User Reviews

I have to be totally honest with you people about this one. This is a movie that everyone should avoid at all costs. It didn't seem possible that the Bloodsport-series could get as low as this, but it did. First of all: The acting has to be the worst I've ever seen. I can't believe that it's possible to act as bad as some of the people in this movie do. The two villain's are especially bad. The movie has a really dark feel to it, and I didn't like that at all. It's filmed in Bulgaria. I guess that was the only thing they could afford, but it looks really, really bad. Good fighting scenes sometimes save a really bad movie, but that doesn't happen here at all. The fighting scenes are in fact really bad, and they're a big waste of Bernhardt's great potential. Oh, did I forget to mention that the plot sucks big time? A VERY, VERY BAD movie indeed.

this is definitely the weakest of the "Bloodsport" series.it doesn't really have anything to do with the previous entries.Daniel Bernhardt returns as the hero,but as a totally different character.the movie has shades of Van Damme's "Death Warrant" but is nowhere near as good.it's unfortunate,because Bernhardt really shows he can act in this one.he has a real smoldering intensity.but his talents are wasted on this movie.there is more drama than action in this movie,but what action scenes there are,are pretty good though not as good as in previous entries.the last third of the movie degenerate into Bizarro land,and is quite absurd.this movie has a very low user rating on this site(1.9/10).i don't think it deserves that low of a rating however,despite the ridiculous ending.still,the most i can muster for "Bloodsport 4" is 3.5/10

If the franchise is to survive than it is imperative that the producers stick to the original idea. #4 is not related to the prior entries other than the fact that this stars Daniel Bernhardt. In the two prior entries, Bernhardt played Alex Cardo, an art dealer who learns the way of the Kumite to better himself. #4 finds him playing a new character, John Keller, a cop who participates in illegal street fights. When inmates start turning up missing at a local prison, Keller is asked to cover undercover to find out what is going on. Once in, he finds out that he has been targeted by the crazed Caesar to participate in a mysterious Kumite event. This film draws parallels to JCVD "Death Warrant" but the script and direction need work. Bloodsport 4 is watchable, thanks mainly to Bernhardt's screen presence.

In that this sequel is easily the worst of the series but the silver lining being that it is the last one in this uninspired franchise. One may recall that the original starred Jean-Claude Van Damme as a major who flew to Hong Kong to compete in an outlawed tournament, this time the tournament angle is fairly undeveloped as the Jean-Claude Van Damme movie this most resembles is Death Warrant, except much, much worse. The production values of this Z-grade stinker is worse than you could imagine, for one there is absolutely no reason that a production should look this bad. The prison sequences look extremely cheap and it becomes quite obvious that this is being shot in some abandoned warehouse or storage area. Another aspect is that of the really bad fight sequences, these are so poorly staged and slow that one wonders if it even deserves to be compared to it's lame predecessor (# 3) let alone Bloodsport # 1 and # 2. Bloodsport IV is the worst of the series and without doubt due to it's sheer badness factor. Movies seriously don't get as poorly made or dull as this stinker. There is nothing at all to redeem anything to even earn a full star. This is the pits.

1/2* out of 4-(Awful)

the plot sucked..... it was so simple and rediculous, that who ever wrote it must have stolen it from 3rd grader... i've seen better acting a k-mart commercial.. the fighting scenes were ok....and i stress the word OK because you could easily tell that no contact was made on any kick or punch... i can't believe anyone could have gotten funding for this film. its watching garbage like this that makes me believe i could take a dump, slap the words bloodsport 5 on in and get a budget for another sequel starring Daniel Bernhardt with yet another name and stefanos blah blah whatever as Stavros for the 1000th time.... If you decide to watch this piece of trash, i feel sorry for you, please don't waste 90 minutes of your life like i did.

