Seven years after the release of cult martial arts classic Bloodsport, a sequel is shown to the public called Bloodsport 2. Is it any good?
After Cannon folded up, the rights to the I. P. went to an obscure company. This unknown money starved business entity naturally wanted to make the most money out of their acquisition. To make the most return on investment, they decided to play it safe. This means that the sequel should be as close to the original as much as possible. Not in terms of quality or spirit of the original but the most shallow elements of the original should be adopted. The main reason for casting Daniel Bernhardt for the lead role is because he was the winner in a Jean Claude Van Damme look alike contest. When you think about it, he does resemble Van Damme, especially in that scene when he is shown kissing the concrete. But continuing the Bloodsport saga with a character resembling Van Damme's previous portrayal is weak. It only means this new "creative" team lack original ideas, creativity and imagination. Contrast this to what Albert Pyun did to the continuity of the Kickboxer franchise. When Van Damme refused to continue as Kurt Sloan because a bigger payday awaits him if he signs the contract for Universal Soldier, it was up to Pyun to come up with a solution. He decides to kill off Kurt's character and start with a new protagonist, David Sloan. This clever move gave the opportunity to make more sequels such as the somewhat passable Kickboxer 2 and the fun Enter The Dragon pastiche Kickboxer 4: The Aggressor (Kickboxer 3 doesn't belong here as it's a certified dud. Don't even mention the Marc Dacascos starrer Kickboxer 5 which is awful, horrible garbage). Kickboxer in the hands of director Pyun, deliberately distanced itself from the Kurt Sloan character as David is far from Kurt's personality or even look. Sasha Mitchell doesn't resemble Van Damme (the guy's kind of skinny while Jean Claude is buffed) and it's better that way and good for the continuity of the story.
But that's not what they did to the Bloodsport 2 script. If they really wanted a Van Damme look alike, they could've just hired Olivier Gruner as he also has a passing likeness to the Belgian as well as the accent to go with it. Though about the script, I don't know why they didn't get Sheldon Lettich on board to write the screenplay but the most obvious explanation is they don't want to spend too much money on a script writer. That's why they ended up with a lousy script. The story and the way it's presented is totally different from the original. In the first movie, most of the backstory is narrated through flashbacks by the protagonist. In the sequel, the exposition scenes are told through a tale recounted by the protagonist's sensei. To be honest, this intro scene is kinda cheesy and is totally not in the spirit of the original. In the original film, the flashback was pretty brisk in pace, in trying to cram as much backstory info as much as possible and it still felt fast paced and fresh, especially in the memorable training montage. In this film though, the first act felt like a total drag and sluggish. I really wanted the story to hurry up and get to the kumite already.
The movie itself feels and looks like a C minus version of the original. Donald Gibb returns but plays a different character (which is kind of pointless, to be honest). The writer of the script really did a major disservice to the fans by not being faithful to the original. Remember that in the original, the fighters would be welcomed by two "receptionists" dressed in formal oriental costumes. This is somehow duplicated for this film but the aura of oriental mystique and mystery is gone. The kumite receptionist is kind of bored and indifferent and he actually holds a written list. One wonders if it is a list of the fighters or maybe a list for a game of mahjong or maybe a list of people who are indebted to the dude.
The fighting area itself looks shabby and far from the elegance of the original venue of combat in the first movie. The score board with the names of the fighters is also missing which should have been a requirement. The film is merely a faceless tournament film like Bloodfist without the score board. Even the Filipino comedy film Smith And Wesson which parodied the original, were able to come up with a somewhat working replica of the score board (The score board is also in the David Bradley starrer American Samurai).
There's one sequence here which the director seem to get right and this is the interlude before the final fight. The scene involves a guy with a gun and that asian actor who played the former owner of the Bonsai club in Showdown In Little Tokyo. This sequence makes one wonder if somebody else directed this specific scene. The scene felt like it was directed by Mark L. Lester (one of the best action film directors).
