Bloodsport

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Bolo Yeung, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton, Forest Whitaker, Roy Chiao, Philip Chan
Directed by: Newt Arnold
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Drama
1988

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Frank Dux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) enrolls in a secretive, no holds barred fighting tournament in Hong Kong.

Review:

Tim: Man, what exactly is the appeal of Bloodsport? It's not exactly a great movie and it has a number of obvious flaws. And yet, there's something so appealing about it, that it's easy to overlook many of its shortcomings. I really enjoyed my time with this film and I'd consider it one of the better martial arts movies out there. I don't turn a blind eye to its many issues and weaknesses, but they somehow don't matter as much. Sometimes this happens with movies, it's always hard to explain.

First off, anyone who hates this movie, I get it. The acting is pretty bad, the whole concept fairly ridiculous. The rules don't always make sense. There's quite a few odd sequences (the funny but unnecessary chase scene through Hong Kong, for example). It's a movie that highlights violence and praises masculinity to the point where it blows past being toxic into an even worse realm. You want to argue about some blatantly awful racism? Oh yeah, that was pretty obvious and I'd fully support anyone criticizing that aspect of the film. There's a lot you could focus on that demonizes and condemns this film, and you'd be absolutely right. Someone could sit here and point out all these (and other) flaws and I'd be shaking my head, going, "Yup," you nailed it. And yet, I still thoroughly enjoyed Bloodsport. Why?

First off, the idea of a secretive martial arts tournament with very loose rules is fascinating. There's always the specter of irreparable harm being done that makes fighting tournaments exciting. But, what if there was one where you could literally kill your opponent and not be unduly penalized? That ramps up the excitement even greater. This shadowy tournament is fraught with danger and that is wildly fun to watch. This movie isn't all fighting scenes, but they dominate the majority of the movie. This isn't a film that skimps on the action and we get a surprising amount of fight choreography throughout the film. Action fans will undoubtedly be pleased. The movie also takes the time to establish its characters and develop them, so it's not all faceless nobodies fighting. You get to know the fighters and become invested in the tournament, even though it quickly becomes obvious how it will all shake out. It's still great fun watching it happen.

The characters are well-established, for a cast that far underwhelms. Jean-Claude Van Damme is never going to be called a great actor and he's obviously not even good. This is the movie that put him on the map, launched him from near-pointless films into some form of stardom. Van Damme isn't good in this movie, but he attacks everything with vigor and effort. You can tell, he's putting everything he has into this film. He's trying his best, even though his best is not nearly good enough. Physically, he's exceptional. He's in tremendous shape and is an obviously talented martial artist. The guy looks impressive and his physical performance is really well done. The movie establishes Frank Dux as a legitimately good guy, so it's not hard to root for him. We quickly get into his corner and cheer from there. Donald Gibb gives a wonderful supporting performance. I certainly did not expect to care as much about his character as I eventually did. It's macho B.S., but he brings a certain level of heart and soul into the role. You can't help but like Jackson and feel nervousness for him in the tournament (he's obviously not the lead here). The unlikely friendship between Jackson and Dux works, mostly because Gibb plays well off Van Damme. That duo is a big reason why this movie works.

Leah Ayres really gives her all in her performance. Ayres was essential to this film because it's so male-driven, we desperately need a different kind of energy. I don't think Ayres is a good actress, but she doesn't seem to think for a second that she's making a bad movie. She really gives her best 80s performance and it kind of works within the context of the movie. Sure, there's moments I cringed at her performance, but that happened with nearly every actor. You just kind of shrug and move on. Bolo Yeung was exceptional as the film's antagonist. They wisely don't force him to act much, but he's menacing, physically impressive, and makes for a guy you really want to see lose. He's intimidating and deadly in the ring. He makes for a tremendous foil for Van Damme and as the movie progresses, you so desperately want to see them fight. The movie is helped a lot by Forest Whitaker, adding a good but small supporting performance here. The rest of the cast, especially the diverse fighters, add a slight sense of realism to the proceedings.

Speaking of the cast, I do want to address quite a few concerns with the portrayal of different fighters. There's one fighter that especially seems to embrace racism stereotypes and depictions, but most of them are bad for one reason or another. I'm sure the film was trying to show the international flavor of the fighters, but my goodness, the 80s were rough. We still have immense racism today (tragically) and it was never okay- the depictions here aren't cool in any sense. I do understand that culturally, we were in a worse place back in the 1980s than we are today (in many ways). This kind of thing would never fly today and it wasn't all right back then. The movie doesn't necessarily lean into this heavily, but when you see certain depictions here, they are downright awful.

The fighting scenes are mostly effective. We see a lot of different fighting styles and personalities as the tournament goes on. We obviously have Dux, Jackson, and Bolo Yeung's Chong Li. But, we get to know a number of other fights, at least by sight. Seeing them combat each other and fall, one-by-one is quite entertaining. Eventually, only a few fighters remain. The whole thing is pretty obvious and predictable, but it's still a lot of fun to watch. Maybe I'm dismissing too much here. The film is definitely overly masculine and glorifies violence. I wouldn't want my kids watching this movie (it's rated R for good reasons). However, as a reasonably intelligent adult, I can enjoy the violence while keeping the right mindset. As I said, I enjoyed the fight sequences, especially the memorable final fight.

I'd never get in a disagreement with someone who hated Bloodsport. Man, I get it. However, for me, trying to watch this through the late-80s lens, I found this to be an especially entertaining action movie. It's all ludicrous and absurd, but it's fun to watch. Van Damme would make a bunch of other movies, most of them forgettable. I think this is his best.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Street Fighter, Universal Soldier, Mortal Kombat