Unsung Heroes: Bloodsport
Bloodsport was a launching pad for the Hollywood career of Jean-Claude Van Damme. The movie based loosely on the life and times of Frank Dux made Jean-Claude Van Damme a star in the world of action entertainment. I firmly believe that all the success Van Damme achieved post-1988 was because of the awesomeness that is Bloodsport.
The love and admiration fans have for Bloodsport and Jean-Claude Van Damme is much deserved, but after catching the movie on television the other night for the 9,753rd time (that number is approximate), I could not help but reflect on some of the unsung heroes of the movie that do not get the love and admiration that they so richly deserve…
Victor Lin
Managing and dealing with talented people can be a stressful job. Victor Lin (Ken Siu) was a diminutive man with a big job. Mr. Lin was hired to be the handler for all the North American fighters competing in the Kumite. I’m sure Mr. Lin expected the job to come with some challenges, but he could not have possibly been prepared for what he’d have to deal with in the form of Frank Dux. Not only was Dux a cocky, confident and determined young man just waiting for a fight, Dux had federal agents after him. At any time the feds could have scooped up Dux and whisked him away back to the United States and who are the Kumite officials going to be looking at if Dux doesn’t show up… Victor Lin, that’s who!
I haven’t even mentioned Ray Jackson (Donald Gibb). He ends up in the hospital after being severely injured by Chong Li (Bolo Yeung) during their fight. While the injury was in no way Lin’s fault it still happened on his watch and I have to imagine he wasn’t sleeping very well after that happened. But no matter his stress levels, Victor Lin showed up for work every day and did his damn job.
Mrs. Tanaka
I think Tammy Wynette said it best when she said “Stand By Your Man”. That wasn’t just a song for Mrs. Tanaka, that was a way of life. Mrs. Tanaka (Lilly Leung) knew how devastated her husband Senzo Tanaka (Roy Chiao, who you may remember as Lao Che from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) was after their son could not honor his father by competing in the Kumite. She also knew how important it was to her husband that Frank Dux represent the Tanaka clan at the Kumite. So Mrs. Tanaka puts on one hell of a poker face on when federal agents Helmer (Norman Burton) and Rawlins (Forest Whitaker) come to her door, flashing their credentials and asking if she knows where Frank Dux was. She does admit that Frank was there to pay his respects to her very sick husband, but then went on to say she had no idea where Frank went after that. Mrs. Tanaka you are damn good liar and a damn good wife.
The Kumite Staff
Every year there are huge events that take place, but when they are all said and done it is the guy with the championship belt or the celebrity with the award or the team with the trophy that we all remember. Nobody thinks about the numerous people behind the scenes or the support staff on the sidelines that make these mega events possible.
The 1988 Kumite was a mega event. The Kumite brought together the best fighters in the world to compete in a three day tournament to determine who was the best in the world. We all remember that year’s finalists, Frank Dux and Chong Li. And some of us probably remember some of the other fighters, especially the over the top Ray Jackson. But what about the staff that helped make the Kumite come to life.
If the “OK USA” guy at the door didn’t allow Dux and Jackson in, we probably would have seen Chong Li’s domination continue… What about the referee for the fights? They bring in fighters from all over the globe, but they can only bring in one referee. That dude was an iron man, officiating every match over the course of three days. Referees have a thankless job as it is, but the ref in Bloodsport (played by A.P. George) had an extra thankless job in my opinion… Last but not least, what about the guy who had to clean up the blood after each match. Sure he may have gotten the occasional gold tooth as a bonus, but are you trying to tell me they couldn’t provide any rubber gloves for this guy. And honestly he should have had some sort of blood borne pathogen training if he was going to be dealing with bodily fluids. Luckily the underground nature of the Kumite allows them to fly under the OSHA radar, other wise they’d be looking at some serious violations.