The fighting in Bloodsport 2 is somehow okay but a bit on the mediocre side. The new stable of fighters aren't as memorable as the combatants from the original. In the first movie, the fighters each have distinct fighting styles and personalities. In the sequel, the fighters don't really stand out and are less visually appealing. There's even a female fighter but she's no Cindy Rothrock or Cynthia Luster. Compare this to the fighters in the original film: Paco, Suan Paredes, Chong Li, etc. The final boss fighter isn't as threatening or as developed a character as Chong Li. He also has a silly moniker ("Demon", duh). He is actually one dimensional and isn't scary or intimidating, at least not in the same way that Bolo Yeung's character was in the original. The other fighters are also kinda hilarious. There's a throwback character from the original, the monkey style fighter, but this time, he is of Chinese nationality. And the sound editor actually put monkey sounds over the guy. Like wtf. Maybe the filmmakers were afraid the audience would not get it so they had to add the monkey sounds. Totally bonkers.
Not only is the film plagued by uninspired characters, the music is also lame. Unlike the glorious score by Paul Hertzog, the music here doesn't do anything. The music in the original does a great job in accentuating the action but not in this film where It is just forgettable.
But the biggest offense of the film is in literally ripping off the original's third act. It plagiarizes the sequence where Chong Li kills his opponent and where all the people in the venue stood up to mourn the departed fighter. Demon also walks up to Cardo and says something like what Chong Li did in the original. This really takes the cake because with the right lead actor, writer, production company and director, the sequel had so much potential, only to be squandered by this debacle of a movie. It didn't have to rip off the original if the filmmakers behind it had any ounce of imagination.
Finally, we get to the leading man, Daniel Bernhardt. The dude looks good but it doesn't look like he should be in this kind of role. He should be in a soap opera, not a beat 'em up movie. There's just something missing in the guy's portrayal; some much needed grittiness is sorely lacking. I would have preferred Don "The Dragon" Wilson or David Bradley to be in the lead role instead because they do have that certain spunk which a lot of the eighties and nineties action stars possess in abundance. And quiet frankly, there's not enough fireworks or intensity in Bernhardt's performance, so to speak. He simply aped and copied Van Damme's moves from the original and didn't have any unique or signature moves of his own. He should have stayed in modeling or worked as a male prostitute (just kidding).
In hindsight, there were several missed opportunities with this sequel. First is the chance to potentially start a new tale about the kumite with a new protagonist and somehow connect this sequel with the original by including a few of the supporting characters from the previous film (the female reporter for example). Second, the fights should have been better executed with a more inspired choreography.
To conclude, Bloodsport 2 is simply a shameless cash grab and a complete farce. It is one of the worst direct to video garbage that came out in the mid nineties.
After Cannon folded up, the rights to the I. P. went to an obscure company. This unknown money starved business entity naturally wanted to make the most money out of their acquisition. To make the most return on investment, they decided to play it safe. This means that the sequel should be as close to the original as much as possible. Not in terms of quality or spirit of the original but the most shallow elements of the original should be adopted. The main reason for casting Daniel Bernhardt for the lead role is because he was the winner in a Jean Claude Van Damme look alike contest. When you think about it, he does resemble Van Damme, especially in that scene when he is shown kissing the concrete. But continuing the Bloodsport saga with a character resembling Van Damme's previous portrayal is weak. It only means this new "creative" team lack original ideas, creativity and imagination. Contrast this to what Albert Pyun did to the continuity of the Kickboxer franchise. When Van Damme refused to continue as Kurt Sloan because a bigger payday awaits him if he signs the contract for Universal Soldier, it was up to Pyun to come up with a solution. He decides to kill off Kurt's character and start with a new protagonist, David Sloan. This clever move gave the opportunity to make more sequels such as the somewhat passable Kickboxer 2 and the fun Enter The Dragon pastiche Kickboxer 4: The Aggressor (Kickboxer 3 doesn't belong here as it's a certified dud. Don't even mention the Marc Dacascos starrer Kickboxer 5 which is awful, horrible garbage). Kickboxer in the hands of director Pyun, deliberately distanced itself from the Kurt Sloan character as David is far from Kurt's personality or even look. Sasha Mitchell doesn't resemble Van Damme (the guy's kind of skinny while Jean Claude is buffed) and it's better that way and good for the continuity of the story.
But that's not what they did to the Bloodsport 2 script. If they really wanted a Van Damme look alike, they could've just hired Olivier Gruner as he also has a passing likeness to the Belgian as well as the accent to go with it. Though about the script, I don't know why they didn't get Sheldon Lettich on board to write the screenplay but the most obvious explanation is they don't want to spend too much money on a script writer. That's why they ended up with a lousy script. The story and the way it's presented is totally different from the original. In the first movie, most of the backstory is narrated through flashbacks by the protagonist. In the sequel, the exposition scenes are told through a tale recounted by the protagonist's sensei. To be honest, this intro scene is kinda cheesy and is totally not in the spirit of the original. In the original film, the flashback was pretty brisk in pace, in trying to cram as much backstory info as much as possible and it still felt fast paced and fresh, especially in the memorable training montage. In this film though, the first act felt like a total drag and sluggish. I really wanted the story to hurry up and get to the kumite already.
