Bloodsport (1988)

★★
Bloodsport was my favorite movie coming out of high school. Jean-Claude Van Damme was at his box office peak in the mid-'90s, and his physique and fighting skills were a sight to behold. He didn’t quite have the muscle mass of Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he had more bulk than Chuck Norris, making him an atypical martial arts action star. Highly touted as a true story about the only American to win a secret tournament in Hong Kong, Bloodsport was based on the alleged exploits of Frank Dux, who told many disputed tales of his accomplishments both in martial arts and in the U.S. military. Whether his stories are true or not is no concern of mine. What is a concern is how the movie presents the story, and there are many glaring weaknesses that have become more apparent to me with the passage of time. That is the inevitable result of maturing and developing an ear for dialogue. The acting from the E.S.L. cast is horrendous. I've been all over the world. I've been to Hong Kong and Africa and the Middle East and Europe. I've conversed with many individuals whose second language was English, and they all sounded more natural than most of the actors here. The ability to recite lines is of paramount importance in motion picture storytelling outside of the silent era. Bloodsport fails to deliver because the producers hired the wrong people. It is as simple as that.

Frank Dux is an American military member who abandons his post to attend the Kumite, an underground tournament held in Kowloon's Walled City, an architectural oddity with dark alleys and cramped passageways and a population density greater than the rest of Hong Kong. The military dispatches two agents, Helmer and Rawlins (Norman Burton and Forest Whitaker), to track him down. Before leaving for Hong Kong, Dux visits his old teacher Senzo Tanaka (Roy Chiao), who is very ill. While waiting in the living room, Dux has a flashback to his youth, when as a young boy he met Tanaka and became his student. As he grew older, Dux's training intensified, and by the time it was all over, he could intercept a punch while blindfolded. His motivation is to honor his teacher by pitting his skills against the world's best in a full-contact tournament that is closed to the press and other prying eyes. Dux makes it to Hong Kong and meets fellow American Ray Jackson (Donald Gibb, Ogre from Revenge of the Nerds). The two strike up a friendship and meet their guide Victor (Ken Siu), who helps them navigate the Walled City's narrow corridors to the fight pit. There are fighters from around the world who bring with them a wide range of fighting styles. Chong Li (Bolo Yeung) is the reigning champion. He isn't shy about killing his opponents, which is allowed though discouraged. After Dux demonstrates his skills on a pile of bricks, Li remarks that bricks don't hit back, a nod to Enter the Dragon, in which Bolo Yeung also starred.

Reporter Janice (Leah Ayres) is in the city asking about the Kumite so she can do a story on it, though nobody is talking. She meets Frank Dux, and though he acknowledges that the Kumite exists, he declines to take her there. Agents Helmer and Rawlins also arrive and enlist the help of the Royal Hong Kong Police to track down their man. The first day of fighting goes as planned for Dux and Li, who beat their opponents convincingly. Jackson, who is more of a brawler, advances too. Janice finally manages to gain access by accompanying the lead bookie. What she sees impresses her, and she enthusiastically cheers Dux, although things take a turn for the worse when Li and Jackson face each other, with the arrogant Jackson losing because, like a football wide receiver who thinks he outran everybody, he celebrates early, and Li takes advantage. This gives Dux extra motivation, as his quest to honor his teacher now has another angle to it—revenge. The competition continues. More fighters are eliminated, leading to a showdown between Frank Dux and Chong Li, though the agents are still on his tail. At one point, Dux leads them on a chase through the streets and waterways of Hong Kong, giving us a glimpse of the hustle and bustle of this unique city. Contemporary ads revealed that Frank won the contest, so there's no surprise there. The actual fight between them is well choreographed and exciting, though the director should have thought better of Van Damme's screaming when he's blinded by salt.

The plot is straightforward enough, and the fight scenes range from being very good to being very simplistic. The movie gives audiences a rare peek inside the infamous Kowloon Walled City, which was demolished in 1994. If there was a secretive and potentially lethal fighting tournament to be held anywhere in Hong Kong, then this would be the spot for it. I really like Jean-Claude Van Damme. Because of him I wanted to take up martial arts. What I say here is simply my objective response to his performance. It isn't good. Menahem Golan, who ran the Cannon Group studio that produced a number of cheap action movies throughout the '80s, was impressed with Van Damme's skills and wanted to make him a star. He should have chosen a better vehicle. In fact, Cannon's later film and Van Damme's second starring role in Cyborg was better suited for him, because he barely spoke. His speaking skills were not polished enough to carry the load. The writers repackaged Frank Dux as a Belgian immigrant child to accommodate Van Damme's accent. Creatively, this movie didn't feature him at his best, but from a business standpoint it was smart since studio executives saw potential, and he got better movies as a result (Lionheart, Timecop and especially Sudden Death).

Most of the rest of the cast isn't very good either. The actor who plays the younger Frank Dux fares even worse at line delivery. Some of the fighters and Hong Kong natives look like they needed more takes. Maybe director Newt Arnold did everything he could to coax better performances from his actors, and he just gave up when he realized he was already getting their best. I don't know. Other actors are much better. Roy Chiao (who briefly appeared in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) as Senzo Tanaka is a seasoned actor and is excellent during his scenes training Frank Dux. Leah Ayres is a good leading lady, although the script nonsensically turns her against the Kumite when Jackson is nearly killed. If she knew about the Kumite, then surely she knew of the deaths that have occurred in the arena. This was weak writing to create some tension between Janice and Dux. One of my biggest issues with the movie is Frank's reaction to seeing his friend Ray Jackson get pummeled. In his fight against Chong Li, Jackson gets in a few hits and temporarily puts Li on the mat, but he doesn't finish the job. He pays for it when Li recovers. Dux nearly climbs into the ring to stop the match before Victor stops him, but Li was not using excessive force when he began his comeback and simply took advantage of his opponent's foolishness. This was a cheap attempt to add revenge as a motivator.

The movie ends with some of the real Frank Dux's accomplishments, among them a purported record of 56 consecutive wins in a single tournament. I can't think of any tournament structure that would logically allow this feat to be achieved. It is best to view Bloodsport as a fun but ultimately unsuccessful martial arts movie showcasing several styles of fighting in a tournament environment. Jean-Claude Van Damme's acting needed a lot of work, but he has charisma. Bolo Yeung, as the menacing Chong Li, doesn't have perfect command of the English language (or maybe he acted like he didn't), but he doesn't need it. He has no extended dialogue scenes and, beyond making a few threats, barely interacts with anyone. He lets his fists do the talking, and that's all he needs to do. He's an adequate villain. Despite the movie's weaknesses, it's fun. The editing makes the fights look good. The graphic violence isn't overdone, but there's enough to lend credence to the title. Whatever its faults, Bloodsport launched the career of Jean-Claude Van Damme, and for that I'm thankful for its existence.

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