BLOODSPORT. The Greatest Martial Arts Film of All Time?

This 1988 film is among a select group of titles (like Top Gun, Predator, Rambo III) that I watched as a kid, not yet ten years old, during a movie night organized with my neighbors on a borrowed VCR and a small CRT TV. I remember it like it was yesterday—eight of us packed into a small room with snacks and cola (which today feels like a luxury item), all mesmerized by the screen, watching those fresh-off-the-press American films. Bloodsport, and especially Frank Dux (at the time, I thought that was the name of the actor playing the role and that he was portraying himself), left such a huge impression on me that the very next day I started stretching to do the splits. Years later, when I needed to come up with a nickname, I, of course, chose Dux. Every time I revisited Bloodsport over the years, I found not only did it stand the test of time, but like a fine wine, it got better with age. Today, over 35 years after its premiere, it can confidently be called both a cult film and a genre classic. Moreover, I personally consider Bloodsport the best martial arts movie ever made.

The unforgettable story of this kickboxing film is thanks to… a fraud. As it turns out, Frank Dux himself fed a tale to Hollywood producers and screenwriters that he was working on behalf of the CIA to infiltrate a group organizing illegal tournaments around the world. Supposedly, Dux entered this tournament—called Kumite in the film—and, of course, won. Even before the movie’s release, people questioned the wildly unrealistic stories told by Frank Dux that had no basis in reality. According to an investigation by the Los Angeles Times, the address of the organization that supposedly held the illegal tournament matched Frank Dux’s home address, and the trophy he supposedly won for Kumite could be bought at a local trophy shop. Bloodsport screenwriter Sheldon Lettich also didn’t believe Dux’s tall tales, but recognized that the made-up story about his life, adventures in Vietnam, his mission to win Kumite, and his various claimed records made for juicy material for a martial arts movie. Dux himself maintained that the idea for Bloodsport came from a screenplay he wrote called Enter the Ninja, under the pseudonym Benjamin Wolf.

So, that’s more or less how the idea for Bloodsport was born, with Frank Dux serving as a fight scene choreographer on set, although reportedly clashing with Jean-Claude Van Damme, who played the role of himself in the film. As the story goes, despite Van Damme’s skills and physique, he had to undergo a three-week training camp where Dux put him through the wringer. Say what you will about the controversial Frank Dux and his fantastic tales, but without him, there would be no Bloodsport, and for that, we, the viewers, owe him our gratitude. And, I wouldn’t repeat any of the accusations of lying to his face, considering we’re talking about a man who, according to his own account, set a world record with 56 consecutive KOs in a 60-person Kumite format, where he fought 20 matches a day for three days straight. The tournament likely went something like this: all the opponents politely lined up for their KO, so no one got beaten twice.

Behind this cult film was, to put it colloquially, a band of passionate beginners. The director, Newt Arnold (who passed away in 2000), had, before making Bloodsport, directed only two other films. In earlier years, he had worked as an assistant director on classics like Coppola’s The Godfather Part II, Peckinpah’s Convoy, and Scott’s Blade Runner. He gained experience working alongside the best but did not follow in their ambitious footsteps, instead making his mark in martial arts cinema.

In 1988, Jean-Claude Van Damme (real name Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg) was a budding actor with a few uncredited roles under his belt (including as a soldier in Missing in Action, where he also served as a stunt coordinator), a failed casting for Predator, and a credited supporting role as a Russian villain in No Retreat, No Surrender. He broke into the industry through the back door. As legend has it, the young Belgian impressed producer Menahem Golan with his skills and immediately secured a role in No Retreat, No Surrender, followed by Bloodsport. Before Van Damme landed the role, Michael Dudikoff, riding high on the success of American Ninja 1 & 2, was considered, but ultimately the actor was deemed too tall and too thin for the part.

The screenwriter, Sheldon Lettich (later known for penning Rambo III), was also a newcomer, and cinematographer David Worth, for whom Bloodsport remains his most notable work, handled the camera (he later co-directed Kickboxer). The music was composed by Paul Hertzog, a fledgling film composer whose career began in 1986 and ended just five years later in 1991. Hertzog scored only six films, with Kickboxer being the only other known title alongside Bloodsport. Despite being made by a team largely composed of debutants or still green professionals, the film was a spectacular success in the VHS era, grossing over $60 million worldwide on a budget of just $2 million. Critics trashed the film, but audiences were thrilled; Bloodsport remains Van Damme’s highest-rated film on IMDb (6.8/10). So why do I consider this Van Damme flick the best in its genre? Below, I’ll give you seven reasons, mercifully omitting the utterly unnecessary character of the ring referee, who didn’t stop fights even when groins were being crushed, spines and legs broken, or necks snapped. Oh, and he somehow missed the white powder thrown into Dux’s eyes, which I’ll never forgive him for.

