ricardovs27

well folks, I got to say, as a Brazilian, that the portrait of Rio is not very flattering... And, unfortunately, very true. Some stupid things aside (for example, gambling is prohibited in my country since the 40's), this light-weight martial arts flick delivers, gave me some well-received giggles and Mitchell hold his own as a fighter and is quite credible as the main man.Using the character of Xian, played with gusto by Dennis Chan, as the link to the most famous movie of this series, starred by Van Damme, the plot shows a harsh reality, the women trafficking and children abandonment in my country with levity and good laughs with very good fight scenes. Definitely, a nice example of how a Direct-to-video sequel can be when a little care is taken; it does not have to always be garbage.

I have to be as honest as possible here: the only reason I came to discover this little indie gem was because of Chris "Steve Rogers/Johnny Storm" Evans participation on it. It was one of those lazy, hot weekend nights, just returning from a much needed bar-hopping experience with some good friends, a little wasted and with no sleep whatsoever in the horizon. Clicked on the online services I happen to subscribe and browsed aimlessly, looking for something to entertain myself waiting for Morpheus' call. Saw a picture of Mr. Evans on the cover, looking all somber and bleak, sporting a beard, holding a needle on his hand. Well, the first thing I thought about was "well, folks, I bet Evans is on total Nic-Cage-on-crack mode; this must be fun to watch". And I have clicked on to start. Boy, and I was wrong. The movie is everything except Evans going haywire and stuff. A highly enthralling and interesting subject, supported by an excellent cast and compelling drama, "Puncture" makes a louder thud than anything a few bearded fatsos could dream of, simply by presenting facts and giving us characters we care about. Evans is at his best, aided by the co-director Mark Kassen, the surprisingly restrained Marshall Bell and Bret Cullen in their task to raise some questions. I suggest to watch this precious movie back-to-back with "The Constant Gardener". That aspirin will never be the same again.

Nothing new about this recent D-to-D starring Steve Austin as Mr. Miyagi, oops, Dan Barns, a former boxer turned janitor who puts a nerdy kid under his wing and teach him the noble art as a way of learning how to handle life itself.

The good thing is that the flick has a heart, is well rounded and the characters are sympathetic enough to warrant some entertainment.

Of course we movie gobblers have seen the same story done dozens of times, but who does not love to see an underdog get the prize?

The highlight is that Steve Austin is charismatic enough and keeps it real most of the time, compensating the less than thrilling protagonist.

The dialog is cross and direct from a bad self-help book; however, is said with some dignity and Austin shows he is not only a killing machine, he has potential to not embarrass himself in more meaty roles.

A nice time waster, if you do not have anything else to do and likes to tackle this kind of movie.