Bloodsport

The film that made Van Damme

Bloodsport was Jean-Claude Van Damme's first lead role. The Belgian, a former karate and full-contact competitor, had been working as an extra and stuntman for Cannon and played the Russian villain in No Retreat, No Surrender (1985). Made for between $1.5 and $2.3 million depending on the source, it opened in the US on 26 February 1988 and found its real audience on video and overseas.

A tournament of styles

The formula has been copied ever since: a knockout bracket mixing every school, from a Thai boxer and a sumo wrestler to a karateka and a monkey-style fighter. The appeal lies in the clash of guards and ranges rather than realism: short fights, slow motion and loose rules. Van Damme's splits and spinning kicks became his trademark.

Bolo Yeung, Hong Kong and Frank Dux

Shot entirely in Hong Kong from 17 October 1986, the film pits Van Damme against Bolo Yeung, already seen in Enter the Dragon, as Chong Li. Fights were staged by Hong Kong stuntman Lee Ka-ting and by Frank Dux himself, the film's technical adviser. The script grew out of a 1980 Black Belt article on Dux, whose claims have since been widely disputed, including by screenwriter Sheldon Lettich.

Reception

Critics were harsh (48% on Rotten Tomatoes), but audiences made it a tournament-movie classic that paved the way for Kickboxer and The Quest.