Bloodfist

The worldwide success of 1988's Bloodsport, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, generated a resurgence in the production of martial arts films. Bloodfist was exploitation mogul Roger Corman's entry into the genre. To find his next star, the producer instructed his staff to survey martial arts publications' fighter rankings, where the name of Don "The Dragon" Wilson came up. Unsure if he even had the right contact information, Corman left a message on one Don Wilson's answering machine that said "Hi, my name is Roger Corman. If you're the Don Wilson that's the kickboxing champ, I'd like you to come in and read for my film."[8] Wilson had no idea who Corman was, but he did and after only reciting a handful of lines, the producer informed him he was hired.[11] Wilson's contract was initially for two pictures, and stipulated that he would work on the first for a weekly salary of $1000 or $1200, depending on sources.[8][12] However, another article says Wilson made between $80,000 and 90,000 from the film.[7] According to Van Damme, Corman first tried to sign him after Bloodsport, but he felt that Concorde productions were not up to his standards.[13]

Although he had no directorial experience in the genre, Terence H. Winkless had co-written a script for Roger Corman's brother Gene in the 1970s, in which kickboxer Joe Lewis was to have played a cyborg engineered by Chinese radicals to kill a Nixon-like U.S. president during a martial arts demonstration. That film was cancelled due to Lewis' other commitments.[14] Winkless was offered the directing gig on Bloodfist after other Corman prospects bailed on him,[15] and was given just one day to sign on. Upon learning that it would be shot in the Philippines, he consulted with fellow Concorde director Carl Franklin, who had already worked there. Franklin warned him that it would be tough, but encouraged him to go.[14] The film was originally set in Hong Kong, and Robert King's screenplay went barely untouched after its original draft. Even though Winkless was due to leave for Manilla just ten days after being introduced to the project, the script he received still mentioned Hong Kong locations, including a scene where the hero climbed a long flight of stairs to a mountain temple.[16]

While Billy Blanks did possess the requisite martial arts credentials to satisfy the film's concept, his casting was purely coincidental. He was at the time the bodyguard to actress Catherine Bach, who had been contracted for a film in the Philippines. At their hotel's disco, Blanks struck a conversation with Winkless, who informed him that he was in town to direct a martial arts film and still had one fighter left to cast. Blanks landed the role on the spot, much to his excitement, and prompty made arrangements to free himself of his remaining obligations. According to the director, Blanks harbored doubts as to whether the job was real until the moment he walked onto the set.[14][16]

Don Wilson departed the U.S. for Manila on November 7, 1988.[17] The principal actors were only available for about twenty days, however filming lasted thirty-two days in total, which was longer than average by Corman's standards.[14]

The schedule allowed Winkless reasonable time to sort out some outstanding issues, such as replacing the Hong Kong mountain temple from the original script with the Taal Volcano, which Wilson is seen climbing in the final version.[16][18] However, the helicopter required for aerial photography of the actor's ascent was only available for about one hour.[19] The shoot was generally difficult, due to low-quality gear and limited communication with his Filipino peers. The crew was on a six-day week, as with most U.S. productions shot in developing countries, but worked shorter days than those in Los Angeles.[18] The director's request to have cameras equipped with crystal sync motors, which were needed to offset the limitations of HMI lights, was initially approved, but the equipment in question was never provided, leading to visible flicker in late arena scenes.[14][16] Some cameras dated back to local producer Cirio Santiago's father, most notably a Mitchell from 1946. Its outdated viewfinder prevented him from seeing exactly what was being captured,[18] and it was so unwieldy that a "camera lifter" received mention in the credits for carrying it. Winkless vowed to never again work in the Philippines after that experience.[19]

Roger Corman was a mostly hands-off producer, but he did show up in the editing booth and suggested a few changes. Even though they were often limited to trimming a few frames, Winkless found that they all improved the scene, which was a testament to Corman's experience.[14] The late-blooming director, who was still learning the tricks of the trade, found how to piece together several smaller locations into a larger on-screen locale by masking cuts with elements of vegetation.[15]

While contemporary publications pegged the budget at $1,000,000,[20] Wilson said that he had been told by Winkless that the film may have actually been made for under $200,000.[21] In another interview, Wilson quoted the budget as $250,000.[3] Other sources put the film's cost at closer to $300,000.[4]

To hype Bloodfist's release, Concorde printed a disparaging quote from World Kickboxing Association president Howard Hanson—whose light heavyweight title was held by Wilson—on the film's poster, reading "Don Wilson would kick Van Damme's a-- in one round!" Corman also challenged the Belgian to a fight with Wilson for $100,000. Wilson conceded that this was a publicity stunt orchestrated by his producer, but nonetheless accused Van Damme of misrepresenting himself as a former world champion, and asserted that the Belgian would be no match for him in real life.[22] According to Wilson, Van Damme jokingly replied that instead of fighting him, he would rather settle the score with Corman himself.[23] In a retort published in Black Belt magazine, Van Damme scoffed at the low purse in comparison to what he stood to make on his upcoming films, and argued that the challenge was unfair as he had stopped competing in 1980 to focus on his cinematic pursuits.[13]

Bloodfist was originally intended for release in June 1989,[22] but Concorde had problems securing theater bookings due to an oversaturation of blockbusters such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Ghostbusters II and Batman, so the film was delayed by a few months.[2]

For its U.S. release, Bloodfist used a touring regional release model, debuting on 54 screens[24] in the Southeast on September 22, 1989,[1] and later expanding to 77 screens as it reached major markets.[25] The film maintained a respectable per-screen average of around $2500 for several weekends, and went on to gross $1,770,082 domestically.[26]

The film was released on home video through MGM/UA Home Video, with whom Concorde had a distribution deal at the time, on February 20, 1990.[25] According to early 1990s press, the film shipped some 80,000 units[8] and generated total revenue of $11 million.[7] Wilson himself actually quoted more conservative figures of 60,000 to 70,000 tapes sold, and about $10,000,000 in overall revenue.[3]

New Concorde Home Entertainment released Bloodfist on DVD, along with its first three sequels, on May 30, 2000.[1] The DVD is currently out-of-print. The film was re-issued on Blu-ray by Shout! Factory on December 20, 2022.[27]