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Ah…the 1980’s - what a golden decade that was for films.

Growing up as a child in that era there was something memorable, and dare I say special, about the movies of that decade.

Back to the Future. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. ET. The Goonies. The Indiana Jones trilogy. Stand By Me. Lost Boys. Ghostbusters. The Breakfast Club. Karate kid….and so on and so forth.

Even 30+ years later most of those films, even as ‘cheesy’ as they might feel on some levels with the passage of time, have a somewhat innocent and more gentle quality about them compared to the hard-edged and cynical feel of many films released by contemporary Hollywood.

For me, and many of my peers, though the 80’s has a special, and somewhat honoured, place in our memories. Maybe this is typical of most people of any generation, looking back on their childhood and painting the world of back then with a far rosier glow than it actually deserves. Maybe, like many people, there’s a wistful, nostalgic quality relating to the period of your formative years, particularly when the world felt so fresh and exciting back then (and responsibilities were few and far between - if any at all).

It’s somewhat fitting then that one of my favourite films from that era - Bloodsport (filmed in 1986 but released in 1988) - would figure prominently into a recent trip to Hong Kong (given that the movie, from what I have gleaned so far, was filmed entirely on location in that country).

As Jean Claude Van Damme’s breakthrough film (and with Michael Bishop's excellent Steal the Night track playing against the backdrop of Van Damme, as the character of Frank Dux, running through the streets of Hong Kong whilst being chased by 2 US Military Criminal Investigation Command agents) I wanted to see if it was possible to source locations where particular scenes were shot.

After some online research (and where would we be without the internet these days?) I came across a great resource where certain locations are reported as matched to scenes from the film. This was like striking gold as I would discover that the city had changed radically over the past 34 years since the film was shot there (rendering some of those locations completely unrecognisable now).

In no particular order then the following covers what I believe (thanks to the aforementioned online source) are the locations of certain scenes from the movie.

1. East Lake Hotel

The exterior of the hotel where Frank Dux (Jean Claude Van Damme) and fellow fighter Ray Jackson (Donald Gibb) reside during the kumite tournament appears to be the building where the Majesty Chinese Restaurant is located at the junction of Wing Hing Street and Hing Fat Street opposite Victoria Park East Gate in Causeway Bay.

Nearest MRT: Tin Hau station

2. Peninsula Hotel

The start of the scene where Van Damme being pursued by US Military Criminal Investigation Command agents Helmer (played by Norman Burton) and Rawlins (played by Forest Whitaker), immediately after exiting the hotel, crosses the road to jump over the traffic barrier appears to have been filmed directly outside what is now the Peninsula Hotel.

Nearest MRT: Tsim Sha Tsui station

3. Mody Road

The junction of Mody Road, Hart Avenue and Hanoi Road appears to be the location where Van Damme can be seen pausing at the traffic island in the midst of being chased by Helmer and Rawlins.

Nearest MRT: Tsim Sha Tsui /East Tsim Sha Tsui station

4. Hanoi Road

This location is contentious but, according to this online source I read, is the scene where Van Damme leads his pursuers during the chase and subsequently stands on the wall next to the large Banyan tree. The area has been massively redeveloped since the 1980’s and is now completely unrecognisable as part of that scene (particularly with the disappearance of the huge Banyan tree).

The one clue that it is the same place?

The Eddie Sui custom tailors company features on a notice board in part of the scene and that business does exist on this very same street.

Like I stated - this one is contentious but I’m going by the research and conclusions arrived at on the aforementioned online source.

Nearest MRT: Tsim Sha Tsui station

5. Peak tram

The scene where Van Damme is taking the public transport at night, after the hospitalisation of his friend Ray Jackson (and subsequently sees the face of his opponent, Chong Li reflected in the window) appears to have been filmed on the Peak Tram.

This is taken from my own ride on the Peak Tram but sadly doesn't replicate the same viewpoint as that shown in the screen capture from the film scene above:

Nearest MRT: Central (then take the Peak Tram)

6. Causeway Bay typhoon shelter

The scene where Van Damme runs across the boats in the harbour whilst leading his pursuers on their chase appears to have been filmed in the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter. This has seen some minor changes since the 1980’s but is clearly recognisable as the same location.

Interestingly the scene was filmed to make it appear that Van Damme was traveling across the harbour when in fact he was climbing back up the same side of the harbour that he had entered from.

Attempting to try and view the location from the same angle as it was shot in the film is practically impossible but many of the environmental features from the scene in the film are recognisable: steps, banks, boats, flyover in the background and a pedestrian route immediately bordering the banks of Causeway Bay.

Nearest MRT: Causeway Bay station

7. Hong Kong Trail

The scene where Van Damme is stood looking out over Hong Kong at night, while reflecting on the hospitalisation of his friend and fellow fighter Ray Jackson, appears to have been filmed at a section of the Hong Kong trail at Victoria peak.

Nearest MRT: Central (then take the Peak Tram to the top of Victoria Peak)

8. Lions Pavilion

The scene where Van Damme is performing the side splits on a concrete ledge overlooking Hong Kong appears to have been filmed at the Lion’s Pavilion on Victoria Peak.

Nearest MRT: Central (then take the Peak Tram to the top of Victoria Peak)

9. Kowloon Walled City

In the film the Kumite tournament takes place within a temple concealed inside a maze of narrow alleyways in a bustling complex of buildings and tenements. This was situated within Kowloon Walled City which was torn down in the early 1990’s and replaced with a memorial park from 1995 onwards.

Nearest MRT: Lok Fu station

The one location I couldn’t make

I would liked to have visited Stanley Military barracks where some of the scenes involving Inspector Chen in his office were shot (as well as in the earlier part of the film where soldiers are drilling in the parade ground).

Unfortunately I didn’t have time to venture over there (the closest I got was 1km away and had to be mindful of time as I was taking the Stanley Luna Cruise back to Pier 9 on the other side of the island) but it would likely have been pointless even if I had. According to some brief online research I managed to perform the barracks are now occupied by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Force and, as a result, completely inaccessible to visitors.

Maybe I could have seen some of the barracks from an external vantage point but I doubt it.

External sources

For anyone interested in further information about the filming locations for Bloodsport I highly recommend visiting the following resources which appear to be well researched (and definitely helped me with the above location visits).

• Hong Kong (& Macau) Film Stuff
• Movie Loci

 

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