Wow. How did this get made? What rich boy had enough of his own money to make a movie? I love the script and plot. Oh, dont forget the dry fight choro. This movie is made of 35mm stock and human feces. The strange part is, every time its on i have to watch it. Its kinda like a bad car accident; You dont want to look but you just have to keep peeking up. I like the recycled gun shoot out shots too. This is a great movie to get a bunch of friends to see with you, so you can just run it into the ground.

OK let me start off by saying I have seen the first 3 Blood Sports when I was young..... Number 1 and 2 were both really good, 3 was average but definitely took a step down from the previous 2. I heard how poor the 4th was, but I recently ordered a 4 combo pack movie just to get Kick Boxer. However low and behold Bloodsport 4 happened to be in that combo. I watched it for the first time a couple nights ago, and it was.... just..... strange..... I really don't know what els to say about it? Why did they have Daniel Bernhardt in it and playing a different character then the previous 2? None the less there is a Kumite in it, however I think it lasts for about 5 mins at most. The movie was just dull and boring. Nothing much els can be said about it. The acting was extremely terrible.... And there seemed to just be some really strange scenes that didn't belong in this movie. Basically to sum this piece of garbage up.... Don't waste your time with it.

P.s As for the Action (what very very very very very little there was) Actually wasn't terrible. The first fight of the movie Bernhardt is battling with another guy in some type of competition was kind of sweet. However not even the handful of action that is in it could save this trash. No wonder this movie is so hard to find. Movie stores are embarrassed to have it in stock.

I'm a martial arts fan, and I think it may be the only reason they keep making Bloodsport sequels! Basically what you have here is a film that is actually very watchable for this genre, even though low budget! Daniel Bernhardt is back, from the previous films, but not as Alex Kardo. This really has nothing to do with the other films. Overall it's better than three and as good as two, but at the end of the day I can't stop watching the Van Damme original!

I don't know where to start. First it's really boring/pointless/stupid, you name it, to watch same main actor from Bloodsport II and III playing a different character in Bloodsport IV. Then plot... Just OMG... Totally uninteresting, poor acting, the story is awful, there are situations where you ask yourself "WTF is this" and "really?!", like when that policewoman is spilling drink over paper-made rose to find out secret message, also when it comes to shooting scenes in that bar at the start of the movie... I just can't understand how they were able to make such a poor movie, I wouldn't be able to do so even if I give my best. I think that 15 years old kid would make better movie and better plot. I give it 4/10 and that's me being really really generous! Bloodsport I was nice, Bloodsport II was watchable. But III and IV were just terrible!

Right, well the 1988 first "Bloodsport" movie was and is a classic martial arts movie, and I have to say that the 1996 sequel "Bloodsport II" was actually a good movie, despite not having Van Damme on the cast list. The 1996 third movie "Bloodsport III" was a mediocre movie at best. And thus I have to admit that I was a bit hesitant about sitting down to watch the 1999 fourth movie in the franchise.

I wasn't familiar with the existence of this fourth movie prior to sitting through a "Bloodsport" movie marathon. And now that I have just watched 100 minutes of this, I can honestly say that this was a movie that never should have carried the "Bloodsport" label.

The storyline in "Bloodsport: The Dark Kumite" was ridiculous, and it had nothing to do with the spirit of the previous three movies in anyway. This was a prison movie, and a poor one at that. And get this, Daniel Bernhardt is now playing a whole new character, but still in the "Bloodsport" universe apparently. It was just laughably bad and ridiculous.

The acting performances in "Bloodsport: The Dark Kumite" were wooden, rigid, sluggish and amateurish. It felt and looked like no one were committed to the movie in the least bit, not even Daniel Bernhardt himself. And the whole concept of the characters in the storyline made little sense, and you simply don't care about any of them in any way.

Even the fight scenes in "Bloodsport: The Dark Kumite" were bad. They were horribly scripted and felt forced. There was no natural or fluid motions to the fighting scenes, and it was awkward to look at.

