Bloodsport | Rotten Tomatoes

Bloodsport

R

1988

1h 32m

Action

List

46%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

74%

Audience Score

50,000+ Ratings

U.S. soldier Frank Dux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) has come to Hong Kong to be accepted into the Kumite, a highly secret and extremely violent martial-arts competition. While trying to gain access into the underground world of clandestine fighters, he also has to avoid military officers who consider him to be AWOL. After enduring a difficult training and beginning a romance with journalist Janice Kent (Leah Ayres), Frank is given the opportunity to fight. But can he survive?

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Critics Consensus

This is where it all began for the Muscles from Brussels, but beyond Van Damme's athleticism, Bloodsport is a cliched, virtually plotless exercise in action movie recycling.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Tribune

The contest format is hopelessly repetitive and inert, the characters would seem underdeveloped in a comic book, and the restricted setting ensures that the action will never develop any real scale or velocity.

Rated: 1/4

Dec 28, 2018

Full Review

Leonard Klady

Los Angeles Times

Hacking through the jungle of cliche and reservoir of bad acting in Bloodsport are some pretty exciting matches.

Dec 28, 2018

Full Review

Simon Cunliffe

Time Out

A well-plucked turkey, humourless and plagued by a script full of stilted mumbo-jumbo.

Feb 9, 2006

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Brandon Collins

Medium Popcorn

It's very entertaining despite making absolutely no sense. Terrible acting but it's so fun, almost like "Roadhouse". The 80's were wild.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 4, 2022

Full Review

Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

This is extremely entertaining and I enjoyed the nuances of the different fighting styles. Also the fact that this story was completely fabricated makes it a hilarious con.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 4, 2022

Full Review

Carson Timar

Filmotomy

Bloodsport might not be anything even close to a masterpiece, but as a fun 80s action romp it is hard to deny the effectiveness of it.

Feb 12, 2022

Full Review

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Cees T

7.3/10 - Very good inspiration for '90s fighting games.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/03/24

Full Review

Howard H

Gritty 80s at its best, violence and shared beauty harmonious at times.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/15/24

Full Review

Carmel K

Doesn't get much better than Bloodsport!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/14/24

Full Review

Samantha S

It's called Bloodsport. The title alone gets 4 stars. The movie just happens to be awesome.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/08/23

Full Review

DanTheMan 2

2023 4K Remaster It's been way too long since I've seen Bloodsport, the film that kick-started Jean Claude Van Damme's career as a leading man and the first of his movies I ever saw. Newt Arnold's little movie is cult royalty; shot in Hong Kong with backing by Cannon Films, a heavy synth rock soundtrack by Paul Hertzog and songs from the legendary Stan Bush has you forgiving the rather flimsy and cliched plot because the writing strikes that perfect balance of ultimate 80s cheese and loveable humour all of which the cast delivers in extreme earnest. The action is well-shot, intensely bloody and features multiple different fighting styles all showcased equally and fantastically, the influence later seen in the Mortal Kombat franchise is all over this movie. Bloodsport might not be anything even close to a masterpiece, but as a wild fun 80s action romp, it is hard to deny its effectiveness.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/24/23

Full Review

William D

One of my favorite movies. Everyone should watch this.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/23/23

Full Review

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Newt Arnold

Director

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Frank Dux

Donald Gibb

Ray Jackson

Leah Ayres

Janice Kent

Norman Burton

Helmer

Forest Whitaker

Rawlins

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Bloodsport: Official Clip - Training

2:35

Bloodsport: Official Clip - A Quarter Trick

1:46

Bloodsport: Official Clip - Young Frank Dux

3:03

Bloodsport: Official Clip - Final Match

4:00

Bloodsport: Official Clip - Teach Me

1:56

Bloodsport: Official Clip - The Touch of Death

2:19

Bloodsport: Official Clip - Matte! Victory!

4:11

Bloodsport: Official Clip - Dux vs. Paco

2:20

Bloodsport: Official Clip - No Pain, No Gain

2:10

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Synopsis

U.S. soldier Frank Dux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) has come to Hong Kong to be accepted into the Kumite, a highly secret and extremely violent martial-arts competition. While trying to gain access into the underground world of clandestine fighters, he also has to avoid military officers who consider him to be AWOL. After enduring a difficult training and beginning a romance with journalist Janice Kent (Leah Ayres), Frank is given the opportunity to fight. But can he survive?

Director: Newt Arnold
Producer: Mark DiSalle, Yoram Globus, Menahem Golan
Screenwriter: Sheldon Lettich, Christopher Cosby, Mel Friedman
Production Co: Cannon International
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $10.8M
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Ultra-Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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