Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Harrison Page, Deborah Rennard, Lisa Pelikan, Ashley Johnson Directed By: Sheldon Lettich Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Universal Studios Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Pan & Scan Region Code: 1 Release Date: September 09, 1998 Running Time: 105 minutes Theatrical Release Date: January 11, 1991
Van Damme in a tear jerker! I thought this was a pretty good movie. Great fight scenes, some corny little emotional moments, but definitely recommended for Van Damme fans!
Lionheart! Great movie!
If your a Van Damme fan, you've already seen it!
It was the "Fight Club" of the late 90's!
Recommended to all men!
Bloodsport, IN A POOL! The Jean Claude Van Damme Review Matrix (JCVD-RM)
1. Who is he? Lyon Gaultier, a disgruntled, often disciplined French Legionnaire stationed in Africa 2. Which family member/friend must be avenged? His brother François, who gets torched to a crisp after reneging on a drug deal 3. Does he take his shirt off? As a stowaway on a ship to America, Lyon is forced to shovel coal into the boilers of the boiler room. And, whew!, does it ever get hot down there! 4. Does he have sex with a C-List actress? No, despite the fact that a rich, psychopathic, sadistic blonde fight organizer named Cynthia basically threw herself at him 5. Is there a tournament? More or less, only, winners advance to bigger and more lucrative matches with each victory 6. Is training needed for this tournament? Not specifically. His military training and hard labor already prepared him for battle. 7. Does he do the splits in training or in the tournament? Sadly, unless mid-air splits count, the answer is no. 8. Does he punch someone in the balls? With a well-placed single shot in his initial organized bare-knuckle fight, Lyon destroys the reproductive future for a guy who looks like the biker from the Village People. 9. Does he do a series of flying or 360 kicks? The question isn't "does he", it should be "where does he". The answer: In a racquetball court, under a bridge, in a nearly empty swimming pool, and a small arena with stands. 10. Is his enemy unbeatable? Atilla basically looks like the guy one-step-to-the-left on the Evolutionary chart. Additionally, he has saxophone-sized mutton-chop sideburns, which is scary in and of itself. 11. Does he overcome an injury or other hindrance? In a previous battle, Lyon sustains a broken rib, and some betting against him know it. 12. Does he win? Yes, and it's a near perfect ending.
It's uncanny how talented JCVD is at making this type of movie. If it were anyone else, the corniness would be much worse. It's almost as if his poor acting (despite this being his best acting job) makes this type of movie better. JCVD is like epicac; under normal circumstances, it's not great to chug a bottle, but when mixed with the consumption of something sure to turn your stomach otherwise, it's perfect. Best of all, the little girl who plays Lyon's niece Nicole (Ashley Johnson) is absolutely adorable (later went on to be Mel Gibson's daughter in What Women Want), and adds a real humanistic aspect to the movie without getting in the way of the tumultuous action.
Without question Van Damme's best movie!!! Not only we get to see him doing what he does best, which is kicking and fighting, but he really acts in this movie.
The story is touching: he's a french legionnaire in Djibouti when he gets a letter from his brother's wife that his broter has been severily injured, so he leaves for the USA, without money and with the french secret service behind him. When he gets there he has to fight to earn money for his brother's family, the brother's wife and his niece ( a beautiful little girl ).
The fight sequences are great, the last fight is one of the best Van Damme's fights ever.
Harrison Paige's acting is really good, and his character is really well done. His dialogue at the end of the final fight is one of the movie's best moments.
If you like any other Van Damme movie, then you have to buy this one. If you don't like Van Damme at all, but like martial arts movies, then you have to buy this one, because the fighting scenes are great. If you don't like martial arts movies, then you have to buy this one, because the story is interesting and touching. What can I say? It's a great movie!
So...buy this movie, hightly recommended.
Buyer Beware! No widescreen version - Bad Video Quality I am a big Van Damme fan. I was excited to finally get this widescreen edition. Not only is widescreen not available as described, my old vhs tape has better video quality than this.
For 7 bucks I'll keep it for now and replace it when it (hopefully) comes out on Blu Ray.
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