If you have enjoyed any of the previous "Bloodsport" movies, with or without Jean-Claude Van Damme, then do yourself a favor and skip of this 1999 fourth movie from writers George Saunders and Elvis Restaino. It was, hands down, a terrible movie that had nothing to do with the franchise at all.

My rating of director Elvis Restaino's "Bloodsport: The Dark Kumite" lands on a two out of ten stars.

The last movie in the Bloodsport series is also (and predictably) the weakest. Daniel Bernhardt returns once again as Alex Car..oops, sorry as John Keller (!?). Yes, the name of his character changes, for no apparent reason (This also happens in the American Ninja series. My theory is that this IS Alex Cardo, but something happened between 3 & 4 and he had to change his name).

This fact aside, Bloodsport 4 : The Dark Kumite, goes the route of the "cop undercover in prison" and handles it pretty well. What's wrong then? Well, the "dark kumite" the title promises is really quite bad: very few fighters, even fewer good fighters, and fights so short you'll miss them if you blink.

However, outside of this failed kumite, the movie's alright, and if you've enjoyed Bloodsport 1, 2 & 3, and don't expect too much out of 4, you should check it out.

I was surprised to realize i didn't made a review for this movie yet. I saw it a couple years ago, when i was in the pinnacle of my martial art movies buzz, and i remember even back then i was disappointed by it compared to the 3 other Bloodsports.

First of all, i love both the first and second one equally, despite the second one not having Van Damme, i think Daniel is just as good if not better when it comes to fighting scenes. Third one was a little step down but i liked it a lot too.

With this forth one, i don't know what they where trying to do really. I know some franchise use the same actor in different sequels with different characters, like Don Wilson's Bloodfist, but in this movie something really felt off about it. I really like Alex Cardo as a character but it was obvious his story was done, but they wanted Daniel for another movie, the problem is, they should had called it something else. Probably to make money because of the bloodsport name, they decided to call it "Bloodsport The Dark Kumite". Honestly the main character is far less interesting than Alex Cardo, the set-up although already done previously is not that bad, but its just something feel off about the whole thing.

Fight scenes are OK, but way under the ones in the previous movies, and the budget look very small, the acting is not convincing. Well what can i say, its really not as fun as the previous Bloodsports despise not being a total turd as some people call it.

I think it would had work a bit better with another title but oh well...

I loved the first movie because it was one of those "so bad, it's good" films. Highly quotable and fun to watch. When I found out there was a Bloodsport 2 (in 2021) I decided to watch it, leading me to binge the next two sequels. Because of the low expectations, I thought part 2 and 3 were enjoyable. Going into this film, I couldn't even finish it. The same actor from 2 and 3 returns as a completely different character. The movie seems to be filmed all in one place, where set designers just moved things around. The police station doesn't resemble a police station, nor does the prison resemble a prison. The dialogue is horrendous. I just couldn't even focus on the fights when they were present. To go into this film with low expectations, it was bad.

Why? The first one is terrible now. So the 4th is just slit your wrists. This was a bad idea that someone needed to have a honest conversation about.

Watch it if you have viewed everything else possible in the archive of pop culture. If not there must be an east European documentary on bird poo that is better.

A solid minus 5 but I'm forced to give it 1

I wanted to like this...I watched it for one reason only -my favorite Bulgarian actor is in it -the late Ivan Ivanov. In the past he had made truly great films. He was very handsome and exceptionally talented man.

Unfortunately, in 1989 the political situation in my home country changed dramatically for the worst. Everything built and achieved by then was destroyed including our film industry, which was sold to foreigners for peanuts. Ivan Ivanov and many other of our amazing actors and actresses were kicked out and consequently rehired for small, insignificant parts in insignificant productions.

I see no point of sharing my opinion on Bloodsport 4. I agree with the rest of the reviewers about the confused plot, the botched up choreography and the lack of production values. But for me personally, it was extremely painful to watch our exceptional leading actor reduced to a pathetic villain with 10 minutes pathetic screentime in a pathetic parody of a movie. Shortly after this disaster, he withdrew from the industry and never returned. I thank him for this. He didn't deserve such humiliation.

