Norman Burton

"Bloodsport" follows Frank Dux, an American martial artist serving in the military, who decides to leave the army to compete in a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong where fights to the death can occur. Frank Dux has spent most his life being trained by Tanaka to participate in the Kumite, the ultimate martial arts tournament, where participants are seriously injured, even killed. Frank decides to go despite being told by his superiors in the army that he can't because they need him. Two army officers are sent to get him and the trail leads to Hong Kong but Frank eludes them. While Frank advances, he knows that he may have to face Chong Li, the defending champion, who has killed a few participants. —rcs0411@yahoo.com When a martial arts-trained soldier learns of an underground fight-to-the-death tournament through the last words of his dying sensei, he must travel to Hong Kong while avoiding capture from his military superiors so he can fight his way to the top in the deadly competition to honor the legacy of his sensei. —Turi Haim Frank Dux has entered the "kumite", an illegal underground martial-arts competition where serious injury and even death are not unknown. In town for the fight are a number of fighters (all with different styles), as well as a journalist determined to get her story. Chong Li, a particularly ruthless and vicious fighter is the favourite, but then again Dux has never fought him before. —Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au> Frank Dux is an American martial artist. His former teacher in the martial arts, gives him an invitation to "The Kumite", the secret martial arts tournament where only the world's best fighters are invited. Frank shows up in Hong Kong for the tournament, but his CO's in the US Army are right on his tail. Frank wins match after match, and shows promise that he may be the first person from the Western Hemisphere to win the tournament, until the defending champion gets his hands on Frank's friend, Jackson, and injures him in the Quarter Finals. Now Frank faces an uphill climb. His friend is hurt, the US Army is on his tail, and he is on the verge of making martial arts history. The question is, will he? —David Hammond (dickclarkfan1@yahoo.com)

Troubled garment manufacturer Harry Stoner tries to make his small debt-ridden factory survive. He hires an arsonist to burn down a building so he can collect the insurance money, pimps for clients, and has flashbacks to the war. The film depicts a day and a half in Harry Stoner's life. Harry is down on his luck and trapped in his own indulgences, trying to escape from the fact that business is dire and his company owes bundles of money. His day is filled with unusual episodes as he picks up a young pretty hippie hitchhiker, arranges for his company's warehouse to burn down so he can collect the insurance-money (arguing with his most faithful employee about the consequences), hires a prostitute for an important salesman and, while speaking at a fashion show, experiences rather uncomfortable WWII flashbacks. —Kristian Krokfoss <krokus@online.no> Just over twenty-four hours from morning to morning the next day in the life of middle aged Angelo Harry Stoner, a WWII vet who was stationed in Italy, and now owns and operates outwardly successful Capri Casuals, a women's wear manufacturer, which allows his him to live in comfort in Beverly Hills, is presented. Those twenty-four hours show the disillusionment with how his life has turned out as he deals with one crisis after another while the stress of the day brings up memories of the war. He and his wife, Janet Stoner, who is heading off today for a week long personal trip to New York, have a rather emotionally cold relationship now and are drifting apart. He finds that he has to mediate a dispute between two of his employees, old school Meyer, a skilled cutter and a traditionalist, and young Rico, a designer who feels that the world should be at his feet with him being the reason for the company's success, despite admitting that he rips off designs from others. Harry and his business partner, Phil Greene, are preparing for their season's fashion show to their buyers, which should be a sense of optimism in sales, and while they go through the motions of organizing the event, which includes arranging for female "company" for one of their out of town buyers, Fred Mirrell, behind the scenes they are trying to figure out how best to keep the company afloat as they are deep in debt. They have already previously cooked their books, which would easily be discovered if they were ever audited. While Phil favors the route of borrowing from the mob, Harry contemplates hiring Charlie Robbins, the best in his business, to torch one of their factories for the insurance money. The one seemingly bright light this day for Harry is meeting early twenty-something Myra, a free spirit who spends her day hanging out along the Sunset Strip. Their time together may just further highlight the divide between their respective generations. —Huggo

A Federal Agent, whose daughter dies of a heroin overdose, is determined to destroy the drug ring that supplied her. He recruits various people whose lives have been torn apart by the drug trade and trains them. Then they all leave for France to track down and destroy the ring. —frankfob2@yahoo.com