Well look at the rating average - below 5. This, in my belief, is very undeserved. Me and a friend used to watch this movie almost every weekend. It's not that it's a brilliant movie, it's not original - the death-match formula has been done WAY many times before - but somehow it doesn't really make this movie any less enjoyable. It's not INCREDIBLY exciting, the choreography in the fights can be a little... uninspired.
Despite this, there's a fantastic soundtrack - from the accidental death at the beginning (I don't consider this a spoiler Cos it's about four minutes in, but very sorry if you do) that starts off the whole plot, to the battles that takes the movie to its final showdown between Jack, the bad-ass samurai type fighter, and Alex, the classic fencer type. In particular, the mock fight between Brian and Alex, where they both fence, has a swashbuckling theme that is absolutely perfect and sets the tone wonderfully :-) The characters are quite varied, ranging from the deadly serious fighters (like Jack) to the clowns (like Brian), with weapons ranging from claymores to rapiers to katanas, to sai, and sabre/shield combos. Each character has his own fashion style to make him more recognisable, and surprisingly there's time to reveal a lot of their personalities.
Every part is played with full commitment. Jack, Brian, Alena, the Man in Black, and especially Jack, who can lay it on thick sometimes, but altogether does a very impressive job.
A little late, but here's the plot. Alex Freyer is the best of the best - or on his way to becoming so. In a fencing tournament, his sabre snaps and he accidentally stabs and kills his opponent. After this his name is blood - fired from his academy, and his name blacklisted from tournaments, he drinks his trouble away. Then one night, while walking home, he gets mugged. A man shows up and scares away his attackers, and hands Alex a card to his club - The Ring of Steel, where the best fight for the title of champion. What Alex doesn't realise is that they also fight for their lives. He gets blackmailed into staying around when his girlfriend is kidnapped and he's forced to fight in order to keep her safe.
Yeah, standard sort of plot, it's been done before like I said, but the chemistry between Alex and Brian will have you chuckling, since Brian's character is an absolute nut bar, even while fighting. Jack is a psycho who will do anything to remain champion. Alex is the victim, a death-match virgin, who is forced to become aggressive and ruthless to fight his way to his girlfriend and his freedom.
Some fights are funny. Some are intense. Some are impressive. Some are boring. There's a lot of variety in here and not all of it good, but if you can pick it up for £10 or less, you won't regret it, I promise :-) I rate this an 8 out of 10. I would give it a 9, but don't wanna sound biased. Enjoy.
Despite this, there's a fantastic soundtrack - from the accidental death at the beginning (I don't consider this a spoiler Cos it's about four minutes in, but very sorry if you do) that starts off the whole plot, to the battles that takes the movie to its final showdown between Jack, the bad-ass samurai type fighter, and Alex, the classic fencer type. In particular, the mock fight between Brian and Alex, where they both fence, has a swashbuckling theme that is absolutely perfect and sets the tone wonderfully :-) The characters are quite varied, ranging from the deadly serious fighters (like Jack) to the clowns (like Brian), with weapons ranging from claymores to rapiers to katanas, to sai, and sabre/shield combos. Each character has his own fashion style to make him more recognisable, and surprisingly there's time to reveal a lot of their personalities.
Every part is played with full commitment. Jack, Brian, Alena, the Man in Black, and especially Jack, who can lay it on thick sometimes, but altogether does a very impressive job.
A little late, but here's the plot. Alex Freyer is the best of the best - or on his way to becoming so. In a fencing tournament, his sabre snaps and he accidentally stabs and kills his opponent. After this his name is blood - fired from his academy, and his name blacklisted from tournaments, he drinks his trouble away. Then one night, while walking home, he gets mugged. A man shows up and scares away his attackers, and hands Alex a card to his club - The Ring of Steel, where the best fight for the title of champion. What Alex doesn't realise is that they also fight for their lives. He gets blackmailed into staying around when his girlfriend is kidnapped and he's forced to fight in order to keep her safe.
Yeah, standard sort of plot, it's been done before like I said, but the chemistry between Alex and Brian will have you chuckling, since Brian's character is an absolute nut bar, even while fighting. Jack is a psycho who will do anything to remain champion. Alex is the victim, a death-match virgin, who is forced to become aggressive and ruthless to fight his way to his girlfriend and his freedom.
Some fights are funny. Some are intense. Some are impressive. Some are boring. There's a lot of variety in here and not all of it good, but if you can pick it up for £10 or less, you won't regret it, I promise :-) I rate this an 8 out of 10. I would give it a 9, but don't wanna sound biased. Enjoy.