Sorry, this movie sucks

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

This movie revolves around an underground tournament where the "best of the best" fight to the death while bets are placed on the outcome. We've seen it all before. However, what makes this one a cut above is watching guys like UFC legend Ken Shamrock, American Gladiator Lee Reherman, Louis Mandylor and famed Hollywood stuntman Jeff Wolfe, in action. Even perennial bad guy Danny Trejo shows up nasty as ever. Though he doesn't fight, Trejo definitely gives a great performance as the muscle behind the tournament. It remains the fights that drive the plot and some of them are excellent. Be warned, these are death matches so even the "good" guys snuff out their opponents (though conveniently their opponents are usually villains that have it coming.) Shamrock must have trained like an animal for this role and looks like a bodybuilder, while Reherman has fun playing a white collar executive who reveals his inner beast and worked out physique in the ring. It isn't gents only, with Bobbie Blackford as a female cop who takes the life of a vicious ex con in one of the most brutal matches. The ending is somewhat muddled with explosions and firefights, but when this movie stays where it belongs – in the ring with killer martial arts action – it's a winner.

"Champions" asks you to give up all your usual demands from movies (script: formulaic, the millionth rip-off of "Kickboxer", direction: shoddy, acting: terrible, even Danny Trejo goes through the motions, production values: none to be found), and concentrate on the fighting. For this strategy to work, the fighting had better be damn good. The fighting in "Champions" is appropriately violent and has its moments, but too often it is slow and not very well-captured by the camera. But the worst part of the movie is the last 15 minutes, when it turns from a "revenge / illegal fighting tournament" story to a "ludicrously easy escape" story. The promised big showdown never comes, and the two would-be opponents agree that "the only thing between us is friendship"! Ugh. (*)

This movie wasn't meant for you to think while you watched it. It's about violence and sex and nudity, plain and simple. Don't try to analyze and deep psychological meaning to it, there isn't any. It is more of a popcorn action flick than anything, it's more funny than it truly intends to be. While the whole concept is interesting, it should and could have been done a little better. This movie is more along the lines of a Jean Claude van Damme flick than a Ken Shamrock thing. You could have replaced Shamrock with van Damme and hardly told a difference, except for the accent. This movie would be great fodder for a show like MST3K.

I rented this movie because I am a fan of Ken Shamrock from his UFC days and his current WWF days. Boy, I wish I had my $3 back. The worst part of ANY movie is when the director, or edidor, or whomever, cannot string together a plot. When you jump from place to place, how can you follow the story, or even care. I thought this was an action movie, so could we have stayed and shown more action? And if this was about illegal shootfighting, with one dude, or lady dying every fight, how the heck did that tattooed dude get back in the film near the end. And since when does a punch in the jaw KILL somebody. And what was up with that big electronic zit on Shamrocks neck??? AGGHHHHH.