Bloodsport (film)

Bloodsport is a 1988 American martial arts sports action film directed by Newt Arnold and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Leah Ayres, Forest Whitaker, Donald Gibb, Roy Chiao 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 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. It has been identified as a cult film and spawned a film series which includes four sequels.

Plot
U.S. Army Captain Frank Dux has trained in the ways of ninjutsu under his sensei Senzo Tanaka. As a boy, Dux and some of his friends broke into Tanaka's home to steal a katana, but Dux was apprehended while returning the katana to its place. Impressed by Dux's integrity and toughness, Senzo decided to train him alongside his son, Shingo. After Shingo's death, Senzo trains Dux as a member of the Tanaka clan. Dux is invited to the Kumite, an illegal martial arts tournament in Hong Kong. After his Army superiors refuse to let him go, Dux goes absent without leave, says goodbye to his sensei and leaves for Hong Kong. Two Criminal Investigation Command agents, Helmer and Rawlins, are assigned to track down and arrest Dux.

After arriving in Hong Kong, Dux befriends American fighter Ray Jackson and their guide Victor Lin. When they arrive at the Kumite arena, the officials are skeptical but eventually accept them after Dux proves his connection to the Tanaka clan by performing the Dim Mak death touch. On the first day of the tournament, Dux earns the enmity of the ruthless Kumite champion Chong Li after breaking his record for the fastest knockout.

Dux becomes involved with American journalist Janice Kent, who is investigating the Kumite. Dux refuses to help her, but she sneaks into the arena by agreeing to a date with a spectator. On the second day, Jackson is matched against Chong Li. Although Jackson comes close to defeating Li, he wastes time showboating for the crowd, allowing Li to recover and brutally beat him. Dux visits Jackson in the hospital and vows to avenge him. After witnessing the brutality of the tournament, Kent argues with Dux and tries to convince him not to return. Dux tells her that he has to win in order to become the best he can be.

Helmer and Rawlins arrive in Hong Kong and contact local police inspector Chen. They begin asking around for Dux and track him down to his hotel. A chase through the downtown ensues but Dux evades them when they fall into a canal. When Dux arrives at the Kumite, Helmer and Rawlins are waiting for him, along with Chen and four of his officers. Dux defeats them, but agrees to return with Helmer and Rawlins after the tournament.

On the final day, Li kills his semifinal opponent, much to the consternation of the crowd. Fearing defeat in the final against Dux, Li conceals a salt pill in his waistband before the bout. When Dux gains the upper hand, Li blinds him by crushing the pill and throwing it into Dux's face. Initially frustrated by his inability to see, Dux clears his mind and recalls his training from Tanaka, who taught him to fight blindfolded, overcoming the handicap and defeating Li. The next day, he bids farewell to Kent and Jackson before returning to the United States with Helmer and Rawlins.

Writing
Co-writer Sheldon Lettich came up with the idea for the film. According to Lettich:

"I had known Frank Dux for a number of months before I came up with the idea for Bloodsport. Frank told me a lot of tall tales, most of which turned out to be bullshit. But his stories about participating in this so-called 'Kumite' event sounded like a great idea for a movie. There was one guy who he introduced me to, named Richard Bender, who claimed to have actually been at the Kumite event and who swore everything Frank told me was true. A few years later this guy had a falling-out with Frank, and confessed to me that everything he told me about the Kumite was a lie; Frank had coached him in what to say."

On casting the lead role, producer Mark DiSalle said, "I wanted a new martial arts star who was a ladies' man. Jean Claude [Van Damme] appeals to both men and women. He's an American hero who fights for justice the American way and kicks the stuffing out of the bad guys."

Filming
Bloodsport was filmed entirely on location in Hong Kong. It is one of the few films featuring scenes filmed inside Kowloon Walled City before its demolition in 1993. Other locations included The Peninsula Hotel, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Trail, Victoria Peak, and Stanley Fort.

Soundtrack
Bloodsport's soundtrack score was composed by Paul Hertzog, who would also compose the score for Jean-Claude Van Damme's next movie Kickboxer. For the movie Bloodsport the songs "Fight to Survive" and "On My Own" were both performed by Stan Bush. Bush's performancess are replaced on the soundtrack with alternate versions sung by Paul Delph. Due to this work Paul Delph was nominated for a Grammy. The film plays the song "Steal the Night" by Michael Bishop during a scene where Dux runs from Helmer and Rawlins. The song was released in the mid-2000s as a single containing a vocal and instrumental version. On June 26, 2007, Perseverance Records released a limited-edition CD of the soundtrack including, for the first time, the original film versions of the Stan Bush songs. In 2021 the complete soundtrack was released on picture discs by Waxwork Records.

Home media
Bloodsport was released on VHS and Betamax by Warner Home Video on December 21, 1988. Within a few months, it had sold some 150,000 units. Warner also released a DVD of the film in the United States on October 1, 2002.

Box office
In January 1989, the Los Angeles Times reported a U.S. box office gross of $11.7 million against a budget of $2.3 million. In August 1989, the Chicago Tribune reported that the film pulled in $50 million worldwide, including $15 million in the U.S. and Canada, making it Cannon Group's most profitable film of 1988.

Critical response
Leonard Klady of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Hacking through the jungle of cliche and reservoir of bad acting in Bloodsport [...] are some pretty exciting matches."

Van Damme was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star, but lost to Ronald McDonald in Mac and Me.

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports a 46% approval rating based on 28 reviews and an average rating of 5.1/10. The site's consensus reads: "This is where it all began for the Muscles from Brussels, but beyond Van Damme's athleticism, Bloodsport is a clichéd, virtually plotless exercise in action movie recycling." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 29 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Slashfilm regards it as one of the most influential martial arts movies of all time.

Sequels and possible remake
Bloodsport has become regarded as a cult film. Though Jean-Claude Van Damme doesn't appear in additional installments, it was followed by three sequels: Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite (1996), Bloodsport III (1997), and Bloodsport 4: The Dark Kumite (1999).

A remake of Bloodsport was reported to be in planning in 2011. Phillip Noyce was attached to direct a screenplay by Robert Mark Kamen. The main character was supposed to be an American Afghanistan War veteran competing in a vale tudo tournament in Brazil. Director James McTeigue was attached to the project by 2013, and the filming was to be done in Australia and Brazil. As of 2023, the remake has not been produced.

Legacy
Bloodsport has been credited with popularizing the concepts of full contact and mixed-style martial arts competition among mainstream audiences. Early mixed martial arts events, such as UFC 1, were sometimes compared to the film.

Retired professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer Mirko Cro Cop, inspired by Van Damme's performance in the film, began training in his parents' garage with his father's boxing equipment and weights.

The "shoot-style" professional wrestling event GCW Bloodsport, promoted by mixed-martial artists Josh Barnett and Matt Riddle, is inspired by the film.

Bloodsport was an inspiration for the video game Mortal Kombat, and Johnny Cage, one of the characters, is a parody of Jean-Claude Van Damme. Van-Damme himself later voiced a Johnny Cage character based on his likeness in Mortal Kombat 1.

In 2024, Capelight Pictures released The Last Kumite, a crowd-funded film "inspired by the likes of Bloodsport, Kickboxer and No Retreat No Surrender". Several people with ties to the original films were attached to the project, including Kurt McKinney, Michel Qissi, and Bolo Yeung's son David Yeung.