Bloodsport (1988)
Bloodsport is a 1988 American martial arts action film directed by Newt Arnold and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Leah Ayres, Forest Whitaker, Donald Gibb, Roy Chiao, and Bolo Yeung. The film centers on Frank Dux (Van Damme), a United States Army Captain and ninjitsu practitioner, who competes in an underground, full-contact martial arts tournament called the Kumite in Hong Kong. It was one of Van Damme’s first starring films and showcased his athletic abilities, launching his career as a mainstream action star. The screenplay is based on many of Dux’s claims first covered in the November 1980 issue of Black Belt magazine. The real Dux served as the film’s action choreographer and technical advisor. After its release, many of Dux’s claims were disputed, including by co-screenwriter Sheldon Lettich, who claimed Dux fabricated his fight record and the existence of the Kumite.
Plot:
U.S. Army Captain Frank Dux has trained in the ways of ninjutsu under his sensei Senzo Tanaka. As a boy, Dux and a group of his friends broke into Tanaka’s home to steal a katana, but Dux was apprehended while returning the katana to its place. Impressed by Dux’s integrity and toughness, Senzo decided to train him alongside his son, Shingo. After Shingo’s death, Senzo trains Dux as a member of the Tanaka clan. Dux is invited to the Kumite, an illegal martial arts tournament in Hong Kong. After his Army superiors refuse to let him go, Dux goes absent without leave, says goodbye to his sensei and leaves for Hong Kong. Two Criminal Investigation Command agents, Helmer and Rawlins, are assigned to track down and arrest Dux.
After arriving in Hong Kong, Dux befriends American fighter Ray Jackson and their guide Victor Lin. When they arrive at the Kumite arena, the officials are skeptical but eventually accept them after Dux proves his connection to the Tanaka clan by performing the Dim Mak death touch. On the first day of the tournament, Dux earns the enmity of the ruthless Kumite champion Chong Li after breaking his record for the fastest knockout. Dux becomes involved with American journalist Janice Kent, who is investigating the Kumite. Although Dux refuses to help her, she sneaks into the arena by agreeing to a date with another spectator. On the second day, Jackson is matched against Chong Li.