Our one and only Ivan Ivanov died on 31 January this year.

Light and love to his tormented soul on the way to Heaven!

The last one (in this case... a low budget franchise) is always bad. Everything is so hollow... even fights! Acting, script... nothing. Daniel looks more like a mannequin fashion model with bad haircut... Fights are so bad... they are hitting the air! Lisa Stothard, Daniel's real life wife... here as a partner and girlfriend... my... she is bad too, I guess they found each other here... I admire Stefanos Miltsakakis, a real BJJ fighter and champion, I expected even more from him, than just bad accented bad guy! The story is supposed to be in LA, but locations look more European... And I was right! It was somewhere in Bulgaria! Not your typical all day replacement for USA. This film is not recommended, only if you have nothing better to do or to watch...

Pretty awful Eastern European production continuing the Bloodsport franchise that's strayed quite far from the original film. This one starts with a conventional martial arts film plot of a cop being sent to prison trying to avenge his partner's death, where he has to fight in the ring. The story takes a bizarre turn when with the prisoners tied to hospital beds and flanked by lingerie wearing ladies guarding them. This film is really embarrassingly bad and not even all that enjoyable on a so-bad-it's-good level of entertainment. Don't bother with this one.

No pun intended - so I had my Bloodsport day - when I watched all 4 movies back to back. The first one in cinemas too. Was a re-release ... and a nice touch. Even if it had some ... not so fine moments. And acting wise JCVD has done better things. I would say Daniel B. Is not too bad in that department either. But if you have a weak script ... what can you really do? That was rhetorical in case you think I am waiting for your answer.

Talking of waiting: the movie plays in prison mostly ... and that storyline has been done many times ... and way better. While the "handler" may be one of the most beautiful one there ever was ... it doesn't really add that much to the movie. The action fight scenes are good, but any resemblence to the other movies seems to be gone. Maybe he plays the same main character ... I really didn't care enough to pay attention to it ... wasn't worth it .. shame for Daniel who really deserves better ... and his handler too of course...

I've seen some bad movies in my day, but I can honestly say, without hyperbole, that Bloodsport 4 is one of the most bizarrely bad movies I've ever seen.

So bad, in fact, that's it's difficult to write a review. The movie starts with a man in tiny bicycle shorts fighting a meathead version of children's entertainer Raffi and goes downhill from there.

This is a movie that needs to be seen to fully appreciate how bizarrely bad it is, because words cannot do it justice. Did the director really think American judges wear frilly collars? Did the director really think prisoners in American prisons still dress like 1930's chain gangs? Did the director really think American prison wardens live in mansions that are staffed by bikini-clad models? (OK, I guess that one is true)

I try to say something positive about every movie I watch, so I can say this: Bloodsport 4 came out in 1999, in the early days of the internet, and one of the characters makes reference to looking something up on the web.

Also, the fight scenes at the end of the movie are well choreographed, so much so that they stand in stark contrast to the hambone, campy antics that proceeded them. Also, the fights feature proto-MMA moves, something not common in the days before UFC was more than a fringe sport.

Anyway, if you want proof that Future War is not Jean-Claude Gosh Darn's worst movie, check out Bloodsport 4.

Premiering on video early in 1999, well into the worldwide MATRIX craze, the fourth and final installment of the martial arts series begun by Jean-Claude Van Damme had little chance of gaining prominence to begin with, even before viewers were exposed to its questionable plot line and production decisions. Since then, it's been collectively deemed the worst of the series, but I disagree. THE DARK KUMITE isn't about to outdo the original and the first sequel as a western martial arts opus, but it's more or less on-par with sequel number two, showing strength where that one was weak and vice-versa via some solid fight scenery and an unexpectedly interesting story.

