While most martial arts movie lovers are familiar with Jean-Claude Van Damme’sBloodsport, few realize that thiscult classickicked off a franchise that spawned four sequels. In the original, Van Damme played real-life fighter Frank Dux in a purportedly true account of his participation in a secret, deadly underground fighting tournament known as the Kumite.
Dux’s story has been widely disputed, but the mythos it created laid the foundations for everything that followed. AlthoughVan Damme didn’t return and the first sequel looked on paper to be a total disaster, the truth is thattheBloodsportfranchisemanaged to survive without him, and looking back, I’m surprised just how well it holds up today.
Bloodsport 2 Should Have Been A Disaster
It Could Have Yet Another, Disappointing Standalone Sequel
At first glance,everything aboutBloodsport II: The Next Kumitelooks like it’s setting itself up for failure. With Jean-Claude Van Damme being replaced as the star with Daniel Bernhardt, the striking similarities between the two mean it’s hard to shake the feeling that the producers were hoping viewers would mistakenly think JCVD was back to reprise his breakout role.
Coming out eight years after the original movie,Bloodsport IIhad replaced its star with an unknown actor, and Bernhardt came on board to play a new character whose story had no relation to Frank Dux. This disconnected the film from the original, with Donald Gibb as Ray Jackson being the lone cast member to reprise a role.
The Next Kumitedid little to convince viewers that this wouldn’t be a cheap attempt to cash in on a recognized brand.
Based on its subtitle,The Next Kumitedid little to convince viewers that this wouldn’t be a cheap attempt to cash in on a recognized brand that would be added to the long list of disappointing sequels to martial arts classics. This generic name quickly gave the impression that this sequel would be a forgettable footnote to the original film’s legacy.
Bloodsport 2 Is At Least As Good As The Original Movie
WhileBloodsport II: The Next Kumitelooked like it had everything going against it, the surprising truth was that it was at least as good as the original movie. Bernhardt’s role as Alex Cardo took the series in a new direction, and his martial arts background and impressive screen presence made him a worthy successor to JCVD.
As a character,Alex Cardo was as engaging as Frank Dux, and his story of being betrayed by his partner after stealing an ancient Jian sword in Thailand added strong characterization to the narrative. Imprisoned for his crime, Alex finds mentorship in Master Sun (James Hong) who trains him as he prepares to take part in the Kumite.
Bloodsportwas followed by two theatrical films and two straight-to-home video sequels, includingBloodsport II: The Next Kumite(1996),Bloodsport III(1997),Bloodsport 4: The Dark Kumite(1999), andLady Bloodfight(2017). ABloodsportremake has also been in the works for several years, with A24 being in talks to produce (viaJoBlo) as of 2025.
With strong supporting performances fromThe Karate Kid’sPat Morita, Lisa McCullough adding some female energy as the feisty fighter Kim Campbell, and Donald Gibb providing some connective tissue to the previous movie,Bloodsport IIelevated itself out of generic sequel territory. In its own way, this follow-up managed to honor the original by carving its own path.
The choreography and epic montage training scenes also deserve credit, asBloodsport IIcontinued this series tradition of powerful fights against villainous antagonists. Ong Soo Han played the main foe, Demon, and the way that Alex eventually took him down inthe film’s final fight felt just as urgent and exciting as Dux’s iconic battle against Chong Li inBloodsport.
Replacing Jean-Claude Van Damme Actually Helped Bloodsport 2
The Series Needed To Move Away From Frank Dux’s Story
The fact that Jean-Claude Van Damme was replaced inBloodsport IIactually helped the film’s chances at success in many ways. Frank Dux, the real-life martial artist that JCDV portrayed in the original film, is a controversial figure, and had a sequel continued to tell his story, it would have been subjected to great scrutiny over whether it was a true or fictionalized account.
By replacing Van Damme with Bernhardt,Bloodsport IIhad the freedom to expand upon the lore of the Kumite tournamentwithout having to anchor itself to the disputed legacy of Dux. By shifting the focus to Alex Cardo,Bloodsport IIwas able to tell a tale of redemption, discipline, and personal growth without being weighed down by questions of authenticity.
As an actor with a mixed track record and whose filmography is filled with just as many misses as it has hits, the fact that Van Damme was absent from this sequel proved theBloodsportseries was strong enough to survive without him. It also kickstarted Bernhardt’s career, and he went on to work opposite Chuck Norris, Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and Keanu Reeves.
Jean-Claude Van Damme and Daniel Bernhardt actually later worked together on the 2017 direct-to-video action movieKill ‘Em All.
Bloodsport IImay look like a cheap knockoff at first glance, but it turned out to be a rare standalone sequel that expands its franchise in a meaningful way. While it may not hold the same cult status as Van Damme’s movie, it’s a worthy follow-up that in many ways surpassed the power ofBloodsportand ensured the franchise’s future.
