Released: February 26, 1988

Directed By: Newt Arnold

Screenplay By: Christopher Cosby, Mel Friedman, Sheldon Lettich

Based on the supposed “True Life” of: Frank Dux

Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton, Forest Whitaker, Bolo Yeung, Philip Chan and a bunch of other actors & fighters

Plot:  “Bloodsport” follows Frank Dux, an American martial artist serving in the military, who decides to leave the army to compete in a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong where fights to the death can occur.

Taglines: The secret contest where the world’s greatest warriors fight in a battle to the death.

How did this movie do?
Budget: $2 Million
Box Office: $50 Million

• Body count: 1
• Jean-Claude Van Damme does his trade mark splits a total of 7 times during the film.
• Top One-Liners (none by Frank Dux)
  • Jackson: I love anything full contact. I need a few more scars on my face.
  • Chong Li: Very good. But brick not hit back!
  • Chong Li: You break my record, now I break you, like I break your friend.
  • Ray Jackson: Guess the Kumite starts one day earlier this year, huh fellas?
  • Ray Jackson: I ain’t your pal, dickface.
  • Jackson: [Frank is doing splits between two chairs] That hurts me just lookin’ at it. You’d better stop doing that. You might wanna have kids one of these days. Are you ready?
  • Victor: Now remember, it’s full contact. There are three ways to win. One, You knock your opponent out. Two, the other guy quits, and shouts ‘Matte.’ It’s like saying ‘Uncle.’ Three, You throw the fucker right off the runway!
  • Chong Li: You are next!

1. A “Muy Macho” Hero with quotable one-liners played by a recognizable star – Jean-Claude Van Damme
   
   
2. Over the Top Villain – Chong Li
   
   
3. A Montage Sequence – Yes – Training & Fights & Flashbacks
   
   
4. Over the Top Chase Scenes – On Foot
   
   
5. Epic Fight Scenes – Yes
   
   
6. A Villain Speech/Monologue – “You break my record, now I break you, like I break your friend.”
   
   
7. A Final Showdown – Yes
   
   
8. An “Oh Crap” Death for our Bad Guy – Defeat Yes, Death No.
   
   
9. Franchise Potential – It spawned several bad sequels, but also directly inspired 2 video games and many knock-offs.
   
   
10. Around a 90 minute runtime – 92 minutes
    
    
11. A High Body Count – 1 Death (1 other mentioned off screen)
    
    
12. A Cool Ride: Nope

• The movie was touted as a true story, but doubts have arisen about its veracity. Most martial-arts enthusiasts view his accounts of competing in secret tournaments as complete fiction, along with his claims he was an undercover CIA operative. Some have pointed out that nobody else has come forward to confirm his story about competing in secret tournaments, or told their own version. It is now generally accepted that the real Frank Dux lied his way into Hollywood. Records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show he was only in the US Marine Corps Reserve, and was never posted overseas, let alone to Southeast Asia as he has claimed. The CIA has no record of his ever working with them; his personal brand of martial arts, Dux Ryu Ninjitsu, is a complete fabrication and Frank Dux has likely never won or even competed in a single martial arts tournament.
  
  
• According to co-writer Sheldon Lettich:
  “I had known Frank Dux for a number of months before I came up with the idea for Bloodsport. Frank told me a lot of tall tales, most of which turned out to be bullshit. But his stories about participating in this so-called “Kumite” event sounded like a great idea for a movie. There was one guy who he introduced me to, named Richard Bender, who claimed to have actually been at the Kumite event and who swore everything Frank told me was true. A few years later this guy had a falling-out with Frank, and confessed to me that everything he told me about the Kumite was a lie; Frank had coached him in what to say.
  
  
• The movie claims that Frank Dux won 56 matches in a tournament. This is not only pure fiction, it is mathematically impossible. It would require 2 to the 56th power participants, or more than 9 million times the population of the earth.
  
  
• While the film is set in Hong Kong, the real Frank Dux claims the Kumite he competed in took place in the Bahamas. None of Dux’s claims of his past military history or these secret martial arts tournaments have ever been substantiated.
  
  
• The Dim Mak (Death Touch) is actually a purely fictional martial arts move that has its roots in Chinese Wuxia novels. It was popularized in the 1960’s and 70’s by “Count Dante” who ran ads in Black Belt magazine and other magazines of the day claiming to be able to teach it for a small fee and joining the “Black Dragon Fighting Society.”
  
  
• Frank Dux never has and does not hold any of the world records listed at the end of the film. Like his own back story and claims of kumite success, these are all pure fiction.
  
