BPS 163: Bloodsport & Rambo: Writing 80's Action Cinema with Sheldon Lettich

Get ready to go down the rabbit hole of 80's action cinema. I sat
with an iconic 80s & 90s action film director, writer, and
producer this week - Sheldon Lettich who brought to our screens
some epic actors and fighters like Jean-Claude Van Damme and
Sylvester Stallone. He’s the trailblazing director and writer of
Lionheart (1990), Bloodsport (1988), Rambo III (1988), and the Cold
War drama, Russkies that first introduced us to the phenomenon that
is Joaquin Phoenix. 

An Ex-French Soldier begins participating in underground street
fights in order to make money for his brother's family. 

Lettich’s experience as a Vietnam veteran has inspired much of his
films and plays throughout his career. Paired with his academic
background in photography and cinematography, he bulldozed the
action film scene with other classics like The Order, Double
Impact, and The Last Patrol.

Between 1983 to 1987, Lettich wrote and directed a couple of short
films that did not pick up as much. The following year, he wrote
the martial arts classic, Bloodsport - inspired by tall tales from
Frank Dux, from which Lettich became a famous name in
Hollywood. 

The film also launched Jean-Claude’s career, the star of Bloodsport
who played 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.

If you love Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat then you have Sheldon
to thank. Bloodsport was the first time you have multiple fighters,
from around the world, with unique styles fighting in a
tournament.

The commercial success of Bloodsport, which grossed $50 million on
a $2.3 million budget catalyst more trailblazing films. Lettich
signed an overall deal immediately with White Eagle Productions
that led to his collaboration, co-writing Rambo III alongside
Sylvester Stallone in 1988. The movie was a HIT for the Box office.
It outperformed his previous project, grossing $189 million on its
$63 million budget. 

One thing I discovered speaking to Sheldon is that Bloodsport was
NOT A TRUE STORY. The person that the film was based on, Frank Dux,
was apparently a brilliant storyteller. There were lawsuits, books
written, just an absolute mess. Either way, the film is a
masterpiece of 80's action cinema.

Another classic in Sheldon's canon was the highly anticipated
sequel, Rambo III starring Sylvester Stallone. Rambo
mounts a one-man mission to rescue his friend Colonel Trautman from
the clutches of the formidable invading Soviet forces in
Afghanistan.

Lettich reunited with his friend, Jean-Claude in 1990 for the
fan-favorite, Lionheart. This time directing and as a co-writer. He
approached the project to allow Jean-Claude to display versatility,
compassion, and rises beyond the "Karate Guy", now that he had
become a household name. The film made $24.3 million on a $6million
budget and became popular amongst his films.

The two, Lettich and Van Damme, immediately followed up with their
third of several collaborations, Double Impact in 1991 with
Jean-Claude playing a set of twin brothers who were separated when
their parents were murdered but 25 years later they re-unite in
order to avenge their parents' death.

Like their initial projects, this one too became a critical and
commercial hit.

It was a nostalgic thrill chatting with Sheldon about these movies
that are part of the beautiful tapestry that is 80's action
cinema.

Enjoy this throwback entertaining conversation with Sheldon
Lettich.

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