This was a controversial production in 2014, an MMA film out of a country that specializes in bad sequels, Lifetime movies, and every bad X-Mas movie you have ever seen.
It was ambitious for its humble beginnings, casting the usual Canadian unknowns -- the sole exception being Michael Biehn, one of the Godfathers of the Canadian film industry -- and throwing in some cameos of top MMA fighters.
The controversy even spread to the IMDb where, at the time of release, it appeared that the first reviews were front-loaded by first-time-reviewers (reviewers with only 1 review to their name) who could only gape in wonder at the excellence of the film....?
So, on a second viewing, I say look beyond the controversy and, in spite of a few fails here and there, you will find one of the most satisfying MMA films in recent memory, an unusual but oddly comfortable mix of Karate Kid and Death Wish.
Way under-rated by the critics, props should be given for a script which (like my all-time fave, WARRIOR) knows how to build and build and build without ever getting in its own way.
Here is the unvarnished truth -- while everyone loves MMA - duh! -- there are very few films in that genre that this reviewer can recommend.
This is one of them. Catch it if you can.