Seemingly Simple Plot, But…

Bloodsport tells the straightforward story of a likable soldier who deserts his unit to participate in the illegal Kumite tournament to honor his master and mentor by winning. The creators managed to pack this simple plot and tournament formula with plenty of extra delights, like an 8-bit karate fight on an arcade machine, a coin trick, or the brick-breaking challenge. They also included interesting story elements (a romance with a beautiful journalist) and minor conflicts between characters, which were dramatically resolved in the ring. One of the best examples is the fight between Dux and Paco, where they trade brutal blows.

To add to the drama, they introduced military officers (one of them played by future Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker), who try to arrest the disobedient soldier and prevent him from participating in Kumite. The fights are interspersed with training flashbacks that provide an extensive backstory for the protagonist, justifying his participation in the tournament. And, last but not least, perhaps the most crucial element driving the action is the friendship between Dux and the unruly Ray Jackson. This friendship gives the plot an atomic boost in the third act when the hero vows to avenge his friend’s brutal head-stomping by the villain. Who didn’t cheer when Dux forced Chong Li to utter words of surrender? If you didn’t, throw the first brick.

A Diverse Gallery Of Colorful Characters

The crème de la crème of the film is its colorful gallery of fighters, varying in skin tone, size, and speed, all participating in Kumite. These fighters represent different fighting styles and come from various corners of the globe. The producers aimed to have most of the Kumite fighters be true experts in their fields. Paulo Tocha, who played the Muay Thai fighter Paco, was a real Muay Thai champion, and Michel Qissi, who played the kickboxer Suan Paredes (whose leg Chong Li breaks), was a friend of Van Damme, with whom he trained in the same Shotokan karate dojo in Belgium (a year later, they faced off in Kickboxer).

The only fighter in the film who didn’t represent any recognizable style was Ray Jackson, who, flailing his arms like a windmill and relying on luck to land one knockout blow, made it to the match against Chong Li by pure luck. Interestingly, of the dozen or so fighters in the film, only four (Jackson, Dux, Hossein, and Chong Li) had speaking lines. If we recall, the coin trick was done without words, as was the sign language monologue by one of Dux’s opponents who wanted to slit his throat and crush his manhood. In terms of varied skills and fighter profiles, Bloodsport can be seen as not only the godfather of games like Mortal Kombat (with Van Damme’s character said to inspire Johnny Cage) and Street Fighter but also a precursor to the MMA format, which dominates today, overshadowing traditional boxing.

And then there’s Frank Dux himself, the man in white—Jean-Claude Van Damme in peak form! Let me quickly highlight the actor’s background (according to Wikipedia): Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg was born in 1960 in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, a district of Brussels, as the only son of Eugene Van Varenberg, of Jewish descent, and Eliana Van Varenberg. At age 11, he began training in martial arts and bodybuilding; his father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate school, where Van Damme earned a black belt. Between 1976 and 1982, he fought in numerous karate matches (mainly light and semi-contact). In 1979, he was a member of the Belgian team that won the EKU European semi-contact championship in Brussels. During this period, he also won several kickboxing matches in full-contact format. At 16, he began five years of ballet training, after which he was offered a spot in a ballet troupe, but he declined. At 18, he trained at the California Gym in Brussels. In 1981, he moved to Los Angeles, speaking only French and Flemish. Initially, he worked odd jobs as a limousine driver, taxi driver, bartender, bouncer, and pizza delivery man, all while learning to improve his English pronunciation.

In 1983, under the pseudonym Jean-Claude Van Damme, he appeared in the thriller Cujo, although his scenes were cut. A year later, as Jean-Claude Vandam, he appeared in the 48-minute indie comedy Monaco Forever (1984) as a villainous gay karateka, followed by roles in the French drama Rue barbare (1984) and the musical comedy Breakin’ (1984) with Ice-T. He was also a stunt coordinator on the war action film Missing in Action (1984) starring Chuck Norris.

Van Damme’s breakthrough role came after his self-presentation to producer Menahem Golan as the Russian fighting machine Ivan Kraschinsky in *No Retreat, No Surrender* (1986). But it was his portrayal of the honorable and noble warrior Frank Dux in 1988, who was guided by honor and his master’s teachings, that launched Van Damme to the heights of popularity. Such a character was impossible not to root for. Watching all of Van Damme’s fights in *Bloodsport*—marked by grace, ballet-like elegance, speed, and dynamic punches, with his famous splits as the signature move—is still a pleasure today.