The number of mixed martial arts films continues to grow, and this New York-set indie action thriller has both good and bad elements. While the plot is good, the quality of the fights varies, and some of the actors are clearly overacting. But again, this is an independent film. What else could you expect from him?
Johnny Brown (Randy Spence) is a former Army Ranger returning from the Iraq War. Living on the street, he sells money to earn his living. Noticing how a robber is trying to take a wallet from a local girl, Wanda (Anatoli the Greek), Johnny beats him to a pulp and returns the wallet to her. Then he runs into Tariq (Adonis Williams), a childhood friend who has excelled at two things: drug dealing and underground fighting. Tariq offers Johnny a job at his run-down gym, he agrees and decides to turn it into a school. MMA.
When the business starts to have problems, Tariq tells Johnny about the night underground fights in the ring called "Circle of Fury" (Circle of Fury). When Johnny is forced into a fight with a drunken fighter named Willie (Lazzarus), he uses his martial arts skills to defeat his opponent. Soon Johnny's business begins to flourish. However, every success has its price. Tariq forces Johnny to fight in “Circle of Fury” and starts selling drugs at school MMA. In the end, Johnny decides to end it all. When Wanda is kidnapped, he manages to find a recording that captures all of Tariq’s “dirty” dealings. Now the former childhood friends will have to fight “Circle of Fury”to settle scores with each other.
The story of the DTV film was created by independent director Zee Winston Brown. The plus point of this action movie is the plot. The role of Johnny Brown, a key character, is played by drag racing champion Randy Spence. Spence (not to be confused with real-life MMA fighter Randy Spence) apparently studied mixed martial arts. In on-screen fight scenes, Johnny uses Brazilian jujutsu and elements Jeet Kune Do. Although Johnny fights more often than anyone else in the film, Spence clearly liked this role.
Adonis Williams' Tariq only truly shows what he's capable of in two fights against Johnny - in a friendly sparring match and in the final battle. However, Williams overacts a bit when it comes to playing Tariq the businessman. Wanda, Johnny's potential love interest, doesn't do much in the film. Their on-screen relationship does not last long, as the audience's attention is focused on the confrontation between old friends.
The fight scenes, shot by Brown with a hand-held camera, evoke mixed feelings. The fights in the ring look pretty good. However, at times he chooses not very good angles for shooting shots and it is not very good. Another problem is the mixture of frequent cuts and close-ups, which have been abused for years when filming on-screen battles. What can really irritate action movie fans is the choreography of the fights: when the enemy attacks, it is noticeable how he “exposes” himself to the attack and waits for it. This takes place in some fights at an MMA school involving Johnny and some of Tariq's goons.
In the end, only those who have seen the film can appreciate it properly. Viewers may enjoy the story rather than the fighting, or vice versa. This example of independent cinema caused the author of the review mixed feelings.
Author: Albert Valentin
Source: kungfucinema
Translation: EvilDollaR
the movie is stupid, why throw such bullshit here, the fights are rubbish
No one uploaded the film to the site; this would have been a violation of copyright. This is a TRANSLATION OF THE REVIEW.
oleg, if you want to speak about the film, go ahead to the forum. No offense, if the review turns out to be adequate, with a minimum amount of swearing and on topic, it will be published.