Bloodsport (1988)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Newt Arnold

Writers:

Christopher Cosby (screenplay)
Mel Friedman (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 February 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Biography | Sport

Tagline:

The secret contest where the world's greatest warriors fight in a battle to the death.

Plot:

Frank Dux has spent most his life being trained by Tanaka to participate in the Kumite, the ultimate martial arts tournament...

Plot Keywords:

Martial Arts | Tournament | Martial Arts Tournament | Death | Fight

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jean-Claude Van Damme	...	Frank Dux (as Jean Claude Van Damme)
Donald Gibb	...	Ray Jackson
Leah Ayres	...	Janice Kent
Norman Burton	...	Helmer
Forest Whitaker	...	Rawlins
Roy Chiao	...	Tanaka
Philip Chan	...	Inspector Chen
Pierre Rafini	...	Young Frank
Bolo Yeung	...	Chong Li
Ken Siu	...	Victor Lin (as Kenneth Siu)
Kimo Lai Kwok Ki	...	Hiro
Bernard Mariano	...	Sadiq Hossein
Bill Yuen Ping Kuen	...	Oshima
Lily Leung	...	Mrs. Tanaka
Joshua Schroder	...	Chuck / Older Boy

Runtime:

92 min | Finland:71 min (video release) (1991) | Finland:89 min (DVD release) (2006)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1991) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2006) | Canada:14A | South Korea:12 | Australia:R | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 | Poland:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2003) | UK:18 (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) (1989) | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

Cannon International

Trivia:

Jean-Claude Van Damme does his trade mark splits a total of seven times during the film.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In a flashback to young Dux's childhood, while accompanying his menacing friends to steal Tanaka's sword, Frank is wearing a NY Giants jersey and a SF Giants hat.

Quotes:

Frank Dux: Shingo and I were close friends. Brothers. And you and Mrs. Tanaka have treated me like a son. What will happen now?
Tanaka: No more training. Stop now.
Frank Dux: [shakes his head] But you have so much to teach.
Tanaka: You don't understand. During the war, I lost my first family. My son, daughter, and wife. I left Japan because of the war. War was wrong. I came to America to start over, to have a new family, and a son. For 2,000 the teachings passed, father to son, father to son. When Shingo died, it stopped.
Frank Dux: Teach me. I can do it.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Kung Phooey! (2003)

Soundtrack:

ON MY OWN - ALONE

High kicking martial arts action

In his film starring debut, Jean-Claude Van Damme portrays a martial arts expert who decides to compete in the Kumite, a no holds barred martial arts competition in Hong Kong. This film has plenty of the well staged fight scenes and martial arts sequences that would be evident in Van Damme's later films. A fair entry in the genre.