Three of Jean-Claude Van Damme's Best Action Movies Are Streaming for Free Actorsvaultpro

There’s little doubt that the 1980s were synonymous with action movies, as the decade produced some of the most exciting and groundbreaking films audiences had ever seen. Stars like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger lit up our imagination as we watched them battle everything from corrupt cops and dictators, to evil necromancers and their own inner demons. No slouch himself, Jean-Claude Van Damme burst onto the scene to make his mark in 1985’s No Retreat, No Surrender, proving that he had the martial arts skills to become a superstar. Now, three of his most well-loved action classics are streaming for free, giving you the chance to relive all their greatness for the cost of nothing but your time.

First up is Bloodsport, the 1988 film that basically launched Van Damme’s career. Billed as a true story and based on accounts from Canadian-American martial artist Frank Dux, the film was panned by critics at the time, but audiences loved it. Taking in more than $50 million at the box office against a budget of just $2 million, it was a runaway smash, and rightfully so. The fight sequences were top-notch, the Kumite added life or death stakes, and Van Damme’s charm shone through as he wooed fans with his Belgian humor.

Next up is Kickboxer, which was released a year after Bloodsport to similar box office results. This time, Van Damme is out to get revenge on the evil martial artist who paralyzed his brother. As such, he trains in the ways of Muay Thai in order to be able to stand up to the menacing Tong Po, who will do anything it takes to win, including harming all those who Van Damme’s character of Kurt Sloane cares about. Like Bloodsport before it, the stakes were high in Kickboxer, which once more highlighted our star’s martial arts skills while he was still coming into his own as an actor.

Finally, there’s Lionheart, the 1990 film which solidified Van Damme as a leading man. Here we see him portray Lyon Gaultier, a French Foreign Legionnaire who deserts his post and heads for the United States after his brother is killed. There, he enters an underground fighting circuit to raise money for his murdered brother’s family, and comes across all sorts of shady characters who just want to use him to pad their own bank accounts. While it wasn’t as successful as Bloodsport and Kickboxer at the box office, Lionheart continued to show Van Damme’s range as an actor by delivering a more emotional story than what came before, thus making us more invested in the stakes.

Why Are We So In Love with These Three Jean-Claude Van Damme Movies?

Jean-Claude Van Damme in Kickboxer

The Cannon Group

While Van Damme obviously found success thanks to a plethora of other roles, Bloodsport, Kickboxer, and Lionheart are no doubt the three that people remember best. Their simple stories allowed audiences to switch off their brains for 90 minutes and just watch Van Damme do his thing, as they were easy to understand “Hero’s Journey” tales that followed Joseph Campbell’s blueprint to a tee, and thus didn’t require a lot of thinking to enjoy.

Van Damme as an underdog was also a joy to watch, as even though he’s well-built and clearly has the martial arts skills to kick some serious butt, he came across as someone we could relate to thanks to the uphill battles he faced, and the fact that he was never willing to betray his honor along the way. Everyone knows what it’s like to struggle against adversity, and these three movies had that in spades. By the time it was all said and done, you felt for Van Damme and cheered his triumphs, while at the same time understanding the lows he had to go through to get there.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of seeing them, or perhaps just want to relive all the action and excitement of some of Van Damme’s most thrilling action movies, Bloodsport, Kickboxer, and Lionheart are now streaming for free on Tubi.