Bloodsport (1988)

Directed by

Newt Arnold

Genre

action film, biographical film, martial arts film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 32m

Rated

R

Rating

7.1 of 10 from 2,198 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

An American soldier goes to Hong Kong to fight in an illegal martial arts tournament. He faces tough opponents and must win to honor his teacher and his personal code.

energetictriumphantunderdog storyphysically intensenostalgic 80saction-packeddeterminedexhilarating

What happens

Bloodsport is a 1988 martial arts film directed by Newt Arnold and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, with a supporting cast of Leah Ayres, Donald Gibb, Roy Chiao, Norman Burton, Forest Whitaker, and Bolo Yeung. The film centers on Frank Dux (Van Damme), a United States Army captain and ninjutsu practitioner who competes in an underground full-contact martial arts tournament called the Kumite in Hong Kong. Based on Dux's real-life claims, the film was marketed as a true story. It was one of Van Damme's first lead roles and showcased his abilities, launching his career as a mainstream action star. The screenplay is based on many of Dux's claims first covered in the November 1980 issue of Black Belt magazine. The real Dux served as the action choreographer and technical advisor. After its release, many of Dux's claims were disputed, including by co-screenwriter Sheldon Lettich, who claimed Dux fabricated his fight record and the very existence of the Kumite. Bloodsport was produced and released by Cannon Films on February 26, 1988. Despite negative critical reviews, it was a considerable box office success, grossing $50 million on a budget of $1.5–2.3 million. The success of the film helped the resurgence of the martial arts film genre in America, and has been credited with influencing the development of mixed martial arts. It has also been identified as a cult classic and spawned a film series which includes four sequels, without Van Damme's involvement. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• The Dragon Family (1988)
• Police Story 2 (1988)
• The Last Conflict (1988)
• Phantom Raiders (1988)
• The Inspector Wears Skirts (1988)
• Hawkeye (1988)
• American Eagle (1988)
• Saigon Commandos (1988)