Bloodsport (1988) on Netflix
R19881h 32mActionBiographyDrama
Frank Dux, trained in ninjutsu since childhood, goes absent without leave to Hong Kong to enter the Kumite, an underground martial arts tournament. Two Army investigators are sent to arrest him.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb6.8/10104,715 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes48%
Trailer
Plot summary
Senzo Tanaka, a champion martial artist, takes in the young Frank Dux and trains him in ninjutsu, adopting him into his family after the death of his own son. Frank becomes a skilled fighter and a soldier in the U.S. Army. After Tanaka dies, Frank learns of the Kumite, a three-day, no-holds-barred martial arts contest held in Hong Kong, and he travels there without leave to compete in his teacher's honor. The Criminal Investigation Command assigns agents Helmer and Rawlins to find him and bring him back. In Hong Kong, Frank befriends Ray Jackson, a fellow American fighter entered in the tournament.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Bloodsport (1988)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Frank Dux served as a technical advisor on the film, but many of his claims were subsequently disputed, including by co-screenwriter Sheldon Lettich, who stated that Dux fabricated his fight record and the existence of the Kumite.
- Jean-Claude Van Damme had worked as an extra and stuntman in Cannon Films productions, but at the time of his casting he was a struggling actor with bouts of homelessness, and was only offered the role after "almost begging" Cannon president Menahem Golan.
- Van Damme was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star at the 9th Golden Raspberry Awards, and lost to Ronald McDonald in Mac and Me.
- Bloodsport was an inspiration for the video game Mortal Kombat, and the character Johnny Cage is a homage to Jean-Claude Van Damme; Van Damme himself later voiced a Johnny Cage character skin based on his likeness in Mortal Kombat 1.
- Bloodsport is one of the few films featuring scenes filmed inside Kowloon Walled City before its demolition in 1993, preserving a place that no longer exists.
- Promotional materials indicated that the Kumite which Frank Dux won in 1975 was held in the Bahamas, but producers opted to set the story in Hong Kong because the city was "exciting and not over-exposed" in American films.
- Retired professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer Mirko Cro Cop was inspired by Van Damme's performance in the film and began training in his parents' garage, using his father's boxing equipment and weights.
- Bloodsport was filmed entirely on location in Hong Kong, with shooting beginning on October 17, 1986, and it was the first American feature film made entirely in the city since 1969.
