Silver and Schwarzenegger both saw the value in the story: after all, Arnold had just slaughtered an entire army of rank-and-file bad guys in Commando. The script, about a group of tough mercenaries encountering a vicious alien hunter in the steamy Central American jungle, was snapped up by 20th Century Fox in 1985. The follow-up to Commandohad begun life as a spec script called Hunter, and was famously based on a joke doing the rounds in Hollywood during the mid-80s: who would fight Rocky Balboa after his 1985 clash with Russian boxer Ivan Drago? An alien from outer space?įrom that tiny germ of an idea came Hunter – later re-titled Predator– written by brothers Jim and John Thomas. Meanwhile, producer Joel Silver was working on his next project: a sci-fi action vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger, who’d just had a decent-sized hit with Commando. It was compared unfavourably to films like Rockyand The Karate Kid by critics, but to Van Damme, it was another small but vital step towards the fame he craved. He played Ivan Kraschinsky, a Russian kickboxing expert who’s ultimately felled by Jason Stillwell’s young hero. Until then, Van Damme managed to land another film role, this time in the 1986 martial arts flick No Retreat, No Surrender. It wasn’t much, but Van Damme finally had an American film credit under his belt – and what’s more, Breakin’gave the young would-be star his first brush with Cannon Films, a company that would, more than any other, one day make him famous. He and his friend Michel Qissi – a fellow martial artist who’d emigrated from Belgium with the same dreams of stardom – were given bit-parts in the hip-hop culture movie Breakin’. Van Damme really lets loose and pokes fun at himself in this one, at one point performing a hilarious dance sequence where he pauses occasionally to kick some bad guy butt.After months of English lessons and auditions, and even placing pictures of himself under the windscreen wipers of film producers, Van Damme got a small but important break. A string of action hits followed, including 1989's Kickboxer, in which he took more control of his image by helping to pen the film's script. With Bloodsport, Van Damme was finally able to bring his talents and persona together and hit on a formula that worked. He received a Golden Raspberry nomination as Worst New Star for this one, but instead of hanging his head and retreating, he followed the "any publicity is good publicity" maxim and continued his ascent. It's a joyride, and Van Damme is the conductor. ![]() He's an army captain! He's a kickboxer! He breaks bricks! He gets the girl! There are times when it seems like Van Damme is winking at the audience and playing it like he's in a comedy, but that's a big reason for the movie's appeal. He went full throttle in this one, and it paid off, eventually earning him the lead in the film that would establish him as an action star, 1988's Bloodsport.Ī campy martial arts romp, Bloodsport nonetheless works because Van Damme never takes himself completely seriously. It's also the first time American audiences got to see his title-winning fighting skills and signature splits. Doing essentially a parody of Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV, Van Damme doesn't utter a single word in the film, but clearly has a field day mugging it up as the "awesome machine of annihilation" that destroys everything in his path. film role as a deadly Russian kickboxer in the 1985 schlock fest, No Retreat, No Surrender. Van Damme parlayed that brief appearance into his first credited U.S. He was determined to be seen, and it's this kind of savvy that would ensure it happened. Today, his antics in that sequence look almost comical, but Van Damme knew exactly what he was doing, and he didn't care if he looked ridiculous. Wherever the camera goes, Van Damme is right there, doing whatever he can to get attention. 24-year-old Van Damme appears as a spectator in a Venice Beach crowd watching the film's leads bust their moves, and you can't miss him, standing out prominently in a black muscle shirt and shorts, flailing his massive arms and dancing his quads off. ![]() onscreen appearance in 1984's hip hop cult classic, Breakin'. Van Damme's ambition to get noticed was apparent from the beginning, as evidenced by his first U.S. RELATED: From 'Bloodsport' to 'Expendables 2': The Best of Jean-Claude Van Damme
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