Born a Champion

Reviewer "A_Different_Drummer" nailed what I wanted to say about this awesome film. It had it all - drama, sport, mma action, family, romance, etc. And in the way it was shown - part Lifetime Movie style and part Documentary, worked perfectly. It lacked all the Hollywood dazzle, and that was refreshing for a change. I'm still not sure if this is based on a true story, especially when I recognized some famous UFC fighters in this film.

Alex Ranarivelo directed, and also wrote this story with Sean Patrick Flanery, who also starred in this film. The cinematography was decent, as was the score. The pacing felt a little slow, and I feel if it was a little faster and/or 10-15 mins shaved off the 112 min runtime, it would've shown better. The story flowed really well, with some unexpected surprises and twists. It will fill you with suspense and play with your emotions. Performances were convincing, and it was good to see Mr. Quaid in this one.

Overall this film was much better than I expected, and it's a "recommend", and I'll probably see it again. It's a well deserved 8/10 from me. To see my review criteria, or more of my 1000+ reviews, click on my username. Then go see this little gem. Even if you're not a fan of UFC or MMA, the story will keep you entertained.

Really enjoyed the storyline and the characters in this martial arts film. the acting was solid and the story kept you connected throughout. was not in touch with sean patrick flanery's acting although i have seen him from time to time. i had to go back and watch some of his previous movies and have become a new fan. loved katrina bowden in tucker and dale vs. evil and she had a moving role in this movie. watch this you won't be disappointed.

This is very low budget and the writing and story have some craft issues. That said, if you can get to the core of the fight scenes and story you'll find some unique moments. The main actor is the best he's ever been and really showed the beauty of jiu jitsu. This is as much a rocky comeback story as it is an homage to the power of jiu jitsu. Now, imagine getting this main actor a top notch script, budget and director? I would pay to see that.

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 ;)

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.