IGX

Bought it yesterday and watched it late last night.

Aside from some major plot flaws, I really liked this movie. The lead actor (black guy with unpronounceable name) is very, very good. This year is particularly devoid of Oscar worthy films, imo. For that reason, I would not be shocked to see him get a nomination.

Most fans of MMA will probably not like this film. They'd be better off watching 'Never Back Down'. Not to give anything away, but the sport is presented in a very unrealistic fashion and constitutes one of the major plot flaws that I mentioned. Aside from that, a lot of the fighting outside the ring that you see onscreen is very, very good. Not a lot of chop-socky action, but rather a nice blend of Gracie style self-defense, Filipino Martial Arts, and some old-fashioned hand-to-hand.

The film is loaded with real world martial artists and athletes. John Machado, Randy Couture, Ray Mancini, Enson Inoue, Dan Inosanto, Renato Magno, Rico Chiaperelli, Frank Trigg, and a few more that I can't remember or didn't even notice. The appearances range from full-blown speaking roles (Couture, Machado), to brief glimpses (Trigg). At any rate, it adds a much needed element of realism.

Fans of Mamet will probably like this film as this is probably some of his better work in some time. Those looking for a pure MA movie should look elsewhere. While the martial arts take center stage, it's not the fighting itself but the principles behind the art that shine through. The ending was a bit too sweet and tidy, but this is a powerful film that delivers some solid entertainment.

If you like Mamet, then you will like this.

The main thing that struck me is that I've just never seen another martial arts movie quite like this one.

Jack wrote:That's first really positive review I've seen anyone give it, but based on that I will give it watch.

That black dude was great in Serenity too.

Strange that the Black guy in Serenity and the other Black guy in the final episode of Firefly were somewhat similar and very compelling.

I would like to smear this DVD with my own shit before I send it back to Netflix. Just so they know.

Fat Cat wrote:I would like to smear this DVD with my own shit before I send it back to Netflix. Just so they know.

Wow. Anything in particular, or did the whole thing suck for you?

I thought it was very good, but not Mamet's best. House of Cards and The Spanish Prisoner were so much better.

This was a MA movie that will piss off certain people I think. IMO Mamet is making a fairly strong critique of what MMA/NHB has done to BJJ. I haven't seen that discussed anywhere else BTW. If you look at Mike's three marble training device, you'll see that it works in training. I saw having one arm tied to your side mentioned in Rory Miller's excellent Meditations on Violence. So the idea isn't that far-fetched.

Having it in an NHB fight is ridiculous, but in the context of the movie, the fight promoters clearly saw they needed a gimmick. Having two guys fight honorable in the ring wasn't enough to drum up ticket sales. So we see Mike's upholding traditional, honorable BJJ vs. the promoters wanting to change the rules to drum up business -- even to the point of fixing the fights.

The DVD was quite interesting for the special features. It had an interview with Dana White on it and I thought it quite interesting that he didn't mention the movie much at all. He talked about the evolution of the UFC and was very...guarded....in how he did that. He mentioned how great Royce was but then said that NO one art, not even BJJ/GJJ, had turned out dominate. That was a pretty important comment IMO.

He also mentioned that the event his company had bought was a disaster because it had gotten kicked off of pay-per-view. The changes he made obviously increased the visibility and (perhaps?) viability of the sport (hint, hint).

Basically I see a sub-text running through this movie that hasn't been addressed. Mamet's a smart guy and he loves his BJJ. He may be saying a lot more than people think.

Dave Chesser wrote:very...guarded....in how he did that. He mentioned how great Royce was but then said that NO one art, not even BJJ/GJJ, had turned out dominate.

Every single fighter in the MMA world trains BJJ, Judo, Sambo, submission wrestling, etc.
Take that out of a modern fighter's arsenal, & he's at a severe disadvantage.

The movie made absolutely no fucking sense at all. What a travesty. Johnny To already made the movie Mamet wishes he was talented enough to do...I recommend Throwdown to anyone who wants to know what yamato damashii is really about.

Not as good as this classic

So I'm just curious, why do people hate it so much?

Because it was bad, baaad film making. Quintessentially atrocious, even.

Just watched it last night. I was wanting to find it inspiring or some similar such shit but I was disappointed in it. Glad I didn't pay to see it. It may have been edited poorly, I don't know, but it did have some holes in it. When both the wife and I are looking at each other wondering, hey what the fuck? it tells me something...and I wasn't even drinking.

My kung fu is better than your kung fu!

Watched it last night. The black dude was good. It struck me with as a samurai movie, except with a black dude doing BJJ.

It struck me as vomit a dog wouldn't lick up. The whole concept has been done to death, and much, much better. Please see Le Samourai with Alain Delon, The Professional with Jean Reno, Ronin with de Niro, and Ghost Dog with Forest Whitaker for four movies that succeed where this movie fails.

What about Beverly Hills ninja?

Fat Cat wrote:It struck me as vomit a dog wouldn't lick up. The whole concept has been done to death, and much, much better. Please see Le Samourai with Alain Delon, The Professional with Jean Reno, Ronin with de Niro, and Ghost Dog with Forest Whitaker for four movies that succeed where this movie fails.

So, did Le Samourai live up to my recommendation?

Absolutely. I had my folks over when my wife was in Bosnia last summer and they loved it too. Apparently Alain Delon was something of a heartthrob in my mama's Canadian youth.