Bloodsport

Name: Bloodsport
Genre: Action, Thriller, Drama
Released: 1988-02-26
Duration: 1 h 32 min
Rating: 7
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton, Forest Whitaker

The true story of an American ninja.

Bloodsport (1988)

Timing: 1:32 (92 min)

7/10
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All about film

Video 9

Photo 96

Actors and characters

Watch film Bloodsport — Bloodsport (1988) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD]

1:41

Photo 96

Release date

1988-02-26

Country

United States, Hong Kong

Production

Warner Bros. Pictures, Cannon Group

Genre

Action, Thriller, Drama

Budget

$1 500 000

Revenue

$11 806 119

Website

Director

Newt Arnold

Actors

Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton, Forest Whitaker, Bolo Yeung, Roy Chiao, Philip Chan, Pierre Rafini, Kenneth Siao Wai-Keung
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus, Mark DiSalle

Operator

David Worth

Composer

Paul Hertzog

Artist

Audition

Editing

Jean-Claude Van Damme, Carl Kress
All team (13)

Short description

An American Army Major goes AWOL to Hong Kong for an outlawed martial arts contest called the Kumite.

What's left behind the scenes

Frank Dux served as the fight choreographer and coordinator for the project. When Jean-Claude Van Damme was cast as the lead, Dux stated that the actor was not in sufficient physical condition and put him through a three-month training program. Van Damme later recalled that this was the most difficult training period of his life.
Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bolo Yeung would fight each other again 4 years later in the film «Double Impact» (1991).
It is claimed that the film's script is based on true events, but there are certain doubts regarding the veracity of this claim. Many martial arts enthusiasts consider Frank Dux's stories about participating in underground tournaments to be fabrications, as well as his claims of being an undercover CIA operative. Some point out that no one ever confirmed his statements or provided their own version of these events. Common opinion suggests that Dux used such tall tales only to pave his way into Hollywood and that he likely never participated in a single martial arts tournament. It is known that Dux served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and never had any overseas assignments. The CIA denies that he was ever an operative. The martial art 'Dux Ryu Ninjutsu,' named after him, is also a fabrication.
According to Jean-Claude Van Damme, before filming this movie, he was scraping by on odd jobs and was broke. To land the role in this film, he was willing to do whatever it took: he trained for 10 hours a day, changed his appearance to look more "American," and got a "Hollywood" smile from a dentist.
Many episodes from the film (one sumo wrestler's victory, the execution of the sumo wrestler, the judges' reaction to the fighter's death) were later copied in the film «Quest» (1996), directed and written by Jean-Claude Van Damme.
It is claimed that the film's script is based on real events, but the veracity of this claim is questionable. Many martial arts enthusiasts believe Frank Dux's stories about participating in underground tournaments are fabrications, as are his claims of being an undercover CIA operative. Some point to the fact that no one has ever confirmed his statements or offered their own version of these events. The prevailing opinion is that Dux used these tales solely to pave his way into Hollywood, and that he likely never participated in any martial arts tournament. It is known that Dux served in the reserve of the U.S. Marine Corps and never had any overseas assignments. The CIA denies that he was ever an operative. The martial art named after him, “Dux Ryu Ninjutsu,” is also a fabrication.
Frank Dux served as the director and fight choreographer for the project. When Jean-Claude Van Damme was cast as the lead, Dux stated that the actor was not in good enough physical shape and put him on a three-month training program. Van Damme later recounted that this was the most difficult training period of his life.
According to Jean-Claude Van Damme, before filming this movie he made ends meet with odd jobs and had no money. To get the role in this film, he was ready to do anything: he trained 10 hours a day, changed his appearance to look more “American,” and got a “Hollywood” smile from a dentist.
The coin trick performed by Frank (replacing a 10-cent coin in a person's hand before they could close their fingers) is a famous Bruce Lee trick.
The split-legged fist strike of Johnny Cage, a character from the “Mortal Kombat” video game series, is based on a scene from this film.
Filming began on October 15, 1986.
Many episodes of the film (one of the sumo wrestler's victories, the defeat of a sumo wrestler, the judges' reaction to a fighter's death) were later copied in the film 'Quest for Justice' (1996), directed and written by Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Jean-Claude Van Damme actually knocked out Bernard Mariano with an elbow strike. This take made it into the final film.
Jean-Claude Van Damme really knocked Bernard Mariano unconscious with an elbow strike. That take made it into the film.
The coin trick that Frank showed (he managed to swap a dime for another in a person's hand before they could close their fingers) is a famous trick of Bruce Lee.
The real Frank Dux was the fight coordinator for the film.
One of the few films shot, in particular, directly in the walled city of Kowloon before its demolition in 1993-1994.