Copyright by Warner Bros and The Cannon Group, Inc
Unlockable Gems is a new segment that will be highlighting and retro-reviewing movies that I believe ARE or could be awesome due to personal reasons. You would normally call these underrated gems, but... I changed things up a bit.
These could be movies a bunch of people have seen. These could be movies no one has seen. But they are ones that I've seen and I think they are ones that deserve a bit more attention.
There will be some alterations to the typical scoring system and the weighting for each category. I will explain those slightly as we go along. Also keep this in mind, the final score does include more personal feelings than normal... and the scores are NOT compared to modern movies. If anything, you might compare the score in the ERA of movies.
And I thought I would start with one of my favorite movies growing up...
Bloodsport
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme(JCVD) and Donald Gibb
Directed By: Newt Arnold
Year of release: 1988
Concept: "Based on the real story" of Frank Dux. American soldier that learned a ninjitsu style when he was young... goes AWOL to participate in an underground fighting tournament on behalf of his teacher... a tournament that doesn't encourage, but could lead to death regardless.
Era: There is this era of martial arts movies in the 70s and 80s that REALLY showcased American insecurity. And what I mean by that... in China, there was this rise of a certain actor named Jackie Chan. He was making these really cool, funny martial arts movies, awesome stunts, and the goofy sidekicks. And that of course led to more serious films with lesser known actors in them. So... in that era, there was this counter-rise of cheesy martial arts films from the US, where the protagonist is insane American or patriotic, but could still kick ass like those Asian people in those other movies. Films like: American Ninja, Big Trouble In Little China(may see that later), various Steven Seagal films, and OTHER JCVD movies... and even Eric Roberts did one in 1989. It was a fad. A cheesy fad. But a fad
Execution
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme... JCVD. You know who he is. Belgian fighter trying to be American, but clearly isn't. But that wasn't the point. Looking back now, I don't know what they were thinking. But back then, he was a badass that fought for the US of A. And his goofy sidekick? Donald Gibb. Don't know that name? Ogre from the Revenge of the Nerds franchise. NOW you know who it is. With a smattering of unknown peoples serving as the world fighters... oh... and plus a suprise Forest Whitaker(well, not a surprise anymore). And... that is about it for notable names. But it isn't about them anyway. Be warned that there are some stereotypes, but it is also notable that they do represent their respective fighting styles in the world. Score: 16/20
Presentation: A very 80s movie. With the 80s vibe, in a very 80s Hong Kong, with a very 80s soundtrack/theme song. A martial arts film rocking out to the theme of "Fight to Survive" by Stan Bush & Paul Hertzog. High energy, also very 80s. Even now, it feels even MORE cheesy. But that was the point. That was the era. But that song makes it stand out. Score: 18/20
Chronicle: So I highlighted the story earlier. American soldier goes AWOL to represent the family of the man who trained him to be a martial artist in an underground fighting tournament because the son of his master was killed. Plenty of fighting. Plenty of jokes(from Ogre). Flashbacks galore for exposition. But there is a really weird scene... more cheesy and more 80s... and it just didn't feel like it fit the same way the rest of it would... the M.P. Agents tasked with taking Dux back to the state(for going AWOL... one of them being Whitaker)... they chase him around Hong Kong. But it is a very goofy, silly, Scooby-Doo style chase... competely with taunting from JCVD... and a silly-esque song to go with it. A pretty good martial arts film... and that part was out of place. But thankfully you have the "best buddy getting his ass beat by the villain to motivate the hero into winning"(ooooooooooh... you see it?). The chase scene knocks it down some. Score: 14/20
Legacy(Impact/Influence on the industry and other industries): So this is going to be speculation here. But as a movie, it doesn't affect much. It's an 80s martial arts movie starring JCVD. There are plenty. But more so, I think this movie inspired some video game ideas. The two that come up are: Mortal Kombat(good call, Bob) and the Street Fighter franchise. Now, like I said... speculation. I could see Ed Boon and John Tobias being inspired by this movie. But I'm gonna focus more on Street Fighter. So... the original game, called Fighting Street, was released in 1987. You play as Ryu, fighting enemies from various places. But as I mentioned, this movie had some fighting and culture representation around the world(even stereotypical). And Street Fighter II... it was all different. Different fighters from around the world... Turbo and more... Super added more. But we had a whole cast of characters. And some of those tropes are present in Bloodsport. (Including a Muay Thai kickboxer that reminds me of Adon, an African fighting that if he was Green he would be Blanka, there is a Sagat, there is an E. Honda type character, etc etc etc). Capcom will never admit it. But I see the influence. The ONLY issue I have with this...... dammit... if SF2 was inspired by Bloodsport, that makes JCVD the inspiration for Guile...... and his casting AS Guile in the live action movie was a fit. And I never wanted to come to that conclusion. Because this is all speculation, I gotta be a bit tougher with the score. Score: 15/20
Nostalgia(Why it is important to me): Does anyone remember the local TV stations? For example, the channel numbers changed, but locally, CBS was 8, ABC was 6, NBC was 13, FOX was 59, but we also had WTTV-4(can you tell what state I'm in?). It is now the CBS affiliate... it was the CW affiliate... and of course the UPN before that. But before it became an affiliate, it was just... WTTV-4. Channel 4. One of the only stations around here you could be guaranteed to pick up eith your analog TV even without an outside antenna or the rabbit ears. And what was Channel 4? For the most part, it was a catch all. Syndicated shows, re-runs, cartoons. And on the weekends, we had movies(edited for content and run time). Some classics. And one of those movies was Bloodsport. Once a year, around the same weekend each year. And it was a tradition in my house. Dad and I would know when it was coming, WTTV-4 would advertise the movies for the weekend... and it didn't matter what else was on, it was Bloodsport day. Every year. And I cherished the movie day. Even though I knew the movie from beginning to end, it was still an important day. "We are going to watch Van Damme kick some ass in this goofy action flick." Bloodsport Day lol and I don't remember any other movie on Channel 4 weekends that was so important. And now I have it digitally... so it can be up there again. Score: 20/20
FINAL SCORE: 83/100
FINAL GRADE: B-
Conclusion: The movie wouldn't win any awards in filmmaking. But it is a classic American martial arts film set in Hong Kong starring a Belgian badass. I love this movie. And will watch it every year... rekindle the passion... honor the tradition... fight to survive...
It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat" that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...
FINAL JUDGMENT: I recommend it to anyone. Not only is it a great JCVD movie, it very well may be his best one. In his prime. Kicking ass. Some others may come close, but this is THE Van Damme classic. If you are fan of JCVD and you HAVEN'T watched it... you aren't a JCVD fan. Sorry... you aren't. Watch it!!!!!
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Bloodsport gets an 83.
I would love a remake. But it won't compare to the memories of this one for me.
What do you think of this new segement? I have many more coming, and if you have any you would think is underrated, leave it in the comments. I can see if it qualifies, and if it isn't on my list already, you'll get credited for it.
Thank you for reading.
And don't forget...
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