Born a Champion

Not a big martial arts movie guy, so I wasn't expecting much. Was very pleasantly surprised. Good story line, decent acting and nice flow. More or a Rocky-beats-the-odds than a martial arts movie. The wife loved it as well.

So i didn't knew what to watch and had a look at new movies, i always enjoy Martial Arts movies, and i saw this, i was like alright ill give it a try. I am not Brazilian Jiu Jitsu's biggest fan as a Martial Arts in general, i mean i know its very effective but its not the best one to watch either on TV (UFC) or in movies, i prefer more flashy stuff like Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Wushu or Kung Fu. Yet this movie blew me away.

The fights are very well done and they never bore you, main actor being an actual BJJ Black Belt, but they are not the main point of the movie, what really hook me is the story. This movie is filmed as if it was a true story (wich i don't think it is at all) and you really get into it, you feel for the main character and you actually wish this was a real story.

Its really one of these movies that if the story wouldn't had been good, i would had probably negatively review it, because there is not a lot of fight, its more of a drama WITH fights in it. Kinda like what Rocky is to Boxing if i can say, altough there is a little more fights than the first couple Rocky movies. But since its well written and you do care for these characters and what happen to them, you really get into it. At least for me that was.

Honestly if you remotely enjoy BJJ, absolutely watch it, if you enjoy Martial Arts, give it a shot too. Its only like 10$ Canadian on Xbox Marketplace and it has French audio too. Not that it matter for most of you but well ;)

Not having heard anything about this movie, I expected a straight-to-video type martial arts film based on BJJ - considering there seems to be a few cash grabs out at the moment. I figured it would be half way decent because Sean Patrick Flanery is a solid actor. What I didn't expect was a damn good story with great performances all around. I was also surprised to learn that Sean is a legit BJJ black belt, which is obvious as soon as he gets on the mat. Seeing this movie more than makes up for having to sit through the last 5 bad ones.

The script is so ambitious that it never settles on a single theme for more than a few minutes. Equal parts sports drama, MMA, romance, inspirational, motivational, and yesterday's lunch. Strangely it is precisely this lack of traditional story-telling -- an anti-Rocky if you like -- that keeps it interesting. Flanery, softspoken and sincere, is perfectly suited to ground the effort, and Alex Ranarivelo has the solid skills needed to keep things moving. The audience never gets quite what it expects -- the ending makes that more than clear -- and therein lies its charm.

Or is he? I have to admit, since I don't follow fighting that much, maybe those depicted here are better known than I realize. It's a bit funny too that Costas Mandylor plays an evil Greek (but Muslim?) villain of sorts. On the other hand the character portrayed by Dennis Quaid is just a manager ... and yet while he has a connection with Sean Patrick Flannerys character is responsible for something awful ... but I am jumping ahead of myself.

The movie tells the story of a Jiu Jitsu fighter ... someone who is not out for the fame and glory. He doesn't mind a bit of money of course. And when he meets Katrina Bowden ... well all bets are off. Without knowing her really, he falls heads over heels for her. And there is one scene where he talks about her to a friend of his, that should touch you emotionally ... because he is such a good actor that you are in that moment. One of the better romantic moments in any movie, no matter the genre, hands down.

Sean Patrick Flannery is a cool Dude overall, everyone involved is really giving their best - and in the end you can read in a personal note that he cares much about the Jiu Jitsu. A nice note - no pun intended. Good fighting scenes, some expected twists and turns and a lot of drama ... as it should be.