Bloodsport (film)
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| Bloodsport | |
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 Original Movie Poster |
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| Directed by | Newt Arnold |
| Produced by | Mark DiSalle Yoram Globus Menahem Golan |
| Written by | Christopher Cosby Mel Friedman Sheldon Lettich (also story) |
| Starring | Jean-Claude Van Damme Donald Gibb Leah Ayres Bolo Yeung Norman Burton Forest Whitaker |
| Music by | Paul Hertzog Michael J. Bishop |
| Cinematography | David Worth |
| Editing by | Carl Kress Jean-Claude Van Damme (uncredited) |
| Distributed by | Cannon Group |
| Release date(s) | 26 February 1988 |
| Running time | 92 mins |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,500,000 USD (estimated) |
| Followed by | Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Bloodsport is a 1988 martial arts film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Although it enjoyed little box office success, it is considered a cult classic by many martial arts film enthusiasts for showcasing a considerable variety of international fighting styles, ranging from Kung Fu to Jeet Kune Do and Muay Thai, among many others.
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[edit] Plot
Allegedly based on real-life events which took place between 1975 and 1980-1981, Bloodsport tells the story of an American man named Frank W. Dux (Jean Claude Van Damme), who was trained from his youth in the ways of Ninjutsu by a Japanese master of the art, Senzo Tanaka (Roy Chiao). Primarily to honor his mentor out of gratitude and respect for having been allowed the training in place of Senzo Tanaka's deceased and only son, Dux leaves for Hong Kong to participate in the Kumite -- an illegal and underground, freestyle, single-elimination and occasionally deadly full-contact martial arts tournament to which the world's best martial artists are clandestinely invited every five years.
Dux goes AWOL from the United States Air Force in order to participate. Two military law enforcement agents (Norman Burton and Forest Whitaker) are sent to track down and arrest him.
After arriving in Hong Kong, Dux befriends fellow American contestant Ray Jackson (Donald Gibb) and eventually becomes involved with a female American journalist, Janice Kent (Leah Ayres), who is attempting to investigate the secretive Kumite event. As the tournament progresses, Dux beats all of his diverse opponents, including a Syrian fighter (Bernard Mariano) and a formidable Sumo wrestler-type fighter. He advances to the third and final day of the tournament to face the defending Kumite champion, Chong Li (Bolo Yeung) -- a man with the tendency to cripple and sometimes outright kill his opponents on the platform, and who has also hospitalized Ray Jackson during the second day of the Kumite. When Li finds that Dux is the better fighter, he blinds Dux with a handful of salt, but Dux manages to emerge victorious and becomes the first Westerner winner of the Kumite. The film closes with Dux returning to the United States and statistics detailing the real-life Frank W. Dux's alleged achievements (such as the fastest KO) are shown.
Despite being modestly well received at the box office, Bloodsport became one of Jean Claude Van Damme's first starring vehicles and extensively showcased his athletic abilities. On display are numerous physical feats such as helicopter kicks, as well as Mr. Van Damme's trademark ability to perform a complete split.
On the level of moral philosophy, the movie subtly examines questions such as the universal character of honor and dishonor, as well as the values of a heartfelt friendship within the sidelines of its story.
Bloodsport's soundtrack, released only briefly to the public, has long been out of print and remains a collector's item.
[edit] Cast
- Jean-Claude Van Damme: Frank Dux
- Donald Gibb: Ray Jackson
- Ken Siu: Victor (as Kenneth Siu)
- Bolo Yeung: Chong Li
- Leah Ayres: Janice Kent
- Roy Chiao: Senzo Tanaka
- Lily Leung: Mrs. Tanaka
- Norman Burton: Helmer
- Forest Whitaker: Rawlins
- Philip Chan: Captain Chen
- Nathan Chkueke: Sen Ling
- Michelle Qissi: Suan Paredes
- Samson Li: Budimam Prang
- Bernard Mariano: Sadiq Hossein
- Dennis Chiu: Chuan Ip Mung
- Steve Daw: As himself
- Paulo Tocha: Paco
- David Ho: Pumola
- Ng Yuk Shu: As himself
- Joao Gamez: Joao Gomez/As himself
- Eric Neff: Ricardo Morra
- A.P. George: Referee/Judge
[edit] Soundtrack
Bloodsport's soundtrack score was composed by Paul Hertzog, who also composed another Jean-Claude Van Damme movie titled Kickboxer. Hertzog's score was only issued on CD a few times.
