it doesn't really go anywhere anyway. No, it's the tournament where it's at. The leading champion Chong Li is depicted as a total bastard, who even killed contestants in previous installments. The fact that he is played by the great Bolo Yeung does help, because that guy has a ridiculously imposing physique and is blessed with one of those faces that were made for scowling. I'm sure he's a nice guy in real life, but if you need someone to play an utter bastard, he is always a good choice. 

So of course, you know it's all leading up to Dux versus Li in the end, and along the way Chong Li nearly kills Jackson, giving Frank some extra motivation. And yes, Chong Li even cheats during the final match, but considering Frank hit another contestant square in the balls, I don't think the rules matter all that much.

Fun fact: this move and film were the inspiration for the Johnny Cage-character from 'Mortal Kombat'. 

This film is fast-paced and just goes where it needs to. Most of the acting is wooden or horrible, with a few exceptions. Donald Gibb as Jackson is a lot of fun, as he clearly is enjoying himself immensely, and the best performances come from Norman Burton and Forest Whitaker as two operatives sent to get Dux back to the States. Van Damme is okay, but as this is one of his earliest roles, you can tell he is not at all at ease in his more 'emotional' scenes. 

But the fighting, that is another matter. The duels are great, shot in a convinving manner and often times they feel as though the hits are real (which they occasionally were. Asian - and in particular Hong Kong - stuntmen are crazily dedicated that way). It's all here, in glorious detail and it is wonderful to watch if you're into this sort of thing.

This film is said to be based on true events from the life of Frank Dux and it claims quite a lot of achievements. Alas, they have all been disproven, so this guy lied his way into the film industry. But we did get an exhilarating and highly entertaining martial arts-film out of it, ànd it launched Van Damme's career for real, so there's always that.