I stumble a bit randomly on this movie. As a fighting movie fan i rarely find something made years ago that i have not seen yet so it was a big surprise for me. I just learn while coming here to make the review that this is actually a sequel to another movie call American Wrestler The Wizard.
Honestly if i didn't learn it, i wouldn't had know. The movie pretty much work completely on its own and never made me feel like i had miss a "first part". It seem the cast is almost entirely new outside the main character as well.
Now i have to be honest, this movie does nothing new in the genre in term of story. You seen this type of movie a bunch of time. That said, if like me you enjoy these type of stories, you will certainly do with this movie as well. There are a few parts wich are "expedited" a bit, and the movie could had benefit from an extra 15 to 20 minutes in my opinion, but its not a huge issue either.
The fight scenes are plenty and they are well done. Its more of a gritty realistic kinda style with hard hitting punches and kicks and not a lot of "camera effects" or flashy stuff, but it work very well in the context.
Movie is set in the 80s and beside technology being accurate and a few glimpse of the 80s feel, most of the time you wouldn't even notice too much. Majority of the characters look like current day teens/young adults without the traditional hairstyles of the 80s and once you are in the fight club area, you wouldn't know if not for the fact that nobody hold a cellphone. So the time period didn't played a huge factor for me, but since its a sequel to a movie inspired by a real person, they had to keep with the continuity.
Overall i had a great time with this movie. Its a great surprise to find something from 2019 i had not seen in a genre that i really enjoy.