The movie's score contained the songs "Fight To Survive" and "On My Own", both of which were performed by Stan Bush. However Stan Bush's songs as featured in the movie are not present on the official soundtrack, and alternate versions with vocals by Paul Delph are present in it instead.
The film also contained a song by Michael Bishop titled "Steal The Night", which plays during a scene when Van Damme's character runs away from Helmer and Rawlins. This song was never released until 2006, when it was made availalbe for online purchasing. The single contains a vocal and instrumental version.
The tracklisting for the original CD was as follows:
- 1. Fight to Survive (02:23) - Performed by Paul Delph
- 2. Kumite (Main Title) (02:39)
- 3. Father and Son / Training (04:24)
- 4. The Tree and the Sword / In Hong Kong / The Walled City / Ceremony (07:43)
- 5. Chong Li Kills (02:50)
- 6. On My Own - Alone (03:34) - Performed by Paul Delph
- 7. The Second Day (04:23)
- 8. The Morning After (02:45)
- 9. Preparation (02:32)
- 10. Dim Mak (01:59)
- 11. Powder (03:42)
- 12. Triumph (02:33)
Also of note is a previously unreleased piece of score from the movie titled The Gamble, which was released on the "Best of Van Damme Compilation Volume 2" CD.
[edit] Martial arts styles
Bloodsport is particularly known and remembered as a martial arts film for showcasing a considerable variety of international fighting styles throughout its many martial arts scenes. Below follows a select list of the most prominently shown fighters and their martial arts styles, as they are featured in the movie:
- Ray Jackson - Vale Tudo
- Chong Li / Chuan Ip Mung - Kung Fu
- Paco - Muay Thai
- Suan Parades - Capoeira
- Budimam Prang - Jeet Kune Do
- Steve Daw - Karate
- Pumola - Sumo
- Ricardo Morra - Evala
[edit] Trivia
- The real-life Frank W. Dux was the coordinator of Bloodsport's martial arts scenes.
- Bolo Yeung, seen portraying the defending Kumite champion Chong Li, already was at the respectable age of 50 during Bloodsport's filming.
- The 'split & punch' attack of the Mortal Kombat video games character Johnny Cage is based on a scene from this movie.
- The character of Johnny Cage itself was based loosely on Jean-Claude Van Damme's portrayal of Dux.
- Bloodsport makes several tributes to the late Bruce Lee. Dux originally convinced his mentor that he was worthy of the complete training - despite him being neither Japanese nor a member of the Tanaka familyline - by reminding Senzo Tanaka that; "You taught me using any technique that works. Never to limit myself to one style. To keep an open mind.", which is a direct reference to the philosophy behind mixed martial arts as it was pioneered by Bruce Lee in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In a later scene Chong Li also says to Frank Dux; "Very good. But brick not hit back.", which is a reference to a similar line spoken by Bruce Lee in the movie Enter the Dragon -- "Boards don't hit back.". Lastly, Bloodsport was set in Hong Kong, whereas the real-life Frank Dux claimed that the Kumite he attended had been held in Jamaica.
- The game Jackson and Dux played when first befriending each other was the 1984 arcade title Karate Champ.
[edit] Sequels
Bloodsport is a tetralogy of films, although Jean-Claude Van Damme does not appear in any of the sequels. Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite, Bloodsport III, and Bloodsport 4: The Dark Kumite were all released direct-to-video, and they all starred Daniel Bernhardt. Donald Gibb who played Ray Jackson also appeared in Bloodsport 2.
