Bloodsport (1988) is my favorite action Van Damme movie. It was the first movie I ever saw about Van Damme that introduced me in to his movies. This is the film I grew up with it, I have first see it, when I was 8 years old! I love this movie to death! In my opinion is Van Damme's best martial arts film! Beside Hard Target, Bloodsport is one of his best movies till date. I Love it so much. Best martial arts movie, is never boring, is fast and entertaining and It is awesome seriously. And I still love it today, Bloodsport also introduced me in to martial arts. Jean Claude Van Damme's Bloodsport is still today it's best. After this movie there were a few copycat movies that copy the idea from this movie. Like were Bloodfight (1989) with Bolo Yeung returning, with the same name, but playing different character from the Bloodsport and Bloodfist (1989) with World Kickboxing champion Don "The Dragon" Wilson. I also love the music from this movie lately it helps me a lot the song "On My Own - Alone", I also love the song "Fight to Survive".
This is my favorite tournament fighting film too. This film also inspired the video game Mortal Kombat and for that? This film is twice as awesome to me. This is a film where you see JCVD at his peak and this is my second favorite JCVD flick after Hard Target and Universal Soldier. It holds up really well to this day and it's a shame the film does not have a special edition on DVD and Blu Ray. The film does have a big cult following so it not getting any features to this day is lame. Great concept, great cast, charismatic characters, bad ass fights, and a kick ass soundtrack. This is definitely one of the best martial arts flicks ever made without a doubt for me. Fell in love with the film ever since I saw it on VHS when I was a kid.
As for the Bloodsport sequels? For the most part? They all suck. They can't even hold a candle to this film. Bloodsport is a classic and a fight that is worth watching anytime, anywhere. I still own this movie on VHS and on Blu-ray. I don't have the DVD I don't need it. I am going to say it again I love this movie to death, it is my childhood JCVD film and I grew up with it. I have always enjoy it. It has a real bloody bad-ass fights. Van Damme and Yeung kicks fighters to the ground. Original this movie was almost never released, but Van Damme helped edit the film so that it could be released, this movie is praised and loved all over the World including Asia, USA and East Europe. The real Frank Dux was the fighting coordinator for this film. When Jean-Claude Van Damme was cast, Dux announced that Van Damme wasn't nearly in good enough shape, and put him through a 3-month training program. Van Damme called those three months "the hardest training of his life" - this despite being a world-championship martial artist in his own right.
It does feel good to go re-watch films like this especially dealing with the very sad fact that films like this classic aren't made anymore and seeing Van Damme these days on film, he just seems to stone faced or depressed. I have enjoyed training sequences, flashback sequences on Frank Dux's earlier childhood life and a life of a young man. The chase sequences where Helmer and Rawlis are chasing Dux was hilarious and very entertaining. Chong Li, in my opinion, is one of the best non horror villains out there. My personal favorite JCVD villain and my favorite martial arts villain. Also, though it isn't the same character; almost like a bizarro world version, another Chong Li appears in a movie called Bloodfight (Bloodsport knockoff) played by Bolo Yeung. Van Damme maybe had some problems in his later years, but I always admired him for everything he did to make this movie well known back in '88, from re-editing the original cut to promoting the movie by putting posters of it himself in cinemas. This movie for me is a perfect 10, I don't care what anyone says.