  
• John Johnson reported he could find no evidence of Dux’s alleged teacher Senzo “Tiger” Tanaka in history books or from other martial arts experts. Dux told Johnson he did not know the whereabouts of Tanaka or even if he was still alive, though in later years changed his story to say it was Tanaka’s dying wish for him to compete in the Kumite. When Johnson pointed out that Dux’s teacher has the same name as a ninja commander from Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel You Only Live Twice, Dux responded by saying that Fleming “used to base his characters on real people”.
  
  
• Dux sued Soldier of Fortune publisher Robert K. Brown for libel following the publication of their articles about him. While he eventually lost the case, during the hearing, John Johnson presented a photocopy of the receipt which he said proved that Dux had purchased his Kumite trophy.

• Former U.S. President Donald Trump has described Bloodsport as his favorite film.
  
  
• Paulo Tocha is a real-life Muay Thai champion.
  
  
• Goof: Parades gets his leg broken in the fight with Chong Li. However, throughout the next several scenes he is unhurt and seated on the bleachers.
  
  
• Frank Dux was the fight 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, a world-championship martial artist in his own right, called it the hardest training of his life.
  
  
• This is one of the few films featuring scenes filmed inside Kowloon Walled City before its destruction.
  
  
• The fighter Hossein (Mariano) was actually knocked unconscious by Van Damme, with an elbow in the face. The scene made it into the movie.
  
  
• Midway’s hit videogame, Mortal Kombat (1992), took huge inspiration from the film and even used a parody of Jean-Claude Van Damme for the character Johnny Cage, who has a similar costume, back story and a familiar split punch. According to game creator John Tobias, they wanted to make a “gritty” game based on the film.
  
  
• Jean-Claude Van Damme helped edit the film so it could be released.
  
  
• Ray Jackson does not use any recognized martial art at any point in the film.
  
  
• The majority of Bolo Yeung’s lines are similar to Bruce Lee’s in Enter the Dragon (1973), in which Bolo appeared.
  
  
• Charles Wang, the late president of Salon Films who supplied equipment for the film, plays the Chinese Doctor who takes care of Jackson in the hospital.
  
  
• Both Roy Chiao and Bolo Yeung were in Enter the Dragon (1973) playing similar roles of mentor and secret martial arts tournament opponent respectively.
  
  
• The official’s commands, “Junbi,” “Haji,” and “Hajimae” that starts each bout in the Kumite, are Japanese. Junbi translates most closely as “Prepare,” while Hajimae means “begin.” Loosely translated, the three words would be, “Ready, Set, Go.”
  
  
• According to Frank Dux, the character played by Donald Gibb was based on ex-biker and jujitsu practitioner Richard Robinson.
  
  
• In this movie when Chong Li defeats Jackson they use the same camera angles and slow motion techniques that Bruce lee uses in Enter the Dragon.
  
  
• Chong Li (Bolo Yeung) says “brick not hit back” after Frank Dux breaks a brick. In Enter the Dragon, which Yeung was also in, Bruce Lee’s character says “boards don’t hit back” when Bob Wall’s character breaks a board.
  
  
• Jean-Claude Van Damme is noted as a world Kickboxing and karate champion on various sites and in publicity material. This history has been confirmed.
  
  
• Bolo Yeung’s character, Chong Li, is from South Korea.
  
  
• When the army staff visit with the local police chief, Inspector Chen, the actor who plays him would later star opposite Van Damme in Double Impact, playing the Triad boss, Raymond Zhang.
  
  
• Mark DiSalle and Jean-Claude Van Damme would also collaborate in 1989’s Kickboxer and 1990’s Death Warrant. Van Damme and actor/martial artist Paulo Tocha also would appear together in Death Warrant.
  
  
• Jackson, Dux, Hussein, and Chong Li are the only Kumite fighters with dialogue.
  
  
• The trailer features Sylvester Levay’s ‘Chase’ music from his score of Cobra (1986).
  
  
• Several character designs and their physical movements are directly copied in the Streetfighter series of video games
  
  
• On three occasions during the movie, Rawlins gets impatient and sarcastic with people whom he believes aren’t cooperating with the investigation. When he and Helmar are speaking with Mrs. Tanaka, and later when they’re speaking with Inspector Chen, Helmar intercedes using a more diplomatic approach. As they first encounter Frank Dux and Ray Jackson, Rawlins again gets snippy with Jackson; however, this time Helmar does not intercede, and Jackson is the only character who openly argues back with Rawlins.