Bloodsport 2:Next Kumite [VHS]
by Alan Mehrez
![Bloodsport 2:Next Kumite [VHS]](/images/Bloodsport-2-Next-Kumite-VHS-6304146302-L.jpg)
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Daniel Bernhardt, Donald Gibb, James Hong, Lori Lynn Dickerson, Pat MoritaDirector: Alan Mehrez
Producer: Alan Mehrez
Producer: Alexander Tabrizi
Producer: Chandran Rutnam
Producer: Diane Mehrez
Producer: Jeffrey Konvitz
Producer: Michael Criscione
Writer: Jeff Schechter
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, NTSC
Running Time: 90 minutes
Release Date: 1996-09-03
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Publisher: Fm Entertainment
Studio: Fm Entertainment
VHS Movie Reviews of Bloodsport 2:Next Kumite [VHS]
Movie Review: Gonna be cool, once more around...
Summary: 3 Stars
Released eight years after the original film, the follow-up to the undisputed king of all karate B-movies saw Swiss-born martial artist Daniel Bernhardt being given the unenvied task of trying to live up to Jean-Claude Van Damme's career-launching performance in the original Bloodsport. Does he succeed? - the answer depends on how big of a fan you are of Van Damme and his initial karate masterpiece, but I think it's fair to say that Bernhardt ought to have gotten a better shake as a knock-`em -sock-`em action hero. The movie itself certainly has its faults (and sadly, these don't include the gloriously cheesy over-the-top-ness of the predecessor), but as far as being a low-budget, tournament-based fighting movie, this one has all the credentials to be an unrecognized gem.
The story: told in flashback by wizened karate teacher Sun (James Hong Missing in Action), the tale follows fighter/thief Alex Cardo (Bernhardt, Matrix Reloaded) as he is sent to a Thai prison for stealing the prize of the fabled underground tournament, the Kumite. Trained to harness his internal power by the likewise-detained Sun, he leaves jail determined to enter the tournament, prove his honor, and use the prize to buy his teacher's freedom.
The cast is pretty neat: in addition to Bernhardt and Hong, there's Pat Morita (The Karate Kid) as the tournament beneficiary, Ong Soo Han (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) as the villainous fan favorite, and Nicholas Hill (Death Match [VHS]) and Ron Hall (Triple Impact [VHS]) as Alex's tournament buddies/opponents. Donald "Tiny" Gibb returns in his role from the first film, but he's apparently a quasi-official of the tournament nowadays and makes no reference to the previous outing or Frank Dux. He's not quite as funny as he was the first time around and doesn't really get to fight, and while certainly tough and evil, Ong Soo "Demon" Han can't really live up to Bolo Yeung's presence in the original film, so perhaps the movie is best not considered an actual sequel. It works better on its own, anyway: as Daniel Bernhardt's maiden voyage in film, he gives a great physical effort and makes every fight of his count as though his future in show business were resting on this film.
Then again, we also have Philip Tan as fight choreographer to thank for this. Rest assured, there is a whole lot of fighting to be found here - maybe even more than in the first film - and while not all of it is great, a lot of it is beyond average. The tournament encounters take a while to get good, and are every once in a while punctuated by nonsensical pose-striking and other immature little add-ons (e.g. a monkey fighter who performs to soundbites of an actual monkey shrieking), but by and large, the fighting lives up to the predecessing matches and then some. Fans of "Bloodsport" who can't help but compare the two films will note that's there's a decisive decrease in the emotional content of the fisticuffs, and no cool song plays along to the visceral montages; this leaves the film a bit plainer than is healthy for a low-budget flick like this, but it fails to drag the fights down. While it doesn't hinder the action, the choreography could've been a touch more innovatice.
Nevertheless, it's the standout kicks, flips, and punches of Bernhardt, Han, Hill, and Hall that make this one worth watching, as well as James Hong's trademarked "wise old Asian" routine that's second only to the late Mako's. Fans of these kinds of movies ought not be without it, for "Bloodsport 2" has it where it counts and ought to be in the video collection of anybody who values talent and athleticism over spectacle.
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