The Quest
Added 5/23/2009
I first saw this on Spanish TV and I was only aggravated that I couldn't understand what was being said. I then went to my video store to rent it the same week.
Fantastic film, although I will admit that the plot could do with a little work... But still a kick-awesome movie.
If you want to see how they should have done the "Mortal Kombat" film, get this DVD. Greatly diverse fighting in the film more than most other fighting films.
Way better than the "Street Fighter" movie...then again, I'm sure that "The Barney Movie" was better than that.
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Bloodsport II: The New Tournament!
Added 1/14/2009
The Jean Claude Van Damme Review Matrix (JCVD-RM)
1. Who is he? Christopher Dubois, whose story is too complicated for a one sentence breakdown
2. Which family member/friend must be avenged? No avenging needed, but he's got kids to feed.
3. Does he take his shirt off? The closest he gets is the tank top version of a thong.
4. Does he have sex with a C-List actress? No sex, all business
5. Is there a tournament? Oh...YES there is!
6. Is training needed for this tournament? Absolutely, and all training takes place amidst the sweltering squalor of Bangkok Muay Thai fighting
7. Does he do the splits in training or in the tournament? It probably doesn't count, but after a vicious spin kick in the final battle, JCVD stretches that extra little bit to show a slow-mo, suspended splits shot.
8. Does he punch someone in the balls? Patented by Ric Flair of wrestling fame, JCVD delivers the reverse heel to the twins
9. Does he do a series of flying or 360 kicks? In slow-mo even!
10. Is his enemy unbeatable? After beating every previous opponent with little more than a stiff jab, the final enemy for JCVD is a Mongolian beast, part Chong Li from Bloodsport and part Attila from Lionheart (actually the same actor who played Attila).
11. Does he overcome an injury or other hindrance? A rarity for JCVD, the entire tournament is on the level.
12. Does he win? Not only does he win, but he delivers what is probably the best overall fight scene in his career.
Christopher Dubois has a crazy story. First he's a juggling clown on stilts caring for a bunch of criminal orphans in New York. Then he's enslaved on a gun-running ship after being discovered as a stowaway. Next, he's in a pirate battle complete with cannon fire. He then becomes captive on a martial arts training island replete with Muay Thai fighters. Eventually, he becomes a champion whose will has been forged by countless shin-shattering leg kicks. Meanwhile, monks are dispersed all over the country to invite a myriad of combatants to the Kumite...er...Ghang-gheng.
So, essentially, the entire thing is an amalgamation of the invitation from Enter the Dragon (or Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory if you prefer), the orphan being taken in by criminals from Oliver Twist, and the tournament from Bloodsport.
The Ghang-geng tournament is diverse. The director, who looks like Lo Pan from Big Trouble in Little China, has invited everyone. Sumo, Muay Thai, Sambo, Judo, Kung Fu, American boxing, Savate, Tae Kwan Do, all forms are represented, even that incredibly lame Capoeira garbage. What's great is that the entire tournament borrows, just like Bloodsport did before it, straight from the racial and country stereotypes from Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!. Unbelievably, the final battle even featured JCVD's enemy doing the "Bull Charge" and Super Macho Man's Spin Punch. What's more, JCVD manages to pull off the "drum technique" from The Karate Kid II, as well as a finishing blow Sho-Ryu-Ken from the Street Fighter II game. Soak in the special moves people, soak'em in.
This is great JCVD tournament action, paying homage to what made him famous: Bloodsport. The original was better, but this is solid on its own merits. Oh, and by the way, Roger Moore co-stars, so you know the acting and production is superb. ALL action and martial arts fans should love this movie.
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Loved it then, love it now.
Added 1/6/2009
The plot may have been iffy to some, but I never really cared. I enjoy it most for it's fight choreography. Bloodsport was a little better, but for the price this can't be beat.
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Fascinating Fighters Make This Just Plain Fun
Added 11/26/2008
Although it took four viewings before I finally lowered my rating of this from "5" to "4 stars,"I suspect I will still watch this lame-brain action flick a few more times and enjoy it.
Why? Because it offers a great mixture of fascinating fighters, is a modern-day martial-arts action film with almost no swearing and no sex; and offers some tremendous scenery in the first half of the film as Jean Claude Van Damme and company travel to the Far East for this "World's Greatest Fighter" tourney.
Yes, the tourney gets carried away in the final bout but you can't have everything just right. The photography is magnificent, far better than you would expect. The movie benefits from a classy actor like Roger Moore joining the cast, too. Yeah, it's stupid in parts, but it's fun and highly recommended for first-time viewers who don't know the outcome of the bouts.
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Great movie.
Added 11/17/2008
Van Damme is on a quest to find the meaning of right and wrong in this movie. He battles in a tournament of martial arts to win the prize of a golden statue, which funds he can use to feed the street kids that he cares for. Formidable opponents square off in this movie from every country and Van Damme learns from the famous boxer, who teaches him how to stand up for what he believes is right and encourages him to win. The movie does have good scenes of martial arts, but they are usually short and the real appeal of this movie is watching Van Damme's character being transformed as he battles within himself to steal a statue or to win it, to fight in a tournament or to give up, to betray his friends or to do what seems right. Good movie and with even better fights could've made 5 stars.
Although short fights and not such a great cinematography are what drags this movie down, some of the fights are great - wish they were longer though! My favourite one is when Chinese guy fights with a Brazilian martial artist. They are well matched and overall are excellent fighters. Great movie!
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