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Decent Material Arts Movie

Jean Claude Van Damme basically starts his American acting debut and stars in the cult hit Bloodsport directed by Newt Arnold. The material arts are intriguing to watch, and nonetheless accurately portrayed; the movie shows Van Damme's aerobic, and flexibility fitness along with his material arts combination to deliver a low-budget movie about revenge, friend-ship and belief. The acting I must admit is very poor, and I'm being generous; but the fighting sequences cap off well and make it overall a fun and entertaining movie to watch. As Van Damme is visually known around the world for his material arts, Bloodsport is among the favourite movie from Van Damme and is mine, too.

Pretty thin, even for a biopic.

This distractively titled movie is a biopic of martil arts pro, Frank Dux. But just because it's based on fact (parts of it) doesn't mean that it's better than your average gung-ho action fest. In no way does the film, even in the slightest way seem like a biopic. Frank Dux was an American- so why does he speak with a heavy Belgian accent. Looks like they put brawn over brains when they cast Jean Claude Van Damme. The movie is average at best, but it still is shamelessly predictable. You can calculate the film's every move. But then again, it's not necessarily bad, but nothing we haven't seen before. My IMDb rating: 5.0/10.

PROBABLY BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME

This is one of the best martial arts movies of all-time, and not just in the martial-arts genre or action genre, but overall and top scorer. The plot story is excellent, JCVD is excellent as a fighter AND as an actor, like always. The story is moving and gripping, and the music is perfect. Even though this probably may be classified as a cult classic, it still would go on the 10 best movies of all time list.Don't miss out. KICKASS!!

Typical 80's...

This was a film about a young boy who starts training under a Japanese fighter after him and his friends get caught breaking into his house. At first, he just wants him to help him train his son, but later starts to train him as well.It was basically just about how fighters like to honor their masters by fighting in a private, full contact tournament to show their worth.This film was typical 80's to its fullest extent. Almost every other scene was a montage. The fighting was some of the worst I've ever seen. The acting was no better. The story had so many flaws in it that the director just tried to use the soundtrack to get across the feelings he was trying to portray through terrible acting… Sappy violins for heartfelt moments… Happy 80's rock to show having a good time… Serious 80's rock to show the fighting was meaningful… Sappy Asian music to show being honorable… And so on… You don't meet someone and spend less then 3 days with them and start to care for them like you do about your own family. This film had lots and lots of heartfelt hoopla when the main character didn't know anyone in the movie longer than 2 days. That really didn't make any sense. All in all, this film was terrible. I would pass if I were you.

This movie will change your life...

You don't have to be Japanese, you don't even have to be a Tanaka to love this film! In fact, I don't know if it's a film so much as it is a lifestyle. By watching this movie nearly a hundred times, I have become an expert in every major world fighting technique. You can do the same, you just need buy the DVD..or Laserdisc...or VHS, maybe all three. This movie, er, I mean lifestyle, cannot even be described by a particular genre. It's action, romance, comedy, martial science, biographical, historical fact, and a religious experience. If you desire to fight in the Kumite and make your father proud, this is the movie for you. OKAY USA!

Its the start of Van Damme's career

A very good movie. Bloodsport is of course in my collection, just like all his movies. He has graced us with his excellent martial art ability & his popular 360 degree kick which is so cool. I wish i could do it. Sad 2 see that stupid cheesy sequels came out yrs later without Van Damme.If u havent seen it, rent it but 4 action fans-BUY IT.

Does It Hurt Van Damme?

Hello B fans, Sid the Elf is back to review Bloodsport. We mean this in the straightest way possible when we say that the most impressive thing in the movie was when Van Damme does the splits. No, actually, this film was wonderful. We picked it on the spur of the moment and it didn't disappoint. It had everything we could ask for. There was horrific acting from everybody involved. This even includes Forrest Whittiker from 35,622 buckets of fried chicken ago. You have Jean-Claude Van Damme in his first starring role and he hit this one out of the park on the first try. Although we're not quite sure why they chose a local special needs fry chef to play the young Frank Dux, but it was more than made up for when we heard the kid talk and saw him get kicked in the chest by the little Chineese kid. Then you had Ray Jackson, the big cross-eyed guy, who was nothing short of hillarious. Finally, there was the one, the only Chong-Li. Here you had a jacked, utterly insane Korean who instead of pounding hot dogs like Kobyashi, ate 34 egg white omelettes in 8 minutes while training for the Kumate. He just has a presence. When the screen showed his name opposite Ray Jackson's Sid the Elf froze. It was momentous.


