A breakout film for the actor who would go on to star in the likes of Universal Soldier, Hard Target and Timecop, Belgian superstar Jean-Claude Van Damme‘s 1988 movie Bloodsport has become something of a cult classic since it was released more than three decades ago.
Read on for some fascinating facts about a film that was far more popular with audiences than it was with critics, making a healthy $50 million from a budget of just $2 million.
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The Top 10 Reasons Why Bloodsport is Van Damme’s Magnum Opus.
1. Cannon Films wanted American Ninja’s Michael Dudikoff to play the lead
Jean-Claude Van Damme became a hot new star for Cannon Films in the late 80s, but this almost didn’t come to pass. Cannon boss Menahem Golan was not convinced of the photogenic Belgian’s star power, and didn’t want him in Bloodsport at first. Instead, Golan was pressing the filmmakers to cast another up-and-coming martial arts star, Michael Dudikoff. Dudikoff had made a name for himself as the lead in Cannon’s 1985 movie American Ninja and its 1987 sequel. (Five American Ninja movies would eventually be made, although Dudikoff isn’t in the last one.) Bloodsport screenwriter Sheldon Lettich recalls, Golan complaining of Van Damme, “This guy’s never gonna make it… He’s a loser, he’s a terrible actor… Michael Dudikoff is a movie star! Jean-Claude is poison!” Eventually the Cannon boss was persuaded to change his mind, in part out of necessity as – despite Golan’s reservations about Van Damme – the actor was signed to a three movie contract with the company. (The other two movies wound up being 1989’s Cyborg and Kickboxer.)
2. Forest Whitaker is actually a karate black belt in real life
Bloodsport features a relatively early supporting role from esteemed future Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker. Aged 27 at the time, Whitaker had several TV and film roles to his name at the time, including small roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High and The Color of Money. Bloodsport casts the actor in a comic relief role as Rawlins, one of the hapless military police officers sent to bring Van Damme’s Dux back to the US. Whitaker is one of the few actors in the movie not to display any fighting prowess – but this is not reflective of the man himself. In reality, Whitaker holds a black belt in Kenpo Karate, and has utilised his martial arts ability in some of his films. Most notably, Whitaker got to show off his skills in 1999’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.
3. The film claimed to be based on a true story
Bloodsport casts Jean-Claude Van Damme as Frank Dux, a soldier and highly skilled martial artist who goes AWOL to compete in a secret, ancient fight tournament called the Kumite. As we’re told by several title cards at the end of the movie, Frank Dux is actually a real person. A former US Marine and martial arts teacher, Dux worked closely with the cast on the film’s fight choreography. The film’s final moments also tell us that the plot of Bloodsport is based on real events, that the Kumite really exists, and that Dux really did compete in it, and of course emerged victorious. Dux (who went on to co-write Van Damme’s 1996 film The Quest) also claimed to hold a vast number of world records for his fighting, which are also listed at the climax of Bloodsport. On top of all this, Dux has also claimed that as well as serving in the Marines, he also worked for the CIA, and was awarded a Medal of Honor for his efforts.
4. Van Damme described his preparation for the film as “the hardest training of my life”
Before going to Hollywood in search of fame and fortune, Jean-Claude Van Damme made waves as a martial artist. Having trained in karate and kickboxing since age 12, Van Damme enjoyed great success as a competitive karate fighter. Van Damme was also into bodybuilding from an early age, reportedly being named Mr Belgium in his late teens (although, like with Frank Dux’s extravagant claims, some have disputed this). Even so, reports suggested that real-life martial artist Frank Dux wasn’t initially impressed with Van Damme’s physique. To whip the actor into (even better) shape, Dux promptly set him a three-month workout programme. Van Damme later said that the work Dux put him through in preparation for the movie was “the hardest training of my life.”
