Showdown in Little Tokyo/Bloodsport
by Mark L. Lester, Newt Arnold
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DVD details
Actor: Brandon Lee, Dolph Lundgren, Donald Gibb, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Leah AyresDirector: Mark L. Lester, Newt Arnold
Brand: Warner Brothers
Producer: John C. Broderick
Writer: Caliope Brattlestreet
Writer: Christopher Cosby
Writer: Mel Friedman
Writer: Sheldon Lettich
Writer: Stephen Glantz
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Japanese (Subtitled); English (Original Language); Japanese (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 170 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-05-02
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Model: 76758
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
- No wimps! Get ready for a knock-down, shake-down Showdown in Little Tokyo (Side A) when Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee team in the "smart, fast-moving martial-arts action-adventure" (Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times). L.A.'s colorful Little Tokyo is the setting as buddy cops Lundgren and Lee battle an entrenched cadre of Japanese gangsters (and try to avoid being filleted into sashimi by Yakuza swo
DVD Reviews of Showdown in Little Tokyo/Bloodsport
DVD Review: You Gotta Be In The Right Mood For These
Summary: 3 Stars
Well....what is there to say? You have one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's most successful feature films, and you have one of the most laughably-awful action flicks of the '90s. Does this interest you? Well, read on if it does.
SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO (1991)
Oh dear God, where do I begin? Okay, so here's the jist. Dolph Lundgren (from "Rocky IV" and "The Expendables") plays an LA detective who was raised in Japan, and has no problem dishing out his hard brand of justice to any Asian-looking thug who menaces our society. During a fight with some thugs, he runs into a suit-donning hotshot (Brandon Lee from "The Crow") who's got skills of his own. They both fight the bad guys. They both get in each other's way. They both have pistols and badges. They can't stand each other. After all the chaos, it turns out their PARTNERS!!!!
There's no real point in describing the plot, because even for the '90s, common sense is tossed right out the window, with plenty of cheap music, bare breasts, bad one-liners, and lots of ass-kicking. You have to be in the right mood to enjoy this kind of movie, but I will say that it barely acheives the 'so-bad-it's-good' level. There are so many things wrong with this movie, that it's amazing people still know about it. Two things that really bother me are an off-screen rape and the running length. The rape is merely used as an excuse for samurai Lundgren to rescue the damsel in distress, only to end up in bed with him on the FIRST DAY THEY MET! Good God! In all seriousness, the running length is totally unacceptable. This movie clocks in at 78 minutes, which is way too short. If the movie had just slowed down a bit and actually went a bit deeper with its story, characters, and/or action sequences, there'd be a much better popcorn flick here. As it stands, "Showdown In Little Tokyo" is very amusing for its lack of quality. If for nothing else, you'll have plenty to laugh at.
BLOODSPORT (1988)
There's not much I can add to this movie, other than I believe it's one of Van Damme's best movies (not saying a lot I know). Considering I tend to enjoy JCVD's mid-'90s selection of movies, I'm glad to realize that the movie that put him on the map is still worth watching.
In Hong Kong, the Kumite tournament is being prepared. Fighters from all over the world will come to test their skills against each other. Frank Dux (played by Van Damme) is an Armed Forces officer, whose desire to compete causes him to go on the run since his commanding officers won't allow it. But before he goes to Hong Kong, he pays his final respects to his dying teacher, played wonderfully by Roy Chiao.
To make a long story short, Dux gets to Hong Kong, meets an American brawler named Jackson, flirts with an American reporter trying to get a story on the Kumite that nobody will talk about, and gives it his all in the tournament. It's not a deep plot, but it's well-paced and mostly enjoyable.
"Bloodsport" has a few stumbles, mainly the poor early scenes when Frank remembers meeting his teacher (at a young age, Dux and his friends look like they're in '80s clothes!). Once Frank begins his training as an adult, the solid quality rarely lets up. As far as the action goes, if you can handle that fight scenes tended to look very stagey (meaning, not a lot of believable blocking and counter-attacking), then you'll like "Bloodsport" even more than I do. There is a good collection of different fighting styles, but I personally noticed how some punches and kicks were delivered without a lot of dodging or parrying. Then again, it's only a movie.
OVERALL
I think you're betting off searching your local Wal-Mart for a much better price than Amazon's (I got mine for 5 bucks). Either way, if you're in the mood for action movies without a lot of deep story with old-fashioned choreography, then jump right in. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy "Bloodsport" on some level; "Showdown In Little Tokyo" is guaranteed to get some big laughs.
SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO = 3.0 / 10 (hilariously poor quality with a few decent action sequences)
BLOODSPORT = 6.0 / 10 (one of the better Jean-Claude Van Damme pictures, with some late '80s choreography that may not bother others as much)
Description of Showdown in Little Tokyo/Bloodsport
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