Bloodsport is actually a true story-seriously. It is about Frank Dux, the only American to ever win the Kumate. When he was a kid, Dux was taken in and trained by his Asian master. In a hilarious sequence, we see Young Dux(sounds like a rapper doesn't it?)learning all the awesome tricks he would later unleash in competition. When his master is on his death bed, Dux goes AWOL from the military to see him. After his death, Dux decides to honor his master by entering the Kumate. So, he not only has to fight insane opponents, like the completely frightening Chon Li, in the Kumate, he also has to elude Military Police who know he's at the Kumate and want to bring him back home. What makes Bloodsport such an awesome guy's movie is that the majority of the movie revolves around either karate fighting or training to karate fight. There are just too many cool or funny happenings in the movie to recount them all. As we, Sid the Elf, like to do when there's just too much to go over, we'll break this one down Joe Bob style and let you use it as a guide when you watch Bloodsport. Here are the Drive-In totals:

3 bricks broken, 1 with a head-butt

1 compound leg fracture

2 tazerings

1 skinny Forrest Whitiker falling off a boat

1 partially nude Van Damme

1 pair of red bikini briefs worn by the Muscles from Brussels

1 Mr. Fuji style eye salting

56 hilarious facial expressions

1 ref beating courtesy of Chong-Li

1 homicide in the ring

32 crushed beer cans by Ray "ABC 123" Jackson

1 Van Damme Flock of Seagulls hair do

4 inappropriately placed romantic songs from the soundtrack...

...ALSO HE'S A NINJA!

Definitely 5 stars. Partially for the terribly done fighting scenes. I mean, most of those blows could be stopped by Cecila Dux, Frank's grandmother. Easy recipient of the Sid the Elf Seal of Approval. I have put all my knowledge into you. Watch Bloodsport!

I'm sick of people saying the acting was bad

I'm sorry, but I'm really sick and tired of people saying the acting was bad.Van Damme's acting was absolutely phenomenal, as was Bolo's.You guys always compliment the movie then say "yeah we know the acting wasn't good." Well guess what, it was good, here's the ultimate test: Imagine if Denzel Washington, or Tom Hanks, etc etc., all regarded as legendary actors, imagine that EVEN IF they got their bodies all chizled up for this movie, they STILL wouldn't have played the roles NEARLY as well as van damme and bolo, in fact they would've been a laughing stock. That's proof that the acting was actually very, very well done.So sick of people saying the acting was bad when nobody could've played those roles any better.It's just like Stallone in Rambo. Gets trashed for bad acting, but it's a goddamn lie, cuz the truth is NOBODY could've played the rambo character better than Stallone !!!So pathetic !!!

Kandahar

*SPOILERS*Let me first say that there are GOOD movies and there are good MARTIAL ARTS FILMS. I have an issue with the people who trash chop-socky movies because of their bad acting/dubbing and low-budgets. Fans of the genre do not watch Bruce Lee films because of the acting! They watch them because of the scenes where Bruce gets bloodied, tastes his own blood and then goes mental on the bad guys.
Likewise, Bloodsport should not be judged by its poor acting and numerous cliches. It is possibly the best American martial arts flick ever made. The fight scenes are FAST and well paced and the story keeps you right on rolling along. Also, the film tries very hard to be authentic. This is rare in the action genre. Notice that the young lad who plays "Young Dux" has a French accent? And his parents are migrant workers? They could have easily had "Young Dux" played by an American youngster. This would have been overlooked by most directors and they would have ignored the fact that by the time he was grown up, Dux had developed a very strong French accent!Oh and Bolo Yeung is in this film. He's great, go rent it. Hope it comes out on DVD.

