Scorpion

Scorpion is certainly not a fighting movie, the combat scenes are not very impressive.

But the story is good (not great, but good!). It reminds me Danny the Dog (from Luc Besson with Jet Li). First of all, it's the story of a man who seems a bit strange because of his past. And he is getting better, appreciating life again...

The music is giving the right atmosphere. The director makes a good job, this is not boring (as often in french movie, and I can say that because I am french!).

So we spend a good time, you can watch it!

Another IMDb member tipped me that this was worth seeing so I ordered the DVD.

Started great, and then wound down. Which is really really ironic since the whole point of MMA and martial arts is pacing. So what good is a film that exhausts itself off the top? To put the review in perspective, as weak as it is, it is still a much more entertaining product that the DTV stuff that is now coming out of the US MMA circuit, where the "big names" in the sport think it is really cool if they bypass the middle man (ie, Hollywood) and make the films themselves, starring themselves, written and directed by themselves. Yuck.

And it does not even come close to the quality of Warrior or Forbidden Kingdom, the two martial arts films I have seen in my lifetime.

Scorpion is one of those movies which you will watch for the sake of watching. I mean french action movies are rarley boring, and Scorpion ain't no different. Okay it sets the mood nicely however the acting may not be the greatest but it certainly is entertaining. Check it out if your a fan of mixed martial arts movies , however don't expect anything big or like the best mixed martial arts movie. The acting is cheesy , the script is crap but the story told is a good one and thats what keeps you watching , its like one of tough guy movies you just watch for the sake of watching.

SCORPION 6.7 OUT OF 10

Washed-up ex-fighter is approached by shady manager and convinced to enter the illegal / no-rules fighting circuit, but what he's really looking for is redemption. Though better made than the similar films Jean Claude Van Damme was making in the early 90's ("Lionheart", for example), "Scorpion" will probably not satisfy most martial arts fans. The fights are brutal but suffer from flashy over-editing which makes them hard to follow. And the severely unpleasant subplot about a barwoman who is also forced to work as a prostitute for a violent criminal is both a downer and a distraction. The acting is convincing across the board, but there is only so much you can do with this story. (**)

My brother came home with this, because he knows what a big MMA fan i am, and the back of the cover says "Scorpion is the definitive mixed martial arts movie".

First off, the cover mentions nothing of the movie being french with subs, but anyway ...

I was hoping this was going to be a good movie, to strengthen the argument for MMA, helping it get even more exposure, how stupid was I ? The writers/directors were doing exactly the same as the gang leader/fight manager/whoever he was. They made this movie, hoping that the popularity MMA has at the moment, would make them rich.

Eye gouging, fish hooking, stomps to a downed opponent, the only part of this movie I would call MMA were the gloves !