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Directed by: Newt Arnold Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb Bloodsport is supposedly* based on true events from the life of Frank Dux ( played by Jean-Claude Van Damme ), a man who enters the Kumite, an illegal underground full contact martial-arts tournament - where serious injury and death are not uncommon. Along the way, Frank befriends Ray Jackson ( Donald Gibb, whom you may know as Ogre from Revenge of the Nerds ), who later gets seriously wounded in a match against the film's antagonist - Chong Li, undefeated champion of the Kumite and an all-around bad guy. Frank vows to avenge his buddy by defeating Chong Li. Frank manages to fulfill his promise and defeats Chong Li, becoming the first westerner to win the Kumite. The first 15-20 minutes of the film are pretty stupid, which show a young Frank Dux training under his shidoshi, Tanaka. For some reason, whoever did the casting for this movie decided to have a French kid ( who can not speak English ) play young Frank. The movie really shines during the actual fighting scenes of the Kumite however, which balances out the retardedness of the film's beginning. I give this movie a 3.. out of 5. * - According to the real Frank Dux, he fought in the Kumite for five years ( 1975-1980 ) and retired undefeated with four still-standing world records : Fastest Knockout, Fastest Punch, Fastest Kick, and most consecutive Knockouts. As of this day, I don't think anyone actually believes his story.
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May 3, 2004 14:57
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| # ? Apr 16, 2024 12:32 |
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It makes a great story, and you are right- nobody believes him, nor that there was ever a "Kumite" death match style competition ever. He claims to practice Ninjutsu, but really teaches karate in a black uniform ala Ashida Kim. His students fear him not out of awe, but because he is a certifiable lunatic. He has written a book, of which real Ninjutsu practitioners successfully debunked as a batch of lies. Still though, I liked this movie.. Jean Claude Van Damme is the loving king. I think this is his best movie with the coolest (and most realistic) rear end kicking ever done.
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May 3, 2004 15:11
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A lot of people are skeptical about Frank Dux and his accomplishments. But while browsing the web about it, I found some interesting facts and "documents" backing the credibility of him and his records. I'm pretty sure the Kumite is a real event. People don't doubt the credibility of the Kumite, just the credibility of Frank Dux. Still though, the movie was good and the story behind the movie was just as interesting.
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May 3, 2004 21:58
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