As Bad as You'd Expect

Bloodsport is a typically cheesy 80s martial arts action film that might, in time, become more popular than it deserves because its cheesiness will remind people of a certain age of how poor their good taste was in their youth. Truth is, this kind of film only appeals to people of a violent disposition - or who wished they had the nerve to possess one.The fact is, this film is pretty bad on all counts barring some infrequent location shooting on the streets of Hong Kong and some well-staged pre-CGI fight sequences. While the fight scenes do make up a large amount of the running time, they still can't save this film. There's no storyline to speak of: Frank Dux (a young Jean-Claude van Damme who is worryingly called upon to wear lip gloss in a number of scenes) goes AWOL from the army so that he can take part in an illegal kumite full-body combat tournament to honour his childhood mentor and spends much of his time dodging a couple of military cops (one of whom is a young Forest Whitaker) while wooing an American journalist looking to cover the tournament.JCVD's performance is as bad as you'd expect it to be: he might be able to use the muscles below his neck to good effect, but when it comes to using the ones above to register any kind of emotion (other than that primal post-impact scream) he's a dead loss. He has a buddy here, a big annoying guy who overacts as badly as JCVD underacts. I think he was supposed to be some kind of comic relief but he proved so immensely irritating that I was quite pleased when he came up against the arch-villain (a near-silent oriental with a strangely malformed chest) with predictable consequences.

jean-claude at his best

Van Damme is incredible in this martial arts spectacular about an underground Hong Kong tournament. Movie in the style of Kickboxer and Mortal Kombat but with a much better storyline. Unlike many other martial arts movies, the acting is as good as the fighting. Have seen many times and would have to say it is a must buy for Van Damme and martial arts fans.

The movie that got Van Damme started

"Bloodsport" is a great fighting movie. Jean-Claude Van Damme stars in this movie that is based on a real life fighting champion, Frank Dux. Frank travels to Japan to try and become the fighting champion of the Kumite tournament. His biggest challenge in the tournament is Chong Li (Bolo Yeung), the current Kumite champion.

"Bloodsport" is sure to satisfy just about anybody who likes fighting movies. Like always, Jean-Claude Van Damme puts on some great fighting sequences. Donald Gibb does a good job portraying Frank's friend, Ray Jackson. I recommend "Bloodsport" to anybody who likes exciting fighting movies. It was the first great Van Damme fighting movie, now there are several more such as "Kickboxer," "Hard Target," and "Double Impact."

HONORABLE!

Jean Claude Van-Damme's biggest hit is this "Bloodsport". This movie is all about action, drama, promise, and respect. Van-Damme playing the legendary ninja Captain Frank Dux, is one of the most amazing feats he's ever played. Doanld Gibb known for playing Ogre on "The Revenge of the Nerds" playing Jackson was awesome as well. I liked the part of everyone in the beginning preparing for the kumite. Bolo Yeung as Chong Li was the most devastating characters in the movie. Side kicking one big block of ice and elbow striking the other. Chong Li(Bolo) was a murderous fighter, and deadly champion. Bolo himself as a deadlifting champion really made his character look good. I liked several lines he said in the movie: "VERY GOOD, BUT BRICK NOT HIT BACK!" (The Dim Mak scene) Got that from Bruce Lee's "Enter The Dragon" line with the same comment on the wooden board. "YOU ARE NEXT!" (After killing his last apponent) His last great line was his title relief "MATE!"Gibb's role as Jackson was honorable as well. After trying to be so brash. After nearly getting killed by Chong Li, he wants a piece of Dux in the future, but in the meantime Jackson gained support and trust from the champion. building a bond that can never be broken!After retiring from the kumite, Frank Dux was the ultimate champion. NOW THAT'S A CHAMPION! Van-Damme has made this movie very honorable in a lot of ways: 1. He returned a favor. 2. He gained a friend in a competition. 3. He brought honor in a dangerous sport. I wish there is more to say, this movie draws blood, and it's worth its watch. Very honorable! 3 out of 5 stars. 8 out of 10

'Okay USA'

Okay, especially for it's budget, this is one of the best fighting movies I've seen. Aside from it's excellent action, it's got some quirky characters and moments which make the film even more enjoyable. As someone said on a previous comment, my friends and I, too, have seen it so many times that we've memorized basically every line. Hell, I took a break from writing my college thesis last night and watched it. Bloodsport to us is a cult classic, and unfortunately none of Van Damme's later efforts is as good.

the music is bad!!

