Review of Bloodsport (1988) by Lazara C — 11 Dec 2010

My personal favorite JCVD film of all time and the best '80s martial arts film ever. I grew up watching Bloodsport and it's as good now as it was when I was a kid.

JCVD plays the part of Frank Dux, loosely based on the real Frank Dux who enters in a full contact underground tournament called the Kumite. Dux plans on winning the entire competition in honor of his dying sensei Tanaka. Along the way JCVD gets layed and meets a good friend in the tournament named Jackson. He forms a strong bond with him all the while running from two agents who are assigned to prevent Dux from competing.

Bolo Yeung plays Chong Li, the defending Kumite champion. If you've ever seen Bloodsport then you already know the legend of Chong Li. It's my opinion that he's the absolute best villain to ever grace a martial arts film and you'll see why I make that claim once you check this out. And keep in mind that Yeung was 50 years old when Bloodsport was filmed.

I also wanna bring up the fact that this was Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) before the UFC ever thought of it. Dux's titles were won in the '70s and the UFC wasn't started until 1993. Seems to me that they borrowed some ideas from Hollywood.

This is Van Damme's breakout performance and it's always been my favorite. I don't think another action movie can come close to Bloodsport, at least in my eyes.

100% From me.