Arena de Aço

While the only two known names in this film are Joe Don Baker and Carol Alt, it certainly is not lacking in talent. Robert Chapin and Jim Perri and fabulous together. Their swordfight in the ring is athletic, funny, difficult, excellent! The end left the door wide open for a sequel. Well, Bob, we're waiting...

Not even the "swordsmanship" of this dog could keep me from laughing out loud at the truly forgettable and entirely laughable attempts at writing, acting and directing.

OK, I get it, you aren't suppose to watch "Blood Sport" for the acting, but there is a definite standard of acting and story that have to be present, even in pure action flicks. And it just wasn't here.

My recommendation, invite some friends over, rent this lame-o flick, drink a lot and MST it to death (don't worry, it won't take much effort).

Oh yeah, and the swordplay is really not that great. Mainly there to appeal to the Ren Fair crowd that think that wearing a dull costume blade, and watching Highlander repeatedly, constitutes their unlimited knowledge of the blade.

When star fencer Alex Freyer (Robert Chapin) accidentally kills an opponent, he finds himself cast out of his beloved sport. After being assisted in fighting off a mugging by a mysterious stranger (Joe Don Baker), Alex is invited by him to take part in the titular 'Ring of Steel', an underground sword fighting club. With the lure of easy money and chance to prove himself again, Alex quickly finds that the stakes are raised beyond his control and is soon fighting for not only his life, but that of his girlfriend's Elena's (Darlene Vogel) as well.

Despite the somewhat familiar set up, Ring of Steel is actually well worth a look. It has a sense of fun and an undoubted energy missing from many action movies of the era. Certainly, the plot is daft and the dialogue often cheesy, but it has a lot of charm. The always watchable Joe Don Baker is terrific as the villain and along with the sultry Carol Alt, raises the standard of the otherwise slightly corny acting on show elsewhere in the movie. Most importantly, the sword fights are well choreographed and are highly enjoyable.

Although it's undoubtedly silly stuff, Ring of Steel is nevertheless an enthusiastic slice of low budget fun that's a cut above similar '90s DTV fare.

Had a hard day at work? Want an every man's character to help you vent, but don't want to have to solve all the world's problems tonight? This movie will get you in the popcorn and soda mood for a night in and off your hard working feet, even if the kids are hanging around, no need to boot them out. Oh strike that, one quick adult part, you can cover the kids eyes or send them to get you a beer. Filmed in 1994, this is a fun blast from the past with faces from the era. A note to people from the upper northern mid-west with harsh winters, there are scenes of summer, which may relieve your cabin fever. Watch a little eye candy and sword play for both the guys and the gals. Satisfying plot with a classic Ford Mustang Cameo. What more do you need for a Friday night date with your TV?

OK, the plot was a bit predictable, but I loved the sword fights in this movie. It's every "what if" a bunch of martial artists could come up with (OK, who would win in a fight: a barbarian or a ninja?). I especially liked the fight between Alex and Brian as an homage to The Court Jester, and the bit with the auditioning roll-player.

Interestingly enough, although Robert Chapin (the star) is credited with writing the movie, it's not widely known that his version was a dark psychological drama in which Alex gets sucked so deeply into the world of drugs, money, women and blood sport, that when he is finally reunited with Elena, he doesn't even recognize her. When MCA bought it, they deemed that version WAY too dark. So they hired a "writer" to clean it up, and they turned it into the sanitized hero plot that we see here.

So, go easy on the guy. He had to watch someone else re-write his story, and then he had to actually SAY those predictable lines. Overall, it's a fun sword flick!