I had a really difficult time trying to determine which movie I would consider my favorite, but after finding myself repeating the same action a few times a month these past couple months, a winner essentially selected itself. The action I am referring to is finding myself watching Bloodsport on the VS channel no matter how late at night it ends up playing, even though I've already seen it over 50 times, own it on dvd, and can pretty much recite it word for word. I'm just drawn to watching it like a moth to a flame.
The fim is loosely based upon the real life events of Frank Dux - portrayed by Jean Claude Van Damme. During a flashback it is explained how Frank gets caught trying to steal a sword from Senzo Tanaka's house as a child, and ends up agreeing to be the sparring partner for Senzo's son Shingo in return for not getting in trouble. When Frank defends Shingo from bullies at school, a bond forms between Frank and the Tanakas. Senzo is devastated a few years later when his son dies and he no longer has anyone to pass on the martial arts skills that have been a part of his family for ages. Frank eventually convinces a hesitant Tanaka to train him in place of his son so that he may one day honor the Tanakas by competing at a world martial arts competition known as the Kumite.
After some amazing training sequences that show how Frank becomes a highly skilled martial artist, the film leaves the flashback and progresses toward the beginning of the Kumite. Each fighter in this competition is from a different part of the world and fights with their own unique style. The viewer is treated to a large variety of disciplines as the fights play out, each portrayed by a very skilled actor, making the fight sequences entertaining and memorable. Frank - the unknown American at this competition - wins fight after fight and makes his way into the final match vs last year's champion. The final fight is an epic, and when it's all over Frank becomes the new champion, fulfilling his promise of honoring the Tanakas.
What makes this movie stand out above all the cheesy 80's attempts at martial arts films? Plenty. The fight choreography, the fleshed out story, the music (top notch!), and dare I say it.....the production value is actually quite good. There isn't much in this film that will make you roll your eyes like what is so prevelant in a lot of the other martial arts films of the time. No flying kicks with a 20 second hang time, triple backflips, or dialogue that seems like the script was written in one day. It all just comes together very well and the final result is a film a martial arts fan can't help but watch over and over again. If you hate JCVD and you've never seen this film, you may have a change of heart.