The Fighters

Yes, it's just a revamped Karate Kid.

But with MMA, not just Karate, although I did have the occasional urge to shout "Cobra Kai!" when the bad guy came on screen.

Some cool action, basically just MMA (like in the UFC) that's been "hollywoodized" to be showy, "underground", and performed by supposed teenagers.

Djimon Hounsou is wasted on this film, but does fairly well at being the token real actor, giving it some tenuous legitimacy. On the upside, probably a more believable martial arts instructor than Pat Morita... physically, at least.

It's a great movie to just turn off your brain to, and watch lots of girls in bikinis and guys beating each other up. Pleasant, mindless T&A/Action.

Has the advantage of being the first film of its kind (before the franchise was dragged to the minors). It is bright, it is pretty, it is well produced and it holds the attention. A relic of a bygone era.

Perhaps my descriptive summary is unkind to this film. I enjoyed it so much because it depicts a young man learning to deal with his emotions, rather than being ruled by his fear of them. It is quite remarkable, the strength of character he ultimately develops, and his interactions with his instructor are gratifyingly free of the childish morality one dreads in such a film, or the typical oriental platitudes that often hallmark them because of the origins of martial arts. At the root of this, I think, is the film's willingness to observe and comment on the 'problem' emotion of anger. Rather than leave it festering, or simply transform it 'as if by magic', the audience can almost see the transformation in the main character, through his physical exertion, which eventually leaves him free of its destructive role in his life. For most, if not all, these reasons, I enjoyed the film because it resonated with me quite closely, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

If nothing else, I for one will be researching the possibilities of training in mixed martial arts!

The advertisements for this movie do it serious injustice. I was standing in the lobby of a movie theater at a free showing, and almost didn't walk in, because the trailers and ads had me convinced it was a complete waste of time. The advertisements portray the film as being merely a vehicle for shirtless boys to beat on each other and hot girls to wear bikinis. While there is no shortage of either, the movie has a strong underlying theme and a decent plot.

At the thematic level, the movie is about accepting responsibility for your actions, controlling your emotions, and making good choices. It's as much about motivations as macho.

Yes, it is a teen-targeted movie. You've got rich kids running around in massive mansions driving expensive cars, but that's just the setting. You've got people beating the crap out of each other, but that's just a plot device. The heart of the movie is about personal growth and making choices. It's not an empty action flick or a taped brawl.

It's not the best film of the year, and it may well wind up as a late night cable movie in a few months, but it's nowhere near as bad as people expect. It's definitely worth the price of a rental, and worth the $10 to see it in theaters, if you've got no other plans. I blame the negativity largely on the advertising, which tries to sell it as "just another fight movie".

This is one more film with quite good idea. Though, there are a lot similar films that we could bracket in one group with this one. Yet, it has something outstanding. It inspires me in a way. To strive for my life-goals, never back down, no matter how hard it may be, what sort of obstacles are ahead of you.. Maybe that's the real purpose of this film? To inspire one, to be confident and persistent. At least, I was affected in this way. I presume, that this movie is suitable for those, who have a very deep and grim times, who need some sort of wake up call to evoke positive feelings to what's life.. to make one be optimistic again...