The movie itself feels and looks like a C minus version of the original. Donald Gibb returns but plays a different character (which is kind of pointless, to be honest). The writer of the script really did a major disservice to the fans by not being faithful to the original. Remember that in the original, the fighters would be welcomed by two "receptionists" dressed in formal oriental costumes. This is somehow duplicated for this film but the aura of oriental mystique and mystery is gone. The kumite receptionist is kind of bored and indifferent and he actually holds a written list. One wonders if it is a list of the fighters or maybe a list for a game of mahjong or maybe a list of people who are indebted to the dude.
The fighting area itself looks shabby and far from the elegance of the original venue of combat in the first movie. The score board with the names of the fighters is also missing which should have been a requirement. The film is merely a faceless tournament film like Bloodfist without the score board. Even the Filipino comedy film Smith And Wesson which parodied the original, were able to come up with a somewhat working replica of the score board (The score board is also in the David Bradley starrer American Samurai).
There's one sequence here which the director seem to get right and this is the interlude before the final fight. The scene involves a guy with a gun and that asian actor who played the former owner of the Bonsai club in Showdown In Little Tokyo. This sequence makes one wonder if somebody else directed this specific scene. The scene felt like it was directed by Mark L. Lester (one of the best action film directors).
The fighting in Bloodsport 2 is somehow okay but a bit on the mediocre side. The new stable of fighters aren't as memorable as the combatants from the original. In the first movie, the fighters each have distinct fighting styles and personalities. In the sequel, the fighters don't really stand out and are less visually appealing. There's even a female fighter but she's no Cindy Rothrock or Cynthia Luster. Compare this to the fighters in the original film: Paco, Suan Paredes, Chong Li, etc. The final boss fighter isn't as threatening or as developed a character as Chong Li. He also has a silly moniker ("Demon", duh). He is actually one dimensional and isn't scary or intimidating, at least not in the same way that Bolo Yeung's character was in the original. The other fighters are also kinda hilarious. There's a throwback character from the original, the monkey style fighter, but this time, he is of Chinese nationality. And the sound editor actually put monkey sounds over the guy. Like wtf. Maybe the filmmakers were afraid the audience would not get it so they had to add the monkey sounds. Totally bonkers.
Not only is the film plagued by uninspired characters, the music is also lame. Unlike the glorious score by Paul Hertzog, the music here doesn't do anything. The music in the original does a great job in accentuating the action but not in this film where It is just forgettable.
But the biggest offense of the film is in literally ripping off the original's third act. It plagiarizes the sequence where Chong Li kills his opponent and where all the people in the venue stood up to mourn the departed fighter. Demon also walks up to Cardo and says something like what Chong Li did in the original. This really takes the cake because with the right lead actor, writer, production company and director, the sequel had so much potential, only to be squandered by this debacle of a movie. It didn't have to rip off the original if the filmmakers behind it had any ounce of imagination.
Finally, we get to the leading man, Daniel Bernhardt. The dude looks good but it doesn't look like he should be in this kind of role. He should be in a soap opera, not a beat 'em up movie. There's just something missing in the guy's portrayal; some much needed grittiness is sorely lacking. I would have preferred Don "The Dragon" Wilson or David Bradley to be in the lead role instead because they do have that certain spunk which a lot of the eighties and nineties action stars possess in abundance. And quiet frankly, there's not enough fireworks or intensity in Bernhardt's performance, so to speak. He simply aped and copied Van Damme's moves from the original and didn't have any unique or signature moves of his own. He should have stayed in modeling or worked as a male prostitute (just kidding).
In hindsight, there were several missed opportunities with this sequel. First is the chance to potentially start a new tale about the kumite with a new protagonist and somehow connect this sequel with the original by including a few of the supporting characters from the previous film (the female reporter for example). Second, the fights should have been better executed with a more inspired choreography.
To conclude, Bloodsport 2 is simply a shameless cash grab and a complete farce. It is one of the worst direct to video garbage that came out in the mid nineties.