Reel Combat #2: Bloodsport

By: John Warren

In many ways, 1988’s Bloodsport is one of the most culturally influential martial arts films of all time.  Living in the 80’s was a wild ride. Growing up in the 80’s, on the other hand, was a hell of a ride!  Most anyone who was there will tell you that.  The pop culture shock from movies alone was enough to find oneself fully blown away and doing garage karate within seconds of the credits rolling.  This was all because there was so little exposure to pop culture media!  In the present day, there are so many short videos and tutorials scrolling along social media alone that one is just saturated with stimulation.  Most people just scroll on, pause, give a “wow...,” and move on.  In those times, not only was there no social media, but less feature films, shows, music, and art in general were being made and being presented to a wide audience.  When a piece of culture like Bloodsport was released, even though it would be considered “bad” by many standards today, it still made a big impact.  Warning, there are going to be light 1988 spoilers ahead.