I have been craving some martial arts films for a while now, but for some reason I just never seem to get myself to put one on and sit through it. Much like my struggles with the samurai genre I mentioned in a previous post. This happens sometimes, a want to watch something but flooded with so many other things to watch that it just doesn't really happen. I've been a little sick this past week and wanting to just lay in bed and watch things, as well as play games. Not being entirely with it, something lighthearted and easy to deal with has been more preferable: enter Bloodsport. I haven't seen this film before, which is surprising given I have seen many Hong Kong films. But perhaps this doesn't entirely classify as a Hong Kong title primarily due to the fact that it seems more American made. A film set in Hong Kong and featuring the beauty of the late 80s setting it held, but with dialogue in English, and characters that are not native to the city as the main appeal. This can even be evident in the directing style.
While the film isn't incredible, it is one that I'm sure you have either heard or seen before. In fact, the film served as some influence to the hit arcade franchise Mortal Kombat. While also kick-starting the career of Jean-Claude Van Damme, who I read had struggled financially around the time of filming, between jobs and really working hard to get into shape for this performance. Which is interesting to see, given the general lack of appeal the film had upon release. Though these films that have their own appeal and cult like followings tend to be pretty interesting to me, something that doesn't necessarily stand out but still has a few reasons to really pull people in. For many, it'll be the martial arts genre it holds. For some, it'll be the setting of Hong Kong and the traditions it has. And for others, it'll be the directing, an 80s action film riddled with ambient music and chase sequences.
Despite all of this, it isn't a film that particularly won me over. It has its weaknesses, and I think they were too strong to really hold my diseased attention today. But the film is still an interesting idea that came about at the right time and certainly in the right place.
Bloodsport
Bloodsport has a lot of things to follow, I won't mention it all in depth here, but I will mention a little on the narrative. This film follows a US army soldier that ultimately rejects the law and runs off to Hong Kong in order to pursue a martial arts tournament. This tournament is nothing ordinary, however. It is an illegal tournament, something underground. With our protagonist running away from his position in the army, he's naturally pursued by members of the law who aim to track him down and arrest him. There's a lot of cat and mouse movements as a result of this, as our protagonist runs and hides from the law while slowly making a name for himself within the tournament. As you might expect, this means plenty of late 80s chase scenes throughout the chaotic city of Hong Kong, between markets and rivers, detailing the dense web of the city and its various differences in lifestyle. From the traditional to the more modern. I always love this about Hong Kong films, the sheer different in cultures that was present within varying classes. Even down to Kowloon's Walled City, which saw a bit of attention in the film before it was demolished. A lawless complex build by citizens as a result of the decaying system outside.
Though the western action influence, as well as Hong Kong action film influence comes seeping through. Some signs of John Woo's style I noticed, in addition to this. But that 80s Hollywood action style was thrown out there in maximum overdrive. This film is almost entirely montage sequences! Thrown alongside atmospheric elevator music and guitar solos. These montages are happening all the time, to the point where you start to question whether you're watching a film or just a series of montages. I can see how for some this would be really distracting, and certainly too much for someone that just wants to sit and watch a film and be told a story. In my case, I don't think I was quite ready for it, being one of those people that would've preferred a regular story. But at the same time, I think it handles constant montages quite well. It still managed to pace in some moments here and there instead of jumping between them. And some of the montages themselves vary in pacing.
This film is a story on becoming the best at something you strive for, however. A story on not giving up against the odds, even if it could lead to something far worse as a result. A challenge for the mind to see what it and the body are capable of. A typical martial arts idea in which a protagonist aims to be the best, not particularly for any major goal other than to prove it to themselves as they discover their abilities as a result. Some of this makes its way into the film in the form of a love interest, which sees the brutality of the tournament firsthand, begging our protagonist to not involve themselves in it more out of fear it may cause some serious damage. At its core, this film has a lot of the necessary foundations to a story on growth and challenge, all the tropes are there, but I do not think it really explores them all well enough, primarily a result of the frequent use of montage sequences over utilising the established framework.
I guess if you don't look too far into the film, it's a great martial arts film that displays the fun of martial arts itself. The sheer testosterone required in its participants, the challenge and competition against each other. The almost primal mentality. Full of action scenes, 80s styled of course, with poor choreography, but that's all part of the fun. It's no surprise that back then it managed to influence so many, bringing the culture of Hong Kong and mainland China to the west with western characters, within the Chinese setting. The film certainly stays true to its name, given the martial arts itself doesn't pertain to anything in specific, instead being a combination of many, ultimately creating a sport in which blood is shed. An equally violent, more culturally influenced Fight Club, so to speak. But before Fight Club.
