2. Chong Li (played by Bolo Yeung) – Bloodsport (1988)
Here it is, the film that put Van Damme on the international map. His very first starring role saw him playing real life martial artist Frank Dux and following him on his journey to competing in the underground tournament known as The Kumite. And like his second biggest film of the 80s, Kickboxer, Bloodsport was graced with another one of action cinema’s most iconic villains.
He is known in martial arts circles throughout the world and he even appeared in Enter The Dragon alongside Bruce Lee. He often plays the role of the villain and fits the role perfectly with his incredibly muscular figure. Bolo Yeung was the perfect casting choice to match up against JCVD, he was so perfect in fact that they went for round 2 in 1991’s Double Impact. I nearly chose Yeung’s role in Double Impact over this (mainly due to his false eye and monstrous facial scar), but you just can’t go past his role of Chong Li.
As we see the tournament progress, Chong Li goes through opponents like a squirrel goes through acorns. Chong Li is the best, and he knows it. He struts around with an air of arrogance and ferocity, and he feeds off the crowd’s bloodlust. He is a tactician in how he defeats his opponents, mainly choosing to use very disabling moves so that they go down like a sack of potatoes, permanently.
One fight shows Chong going up against a Muay Thai fighter (played ironically by Michel Qissi), and he is delivering an array of awesome kicks. Then Chong decides he’s had enough, so he gets the upper hand, and while it could’ve very well been left at that, he stomps on Qissi’s shin so hard that the bone protrudes out of the skin.
I’ve always loved Bolo Yeung, he’s been in some great martial arts movies that I have admired from when I was really young. Many of them are relatively unknown, but he always had such a presence that elevated any film well above what it was meant to be.
