Van Damme is truly the Freshmaker!
While we here at the Ultimate Action Movie Club absolutely treasure the Jean-Claude Van Damme Magnus Opus classic Bloodsport on a great number of levels, there is one certain montage that has always stood out for its odd enjoyability. Also for the fact that it certainly feels like it could be a commercial for something called “the freshmaker”.
Well, someone has finally done it! As we’ve stumbled upon a recut version of the Bloodsport chase scene that’s been updated to fit perfectly as a commercial for Mentos.
Bloodsport Mentos Commercial
So, let’s talk about this a bit. This chase montage scene has always been, in my opinion, a bit corny perhaps, but I’ve always enjoyed the heck out of it. If anything, it single-handedly changes the entire tone of the movie from what could have been a much darker – and deadlier – film about an underground fighting ring where people fight to the DEATH!
But instead, with scenes like this wacky chase montage with Van Damme easily lapping a clearly out of shape Forest Whitaker, it’s just fun. There’s a childlike glee to Van Damme that simply puts a smile on your face. Plus it’s a cool way to really connect Van Damme’s Frank Dux with the city, I can only imagine how fun it was to location scout and film.
The Top 10 Reasons Why Bloodsport is Van Damme’s Magnum Opus
Cannon Films’ Bloodsport Dilemma
It’s also been discussed in interviews with the filmmakers that Bloodsport was a film that had been heavily re-edited between its initial version and what we eventually got. Apparently the original cut was deemed to be not quite up to par for Cannon Films and it had to be extensively re-worked. It makes you wonder where this chase montage fell in these discussions. Was it something added later? Or was it something fought for to keep?
UAMC News: ‘John Wick’ Directors Looking to Helm ‘Bloodsport’ Reboot
Other Classic Mentos Films
Also, apparently after digging a bit, these “Mentos: the Freshmaker” commercials are a whole thing online with fans creating funny and off-kilter montages for many other action classics – and other genre flicks and even television shows – like Rumble in the Bronx, The Shining and Breaking Bad have received the treatment. However, from a view count on Youtube, it would seem that this Bloodsport version reigns supreme!
