Not as good as I was hoping it would be, considering it was written and directed by David Mamet (Glengarry Glen Ross, Wag The Dog, Spartan, The Spanish Prisoner). It features a lot of regular Mamet actors and cameos by Randy Couture, Enson Inoue, Frank Trigg, and Dan "The Man" Inosanto.
Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a good performance as a Jiu-Jitsu instructor that has a unique training method for his gym. He helps out a movie star (Tim Allen) in a bar fight and then finds his training idea stolen by conspirators. He's then put into a situation where he must fight in an MMA event featuring his idea, going against his beliefs about competition fighting.
The fight scenes are pretty lackluster- usually just boiling down to an armbar or rear naked choke. Even the final battle he fights just falls flat.
Despite the talent, it just seemed uneven and slow. The signature rapid fire, sharp Mamet dialogue is missing as well. It isn't a fight film, so if you're expecting that you'll be disappointed. It's about honor and dishonor, betrayal - the usual Mamet devices with an MMA event as the piece that ties it all together.
I give it a 6/10 only because Inosanto is in it, otherwise a 5.
Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a good performance as a Jiu-Jitsu instructor that has a unique training method for his gym. He helps out a movie star (Tim Allen) in a bar fight and then finds his training idea stolen by conspirators. He's then put into a situation where he must fight in an MMA event featuring his idea, going against his beliefs about competition fighting.
The fight scenes are pretty lackluster- usually just boiling down to an armbar or rear naked choke. Even the final battle he fights just falls flat.
Despite the talent, it just seemed uneven and slow. The signature rapid fire, sharp Mamet dialogue is missing as well. It isn't a fight film, so if you're expecting that you'll be disappointed. It's about honor and dishonor, betrayal - the usual Mamet devices with an MMA event as the piece that ties it all together.
I give it a 6/10 only because Inosanto is in it, otherwise a 5.
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