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In his film starring debut, Jean-Claude Van Damme portrays a martial arts expert who decides to compete in the Kumite, a no holds barred martial arts competition in Hong Kong. This film has plenty of the well staged fight scenes and martial arts sequences that would be evident in Van Damme's later films. A fair entry in the genre.

The military Frank Dux (Jean Claude Van Damme) abandons his base to participate in the Kumite, a dangerous secret competition in Hong Kong. Before embarking in the airplane, Frank visits his martial arts trainer Senzo Tanaka (Roy Chiao), who is terminal, and promises to win the tournament to honor him. Frank travels to Hong Kong and befriends the fighter Ray Jackson (Donald Gibb) that is lodged in the same hotel and has a love affair with the journalist Janice Kent (Leah Ayres). However the American officers Helmer (Norman Burton) and Rawlins (Forest Whitaker) chase him to bring home back to the base without injuries. Meanwhile Frank and the dirty Japanese fighter Chong Li (Bolo Yeung), who won the last Kumite, are winning their fights and coming to the ultimate fight.

"Bloodsport" is an early Van Damme´s film and also one of his best films ever, disclosing the refuted story of the American martial artist Frank Dux. The screenplay is funny and engaging with excellent fight choreography. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Grande Dragão Branco" ("The Great White Dragon")

This movie all about fighting,and the fact that it is based on a true story just makes it better. This is the first time Van Damme fights Bolo Yeung and it is a spectacular fight he also fights him in Double impact. Bolo is the perfect evil guy and his fighting style is one of a kind.

They dont make movies like this anymore. Bad acting and story,but you gotto love it anyway.

An underrated and inspiring film for all martial arts fans.

Van Damme shines here because this role is perfect for him. He doesn't need a stuntman, because he performs all the scenes himself. The choreography is good, as is the directing itself.

The characters are fun, and that's what makes this movie so good. Bolo Yeung is absolutely brilliant and intimidating as the villain Chong Li. The film definitely has charm and possesses some timeless quality.

The film is interesting for several reasons, not only as a film about martial arts, but also as a drama that speaks in its simple way about human emotions. It is easy to identify with the characters, because they are portrayed humanly, emotionally and above all through the prism of the friendship. Jean Claude Van Damme is first and foremost an athlete, not an actor, and this film is perfect for him and maybe that's why everything here works as it should.

This film impressed me because of its charm and simplicity and because it reflects the spirit of another time. The film has truly fulfilled its primary task, it is entertaining and easy to watch. What matters is that this movie can be watched many times and is always just as fun.

Courage, loyalty, friendship and honor are the values that this film celebrates and that in itself is commendable.

A cinematic work that definitely deserves its place in the history of martial arts films.

When it debuted, "Bloodsport" was to have been a story of the famed martial artist and miltary hero, Frank Dux. According to Dux, he won the ultra-secret 'Kumite'...a no holds barred martial arts international competition. He also was a top secret operative for the military and went on all sorts of scary missions in various countries. Unfortunately, pretty much none of Dux's claims turned out to be true! However, I assume no one other than Dux knew it at the time AND the star of "Bloodsport", Jean-Claude Van Damme, was no phony--having been a very accomplished full-contact fighter with championships to his credit. So, while the story turns out to be a load of crap, you cannot fault Van Damme and it's among his best films.

The lead up to Dux (Van Damme) going to the Kumite is confusing....like two separate movies tossed together. One shows him running away from the army to fight in the competition. Another shows him working for years with his Master to get ready for the competition! This was confusing and the chronology made no sense.

Once the film heads overseas to the Kumite, things improve considerably. Dux strikes up a friendship with a nice but dopey lug who is also in the Kumite (Donald Gibb). Ultimately, an insanely sociopathic competitor unleashes EVERYTHING on the lug and leaves him a battered mess. And, ultimately, Dux must also fight this Chong Li. Is such an ignominious ending also in store for Dux as well?

While I am not a huge fan of the Van Damme films, he did make some good ones and his martial arts skills are truly amazing. If you watch "Bloodsport", you'll see what I mean. Van Damme is a very impressive athlete instead of just being some actor....and his athletic skills are far superior to his acting skills. Seeing his splits and many of the action scenes leave you breathless!

So is the film itself any good? After all, we know now that nobody (other than Dux) believes the story to be true. Well, despite the spotty background to Dux and the film, it is a very good film for the genre. Like many 80s films, it has montages, 80s pop music, slow-motion and all the standard cliches...but it does them all so well and Van Damme is so good in the story. Overall, a surprisingly good film that holds up well today.