Bloodsport

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Bloodsport is a 1988 martial arts action film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Very Loosely Based on a True Story. The inspiration comes from the life of martial artist Frank Dux, who claims to have entered a secret Blood Sport in the Philippines called the Kumite and is the first westerner to have won the tournament. [1]

Starting with his childhood he accidentally earns the (mild) respect of an Asian martial arts master, Senzo Tanaka, who uses him merely as a living practice dummy for his son. When the son dies in an accident, Dux convinces Tanaka to teach him his secrets. As an adult Dux grows into a very talented, precise and flexible warrior. Learning of the Kumite, he skips out on some military obligations to participate, bringing him into conflict with his superiors.

Tropes used in Bloodsport include:

Lin: That must make you Frank Ducks.
Frank Dux: No, it's Dux.
Lin: Oh, right! Like "put up your dukes."

Ray Jackson: That's why they call this thing Bloodsport, kid.

  • Token Romance: Janice could've been written out of the film entirely without any real impact, qualifying her fling with Dux as this, especially when you see just how serious she was about it; growing friendliness aside, she shows up on the arm of one of the high-roller audience members after Dux tells her off just so she can stay and continue covering the Kumite.
  • Training from Hell: Dux suffers a few insane training moments including having his legs stretched out in the air while hanging on rope from the limbs.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: Dux. Between the fight scenes, training scenes and bedroom scenes it's easier to count how many times you see him with a shirt than without.
    • A good number of the Kumite fighters fall under this. If memory serves, Chong Li is never seen with a proper shirt, only a cooldown robe he leaves open when on the sidelines.
  • You No Take Candle: You can tell English likely isn't Chong Li's first language from some of his taunts:

Chong Li: Very good, but brick not hit back.

  1. Dux is controversial for his claims which, for obvious reasons, has not been verified.