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Mike Brewer · 05-10-2008, 09:48 AM

My first words when I walked out of the theater were, "You guys owe me $10." The movie itself was a real stinker. It was cool seeing so many people we know and train with on screen, and it was really cool that they decided to make Dan Inosanto the supreme grand poo-bah. I didn't realize he was even in the movie when I saw the preview, but I recognized him even in the blurry picture on the gym walls early in the movie.

The knife fight between the star and Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini was pretty cool (if a little clumsy), and you could tell Guro Dan gave them choreography that beginners - or at least "non-knifers" - could easily handle. Slash, slash, hubud. Reminded me of some of the demo stuff I used to have beginner classes do for the public.

The fights weren't all that fast or spectacular, unfortunately, but again - it was cool to see familiar faces. Enson Inoue didn't get to do a fight, and we didn't get to see Guro Dan (aptly named "Moro" even though he was supposed to be the Helio Gracie, Brazilian Grandmaster character) tear things up. The storyline was a bit hokey, and the message might have been overly "Hallmark." I'd have liked to have seen them pick a direction and stick with it in this movie. As an action movie, it was too slow. As a drama, it was too cheesy. One or the other might have worked, but not half-way at both.

For those who train in these arts, it'll be a good time, because the cast is a who's who of Southern California martial arts. You'll see Frank Trigg, Dan Inosanto, Enson Inoue, John Machado, Jean-Jacques Machado, and several other known and loved faces. In the end, though, I'm glad they all got paid and I thought they did a good job with what they had - but the movie was a stinker.

05-10-2008, 09:48 AM	#1 (permalink)
Mike Brewer Moderate Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 8,074	REDBELT: Movie Review My first words when I walked out of the theater were, "You guys owe me $10." The movie itself was a real stinker. It was cool seeing so many people we know and train with on screen, and it was really cool that they decided to make Dan Inosanto the supreme grand poo-bah. I didn't realize he was even in the movie when I saw the preview, but I recognized him even in the blurry picture on the gym walls early in the movie. The knife fight between the star and Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini was pretty cool (if a little clumsy), and you could tell Guro Dan gave them choreography that beginners - or at least "non-knifers" - could easily handle. Slash, slash, hubud. Reminded me of some of the demo stuff I used to have beginner classes do for the public. The fights weren't all that fast or spectacular, unfortunately, but again - it was cool to see familiar faces. Enson Inoue didn't get to do a fight, and we didn't get to see Guro Dan (aptly named "Moro" even though he was supposed to be the Helio Gracie, Brazilian Grandmaster character) tear things up. The storyline was a bit hokey, and the message might have been overly "Hallmark." I'd have liked to have seen them pick a direction and stick with it in this movie. As an action movie, it was too slow. As a drama, it was too cheesy. One or the other might have worked, but not half-way at both. For those who train in these arts, it'll be a good time, because the cast is a who's who of Southern California martial arts. You'll see Frank Trigg, Dan Inosanto, Enson Inoue, John Machado, Jean-Jacques Machado, and several other known and loved faces. In the end, though, I'm glad they all got paid and I thought they did a good job with what they had - but the movie was a stinker.