Well, this movie is from the '80s. Of course the music stinks, but is not a bad flick is really entertaining and have great fighting scenes. The acting is really bad. I don't think you can get any worst as an actor. The story is kind of crappy, besides there is not real proof of Frank Dux ever did all the thing he says he did. The only thing that saved this movie is the fights. They are great. Bolo Yeung is just perfect, he had been in quite a few movies. Even with Bruce Lee once. He is a great fighter if you never seen this flick before watch it for what it is. A fight movie. Ignore the acting and the soundtrack.worth watching!

A Great Martial Arts Film

While the acting might not be quite up to par compared to the great films of our era, this film is solidly supported by great fight choreography (by the real Frank Dux even), a fine story, and good music. This, in my opinion, is one of the best martial arts films because it is ABOUT fighting, rather than about a cool fighter who is on some mission "to save the girl". If you like this movie, I'd strongly recommend Kick Boxer and Best of the Best as well (see Julia Robert's brother Eric in some cool fight scenes).I'd really love to see Van Damm do another movie that showed his character grow as a fighter.

Van Damme's Martial Art Skill is Unbelievable.

This wasn't the greatest movie ever made. It was easily watchable and fun, and the fact that it was mostly based on a true story makes it even better, but what really makes this movie is Jean-Claude Van Damme's Martial Arts Skill. He is Incredible. Some of the things he can do with his feet are just fascinating. This was a pretty good movie but the last fight scene alone makes it worth it. Kudos to Bolo Yeung, he was a great villain and also has some pretty good Martial Arts Skill. If you like Martial Art's Films, Van Damme Films or Action Movies..this is for you.

Best Fight Movie Ever

Title says it all. This is base on a true story of the first outsider to win the Kumite. Some impressive scenes throughout, with fact about Frank Dux at the end.

Cheesy....BUT still Van Damme at his best!

I just relived my teen years by viewing this film yesterday and let me say that I do see the similarities to Bruce Lee's classic "Enter The Dragon" now.

Yes, it is an "ETD" clone but as "ETD" clones go, its pretty damn good and stands on its own! Other than Kickboxer, Lionheart and perhaps the first Universal Soldier, this is easily Jean Claude Van Damme's best performance ever!

Like other reviewers, what kept me glued was the training montages and seeing all those different styles of fighting! While some of them were overplayed for the sake of film, many of these styles exist in real martial arts so it was fun to see them even if they were exaggerated a bit.

And while they didn't have any dialog, I found the other fighters to be engaging just by what they did on the Kumate mat! My favorite non-speaking character was, and still is, real-life fighter Paco! My friends and I loved him for some reason!

Bolo Yeung is the guy most young adolecent boys dream about being. Very little talk but all action! His portrayal of the villian Chong Li wasn't an acting masterpiece but it didn't need to be to convey that this was one bad mutha.....well you get the idea!

While this was based on the life of Frank Dux, the story has been exposed as fake in recent years. Still, even with that knowledge, its still a fun film to watch though it is toned down violence by today's standards. Imagine if they re-made this film today!? The level of violence would probably be off the page!

Van Damme, who had starred in other low-budget action films before this (most notably "No Retreat, No Surrender"), got his first starring role in this film and enjoyed a good run from 1987 until about the mid-90's! Still, this is one of his brightest moments in film! Enjoy martial arts action, 80's style!

Probably the best Martial Arts movie, ever !!

Bloodsport is an excellent movie, which includes everything a martial arts fan can possibly dream off... Great fight-choreography, excellent filming, fine music and a good story. The movie takes you to a world of fighting where "only the strongest wins". Jean Claude van Damme as Frank Dux, a young, talented martial artist. This was THE movie for van Damme, beside Kickboxer, he has never preformed so well.Watch & Enjoy !!