A well-oiled Jean-Claude Van Damme makes his starring debut in what may be one of the few kickboxing films to be based on a true story. The Muscles from Brussels plays Frank Dux, the first Westerner ever to win the extreme "whupfest" known as the Kumatai (a long-running, no-holds-barred fighting tournament in Hong Kong). While a bit deficient in the script department (to say the least), this undeniably exciting flick succeeds by letting Van Damme play to his strengths: namely, minimal acting and a lot of impossibly acrobatic splits while kicking people in the head. A guilty-pleasure testosterone blast of the highest order, with a memorable villain (the massive Bolo Yeung from Enter the Dragon), and a multitude of well-choreographed fight scenes. An embarrassed-looking Forest Whitaker cameos as a hapless (and non-kickboxing) cop. --Andrew Wright
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: The one that put JCVD on the map! Comment: The Jean Claude Van Damme Review Matrix (JCVD-RM)
1.Who is he? Frank Dux, American martial arts expert
2.Which family member/friend must be avenged? His friend Ray gets beatdown and ends up in the hospital
3.Does he take his shirt off? He has his shirt off nearly the entire movie
4.Does he have sex with a C-List actress? Yes. Some cute, but anonymous blond.
5.Is there a tournament? Only the baddest tournament in the world: The Kumite
6.Is training needed for this tournament? No...he's already awesome
7.Does he do the splits in training or in the tournament? Several times
8.Does he punch someone in the balls? Let's just say he puts an unfortunate sumo wrestler's balls about a foot higher than normal
9.Does he do a series of flying or 360 kicks? Yes, and nobody dodges them
10.Is his enemy unbeatable? Chong Li (Bolo Yeung) holds all the records, has killed people in the tournament, and makes other black belts wet themselves...so, yeah
11.Does he overcome an injury or other hindrance? Chong Li throws salt in his eyes and Dux is blinded
12.Does he win? Not only does he win, but he forces Chong Li to say matte
This one has it all folks, and it's probably JCVD's best movie. He broke on the scene, showed moves that no other action star had at the time. This movie is an action classic, inspired by Bruce Lee's phenomenal Enter the Dragon, and a must-see every time it's on TV. Customer Rating: Summary: A Sport Not For Everyone Comment: "Bloodsport" is a milestone for Jean-Claude Van Damme: much like "Conan the Barbarian" for Arnold Schwarzenegger and "Rocky" for Sly Stallone, the dramatized kinda-maybe-true tale of Frank Dux's winning of the enigmatic Kumite tournament proved to be his stepping stone into mainstream cinema, and would help secure him as one of the biggest action heroes of the late-80s/early-90s period.
Like most action films of its time, "Bloodsport" is technically and theatrically flawed, but unlike most other action films, it fails to cover for its mistakes effectively; leaving cool, violent combat outweighed by an unpolished story and some of the worst acting seen this side of the 80s.
Like any tournament-centred action film, the weakness of "Bloodsport" lies in the fact that all of its fighting is restricted to pre-assigned "fight times" and appears nowhere else in the movie. Granted, the choreography and intensity of these fights is infinitely superior to many a commercial beat-`em-up flick, but the fact that they are so very designated leaves the rest of the film without much excitement at all, because you know that nothing is going to happen until Van Damme steps into the ring.
And concerning Van Damme...
The film begins with several shots of the diverse fighters training for the contest: a monkey kung fu fighter chops coconuts in half, a giant tosses huge sacks, bad-guy Bolo Yeung ("Enter the Dragon") breaks blocks of ice, etc.; I can't help but imagine what this film would've been like if it followed the paths of more participants than just Van Damme, whose personal odyssey is just a tad boring. Would it have been better than the star's early attempts at acting, the meaningless love story between him and Leah Ayres ("The Burning"), or the absolutely atrocious flashbacks of Dux's supposed childhood? - I don't know, but nothing about the given plot, besides the fighting, is in the least bit intriguing, even for an action movie.
To be fair, this is a genuine cult film, and is standard viewing for any fan of action movies...if only for the rough half hour devoted to the fights. Give it a rent if you haven't seen it, and buy it if you're a fan of Van Damme or Bolo Yeung...but if you have a phobia of lousy acting or melodrama, steer clear. Customer Rating: Summary: Classic Comment: This is one cheesy movie that anyone can enjoy and wont ever forget.
It is so stupid, yet it comes off fun and hilarious to the point where if you even watch 10 mins of this movie you will see it to the end everytime. Even people who take movies seriously will enjoy this. Customer Rating: Summary: the best movie ever created Comment: I am perfectly aware there is no good acting of any kind and the fighting is sub par. This doesn't change my opinion for some reason. I can watch this movie again and again, more so that any modern day action film. When it comes on TBS or TNT I simply can't turn it off and 2 hours of my life go by. When I was a kid i used to watch this every weekend over my friends house on VHS. You simply can't beat a classic and anyone from the age of 19-30 knows they feel the same way I do. Customer Rating: Summary: angry coustomer Comment: i orded a dvd from gohasting i wanted to return it n when i called them back to have my money refuned they refuse to give it back they will lie to u n take your money i dont recommend anyone to buy anything from them.
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