Bloodsport

I recommend this martial arts flick starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as a classic in its own genre. This genre consists of movies in which the plot is only a thin string tying together different fight scenes. It even contains all the classic Jean-Claude Van Damme (You All to Hell) Flashback Sequence in which we see How He Overcame Adversity to Become a Martial Arts Genius.

The plot is basically that The Mussels like Brussels Sprouts is fighting in the Kumite, a fighting extravaganza where practitioners of all forms of full-body fighting and martial arts fight against each other, sometimes to the death. The winner of the previous year's Kumite is Chong Li, a grandstanding jerk who thinks nothing of killing his opponents. Van Damme (I'm Good) and a hairy biker-like streetfighter are the only two Westerners in the Kumite, so of course they become best friends. Chong Li shows his disdain for them by seriously injuring Hairy Streetfighter. Thereafter Van Damme (You Chong Li) becomes the grandstanding jerk's Mortal Enemy. Typical martial arts movie stuff, only here it's good because you actually care about the characters. This is a rarity for me.

There is also a weak subplot in which Van Damme (I'm Sexy) falls in love with a female reporter who's trying to get information on the Kumite, but this is only put in so the audience can go to the bathroom without missing any of the fighting.

Personally, I thought the subplot about the valiant Monkey Fighter from Africa deserved more screen time, but I guess his triumphant tale must wait until Bloodsport IV: Rumble in the Jungle.

Cat Treat: 4

Best Scene: Van Damme (I'm Strong) is tied to a tree

Best Fighting Style: Monkey Fighting

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