Bloodsport - The 'other' Kickboxer

So Jean Claude Van Damme may never have ascended to the action hero hall of fame to join Arnie and Sly, even in their eighties/nineties heyday.  However, little gems like 'Bloodsport' are still worthy of attention.  Yes, a film about an outsider entering a martial arts tournament may be a little predictable, but it's still fun (especially if you haven't seen 'Kickboxer!').

Ignoring the claims from the real life Frank Dux, who claims this film is based on his true experiences, JCVD plays an American who gets trained by a Japanese martial arts expert in order to win this secretive underground tournament in Hong Kong.  Once you get over the massive flashback of exposition near the beginning of the films, the rest of the story is very predictable.  If you've seen one film based around a tournament then you know what's coming.

There's a love interest that is so forgettable she could probably have been written out of the script and you would barely have noticed.  However, it's the fighting and action you're here for and it doesn't disappoint.  Van Damme was at the peak of his fitness here and he pulls off one expert fight scene after the next.

Yes, there is plenty here to roll your eyes at and you're going to have to be in one hell of a 'forgiving' mood and ready for a total 'cheese-fest' in order to get the most out of this film.  But, ignoring how 'so-bad-it's-good' it is, there is plenty to entertain, such as Donald Gibb who plays Van Damme's larger-than-life best friend, plus Bolo Yeung who lets his menacing stare do much of the acting (and it's enough to get most men backing down!).  There's even a young Forest Whitaker thrown in there for good measure - he's naturally fun, but doesn't really get enough screen time to show what he's capable of.

It's dumb, it's cheesy, it has really over-the-top eighties rock montages and it's totally entertaining if you're in the mood for some old school action.  I guess the only thing that's debateable is whether you've seen 'Bloodsport' first, or 'Kickboxer' - as they're both nearly identical in terms of story, so I guess which one you prefer depends on which one you saw first.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that