5. Van Damme accidentally knocked out Sadiq Hossein actor Bernard Mariano for real
Making movies as heavily based around fighting as Bloodsport is inevitably a hazardous business for actors. Even with carefully planned and rehearsed fight choreography, there’s always the risk of moves going wrong. Reportedly this happened during photography on Jean-Claude Van Damme’s fight with Sadiq Hossein actor Bernard Mariano. Van Damme’s Dux appears to have knocked out Hossein, and the referee rules the fight to be over. However, Hossein is still conscious and attempts a sneak attack on Dux from behind – but, thanks to his lightning-fast reflexes, Dux counter-attacks with a reverse elbow to Hossein’s face. Watch the scene closely and you’ll notice that Van Damme’s elbow really does make contact with Mariano’s chin, and it’s said that Van Damme accidentally knocked his co-star out.RELATED:
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6. It is one of Donald Trump’s favourite films
During a 1997 profile in The New Yorker, it was revealed that Bloodsport is one of Donald Trump’s favourite films. The businessman, who had not yet moved into politics at the time, is said to have called Bloodsport “an incredible, fantastic movie.” It was also reported that Trump preferred to fast-forward his VHS copy through all the plot and get straight to the action. The New Yorker quoted Trump as saying he wanted to “get this two hour movie down to 45 minutes.” (Bloodsport is actually 92 minutes long.) Since Trump’s single term as President of the United States, a lot has been made of his reported love for Bloodsport – although the matter of whether it’s truly his all-time favourite is disputed. On other occasions, Trump has said that his favourite movie was Citizen Kane, as well as Harrison Ford’s President-on-a-plane movie Air Force One.
7. Bloodsport writer Sheldon Lettich went on to write and direct several more Van Damme movies
Prior to Bloodsport, Sheldon Lettich had served in the military in the Vietnam war, and broke into writing in the 80s, eventually co-writing Rambo III with Sylvester Stallone. Lettich got on well with Jean-Claude Van Damme, and the two men have worked together many times since. In 1990, Lettich made his directorial debut on Lionheart (alternatively known in some territories as AWOL). Similar to Bloodsport, Lionheart casts Van Damme as a soldier who abandons his post to infiltrate an underground fighting ring. Lettich would go on to direct Van Damme in 1991’s Double Impact, 2001’s The Order and 2006’s The Hard Corps. Lettich also worked on the scripts for 1996’s The Quest (which Van Damme himself directed), and 1998’s Legionnaire.
8. The filmmakers almost made Kickboxer first
Bloodsport got off the ground thanks to an enthusiastic pitch from screenwriter Sheldon Lettich. Lettich had been invited to meet with producer Mark Di Salle, who wanted the screenwriter to pen a new project entitled Kickboxer. However, when Lettich told Di Salle Frank Dux’s story (which he still believed to be true at the time), the producer agreed this was a far more compelling idea. Because of this, Bloodsport went into development immediately, whilst Kickboxer was put on the back burner. Kickboxer would eventually hit screens in 1989, again starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and produced by Mark Di Salle. Like Bloodsport, Kickboxer was a big hit with action fans and spawned a series of sequels.
9. Not a single stuntman was used during filming
Bloodsport was a production of one of the most notorious film companies of the 80s, Cannon Films. Cannon had largely built their brand on action movies, mostly starring Charles Bronson or Chuck Norris. However, by the late 80s the company were struggling to stay afloat, and were banking on the younger, prettier Van Damme being a box office draw. Because of their financial woes, Cannon made sure that all of the actors hired to star in Bloodsport were able to convince as fighters. This meant that the notoriously frugal mini-studio didn’t have to hire a single stuntman during the film’s production. The studio’s cost-cutting measures also extended to Jean-Claude Van Damme’s salary, with the future million dollar earner being paid a modest $25,000 for his efforts.RELATED:
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10. Jean-Claude Van Damme received a Golden Raspberry award nomination for his performance
Bloodsport brought new action star Jean-Claude Van Damme a lot of attention – not all of it positive. While audiences flocked to see the film to the tune of $50 million in ticket sales, the critics weren’t especially kind. Bloodsport received largely negative reviews, with the Los Angeles Times describing the film as a “jungle of cliche and reservoir of bad acting.” Jean-Claude Van Damme’s performance saw him nominated for the Worst New Star Golden Raspberry Award, an annual ceremony that celebrates the very worst films from the previous 12 months. Luckily for Van Damme, he was beaten to this award by – er – Ronald McDonald, the fast food mascot having been nominated for his cameo in the notorious Mac and Me. Van Damme wouldn’t win a Razzie for another decade, when he and Dennis Rodman were named Worst Screen Couple for Double Team.