The plot: Police agent John Keller (Daniel Bernhardt) goes undercover to follow a vicious serial killer (Stefanos Miltsakakis) to the dreaded Fuego Penal penitentiary so he can investigate the unexplained deaths and disappearances of several inmates. His investigation leads him to a deadly underground fighting circuit hosted by a sadistic mob boss (Ivan Ivanov).

It's pretty disappointing that Daniel Bernhardt isn't reprising the Alex Cardo character from the last two movies, and if given the choice, I'd prefer a straight-up tournament storyline like those had to this thriller stuff. Thankfully, this isn't as bleak, murky, or colorless of a thriller as its made-in-Bulgaria label suggests. The basic premise is pretty straight-arrow, but the story's filled with characters who range from colorful to absolutely crazy (e.g. Derek McGrath as the heavy-breathing, unstable warden with an inferiority complex), interesting set design (e.g. Ivan Ivanov decorates his interior with pretty, statuesque young women), and the setup of some scenes that (unintentionally) makes it unclear whether we're watching actual storyline progression or a character hallucination (e.g. John's sex scene). Aside from failing to convince us that the storyline *isn't* taking place in Europe, the production is generally strong, with a few occasional slip-ups in editing and filming, and the occasional strange decision on the director's part, like when he has Derek McGrath display anxiety by fogging up the camera lens with his breath. Bits like these are most likely what led to the film's initial poor ratings, but as a connoisseur of low-budget DTV junk, I can say without a doubt that this movie would've been very boring if it didn't have all these weird little things going for it.

Except, of course, when it comes to the fight scenes, which are mostly pretty good in any setting, if your standards aren't too lofty. As a cumulative whole, the fight content can't hold a candle to the first two films but I prefer the stalwart, if generic competence of these encounters to the overabundance of ten-second scraps in the third one. THE DARK KUMITE has nine fights, and of these, seven are of decent length and worth watching for the soundness of Daniel Bernhardt's kicks. They're unhampered by poor camera-work or over-editing, but if they have a problem, it's their lack of varied fighting styles and innovative choreography of their predecessors. With the exception of the ones wherein Stefanos Miltsakakis displays his grappling skills, all of them are straight-up karate/kickboxing matches, and none of the extra fighters are all that interesting. Still, I can't underplay my appreciation of their unwavering base quality, and I really liked the end scuffle between Bernhardt and Miltsakakis; it's not as long as I would've preferred, but I still think it's better than the one between Bernhardt and Nicholas Oleson from the last movie.

Regardless of how many folks would disagree with me, I'm glad that this series managed to end on a respectable note. It's come a heckuva long way from the Van Damme's stepping stone into the mainstream and lost some of its charm, but I declare it worth owning for fans of the previous films.

With this entry in the Bloodsport series it is obvious that both Daniel Bernhardt and the writers have given up on the premise of the Kumite. The film overall, is not that bad but it leaves much to be desired since it apparently it takes place in the U.S., but appears to have been filmed in another country. Bloodsport 2 & 3 remained true to the original but the almost radical departure here for the 4th entry leaves much to be desired. If the producers look to make a fifth film, I hope that they go back to the original premise and allow Bernhardt to flex his martial arts skills.

One thing I can't understand about a number of low budget B movies made in the last 15 years or so is why their makers seem to think they can pass various locations in Bulgaria off as American locations. I can tell them right now that except maybe movies taking place in the wilderness, this deception DOES NOT WORK. Including this location - it's painfully clear that this American-set movie was shot in Bulgaria in every scene, with its eastern architecture and costumes. Still, I might have forgiven this movie for that if it delivered the goods, but it doesn't. The movie botches the scenes where you think there would be some good gratuitous nudity, and the fights (less fights than you'd think, by the way) aren't very exciting, running very short and not having very spectacular choreography. The movie also runs very slowly, with nothing but some extremely bad acting to amuse the audience along the way. The series came to an end at this point, not a moment too soon.

Final fight scene shows cages which require a key to unlock. Only problem is there is no lock hardware showing on the door, only solid steel square stock..