Bloodsport (1988) - User Reviews

Bloodsport was a surprise hit when it was released in 1989, and instantly catapulted Jean Claude Van-Damme onto the A-grade celebrity list. It was a B-grade flick that chronicled the life of Frank Dux, an American fighter who competed in Hong Kong kumite (kum-i-tey) fighting tournaments. Dux was one of the greatest fighters ever to step onto the Kumite runway, and still held records at the making of this film, such as the fastest knockout, 3.2 sec.
The martial arts scenes are by far and away some of the most exciting and most realistic i've ever seen. Set in the intense dungeon like atmosphere of a underground Hong Kong fighting arena, the crowd noises swell with the rhythm of the fight, backed by some fantastic martial arts eighties electronica. Van-Damme looks fit in this movie, cut to all buggery, and some of the moves he pulls off are fantastic. Van-Damme is 100% convincing as the clean cut Dux, whose politness is misinterpreted as naivety by his many enemies. Inside the ring, he kicks ass with honour.
However, its not just the action that makes this worth a look. There is a great love interest in Donna Gibb, comedy scenes with a great Forest Whitaker as an overzealous millitary policeman, and great comraderie with Jackson, the other north American fighter. There is nothing not to like here, especially with the violence being excellently done, most of the camera work is concentrated on the martial arts move, multiple angles and slow motion replays, with the damage done relegated to quick cut shots that give you just enough to grimace, without going too far.
As with any B-grade film there is some below par acting, but for me this only added to the films charm and appeal. A definite for action buffs, but even those who are not fans of the genre' will also love this film. I watched it with my sister, who is a hopeless John Lennon fan, and she loved it too.

I own this on DVD, and in fact i'm going to watch it again now.

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