Bloodsport (1988)
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A U.S. Army captain goes AWOL to compete in a dangerous underground martial arts tournament in Hong Kong.
The story
U.S. Army Captain Frank Dux, a skilled ninjutsu practitioner, receives an invitation to the Kumite, a three-day underground martial arts tournament in Hong Kong. Choosing to go absent without leave, Dux travels to the city to compete. His actions prompt the Criminal Investigation Command to dispatch agents to track him down and arrest him. Upon arriving, Dux befriends a fellow American fighter and prepares to establish his lineage in the tournament. As the competition begins, Dux must navigate the dangers of the underground circuit while evading the authorities who are closing in on his location.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
U.S. Army Captain Frank Dux, a ninjutsu practitioner, goes AWOL to compete in the Kumite, a three-day underground martial arts tournament in Hong Kong. While he is pursued by CID agents Helmer and Rawlins, Dux competes in the tournament, befriending fellow fighter Ray Jackson. On the first day, Dux breaks the record for the fastest knockout. On the second day, Dux continues his winning streak while his friend is hospitalized after a brutal match. On the final day, Dux fights past the pursuing agents to enter the arena. In the semifinals, his opponent is killed. During the final match against Chong Li, Li blinds Dux by throwing a salt capsule into his face. Drawing on his specialized training, Dux overcomes the temporary blindness, defeats Li, and forces his submission.
- First release year
- 1988
- Runtime (minutes)
- 92
- Production countries
- United States; Hong Kong
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Newt Arnold
- Writers
- Christopher Cosby · screenplay; Mel Friedman · screenplay; Sheldon Lettich · screenplay; Sheldon Lettich · story
- Cast and characters
- Jean-Claude Van Damme · Frank Dux; Donald Gibb · Ray Jackson; Leah Ayres · Janice Kent; Norman Burton · CID Agent Helmer; Forest Whitaker · CID Agent Rawlins; Bolo Yeung · Chong Li; Ken Siu · Victor Lin; Roy Chiao · Senzo Tanaka
- Genres
- martial arts; action
- Themes
- martial arts; underground fighting
- Tone and mood
- action
- Premise and plot tags
- martial arts tournament; underground fighting
- Source material / true-story basis
- a 1980 Black Belt piece
- Franchise connections
- Bloodsport (film series)
- Reception
- The film was a commercial success despite negative reviews, becoming a cult favorite and influencing the martial arts genre and mixed martial arts.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 48% · review count: 31; Metacritic · score: 29 · scale: 100 · review count: 5
- Production trivia
- It was the first American feature film made entirely in Hong Kong since 1969.; It features scenes filmed inside the Kowloon Walled City before its demolition in 1993.; The film inspired the video game Mortal Kombat and the character Johnny Cage.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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