Real Men Love "Bloodsport"

You know you love it.

The Plot

Jean Claude Van Damme is Frank Dux (pronounced Dukes), a man who was trained in ninjitsu from a youth by master Senzo Tanaka. When Tanaka's only son dies, Dux steps in to participate in the Kumite, an illegal underground freestyle martial arts tournament that occurs only every five years. Competitors from around the world travel to compete in the Kumite, representing all styles and forms of martial arts.

When the movie begins, we are treated to various martial artists training for the Kumite. When we finally see Van Damme, as Dux, he is approached by an army officer who questions him about the Kumite. Dux feeds the officer a line about taking a shower and goes AWOL, returning to the home of the Tanakas to pay his respects before going on to the tournament. Two Army law enforcement agents are dispatched to retrieve Dux (including a young Forest Whitaker). Dux meanwhile has flashbacks to his training as a younger man.


At least it's not the photo of him doing a split...

Upon his arrival in Hong Kong, Dux meets up with American brawler Ray Jackson, who practices Vale Tudo (anything goes). He also encounters 80's hot reporter Janice Kent, who is desperately trying to infiltrate the Kumite and expose it for the bloodbath that it is.


Yep, 80's hotness, right here...


Of course, no movie like this is complete without an archenemy, this time found in the form of Bolo Yeung as Chong Li, a hulking beast of a man (whom any Real Man recognizes from Enter the Dragon...more on that another time) with a penchant for breaking his opponents into unrecognizable pieces. 

BOLO SMASH!!!



So, of course, Chong Li has to give Dux motivation to fight him, so he cripples Ray Jackson on day two of the Kumite Tournament. Dux, meanwhile, proves himself a great fighter, and in the end it falls down to the two juggernauts to prove who will be crowned Kumite champ.

The Fights:

Trivia:

One of the best parts about this movie is that it is apparently based on the real story of Frank Dux, who also served as the fight choreographer for Bloodsport. Allegedly, Dux set many records during a single tournament, including:

• Fastest Knockout - 3.2 seconds
• Fastest punch with a knockout - .12 seconds
• Fastest kick with a knockout - 72 mph
• Most consecutive knockouts in a Single Tournament - 56

These records are, of course, still in debate, but who cares? They made for a badass movie!

Also, remember Mortal Kombat (the video game, not the movie)? Johnny Cage was directly (and obviously) inspired by Van Damme's character in Bloodsport, right down to the splits punch.

Bolo Yeung, among others, make references to Bruce Lee and pay homage to Enter the Dragon, including lines such as, "Very good, but bricks not hit back," which references Bruce Lee's line in Enter the Dragon, "Boards don't hit back."

The Bottom Line

All in all, Bloodsport is arguably one of Van Damme's three greatest movies, and a must own for all Real Men. It has everything that any Real Man needs in a movie to keep his blood pumping and his desire to kick ass unabated. Blood + Martial Arts + Cheesy 80's Music = a classic that Real Men Love.