Instant Favorite.

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Exciting picture full of brawls by means of fierce bare-knuckled combats staged in the slums . In a world where street gangs collide with the law, neighborhood friends from infancy , Raymond ( Russell Wong of ¨Romeo must die¨ ) and Gabriel (Jason Barry of ¨Beyond Re-animator¨), must decide which side of the battle to join . This will be the ultimate fight - the one for power, family, and honor. This thrilling movie deals with a tight-lipped young who is introduced to the world of underground street fierce brawling . Two friends are separated of brutal manner after an accident , Raymond leads to prison and Gabriel to exile . Both of whom learn martial arts to survive and take different sides to fight . Raymond goes out from jail and Gabriel returns home where meet his adopted parents , the recently retired Lt Tyrell (Roddy Piper of ¨They live¨ ) and his wife (Joanna Pacula of ¨Escape from Sobibor¨) . Gabriel attempts to come up with a way to get enough money to live , but there emerges a dangerous contender versus Raymond who arranges his bare-knuckled bouts . Gabriel teams up with a police woman (Linda Park od ¨Enterprise¨ series ) to defend his family against the nasty Raymond and his hoodlums . Gabriel is soon fighting various contenders -ranging from Harlem bouncing to Oriental fighters . Gabriel decides that he has something worth brawling for and sets everything on the line to vanquish in these no-holds-barred bare-knuckle fights . Although Gabriel only wants to bash opponents long enough to gain enough honor , he is reluctant to let tricks in combats on the fighting . Every knock-out brings him closer to the existence he's always wished , but also carries him in a deadly cobweb he can't getaway . At the ending , the two old friends are forced to fight in a deadly confrontation . The picture contains violence , drama ,thrills , and lots of brutal brawls plenty of punch , kicks, and knockouts . Acceptable performance from Jason Barry as impulsive young becoming a professional street-fighter and battling a variety of contenders , plus Roddy Pipper gives a surprisingly good acting as veteran police and special mention to Russel Wong as cruel villain . The picture belongs to sub-genre about street combats as ¨Lionheart¨ with Jean Claude Van Damme and whose maxim representation turns out to be the classic ¨Hard times¨ by Walter Hill with Charles Bronson and James Coburn ; furthermore , recent adaptation titled ¨Fighting ¨ by Dito Montiel with Channing Tatum and Luis Guzman . It's a colorful but violent entertainment that results to be the last film of his director Michael Worth . He's an expert on art martial movies as he realized Jean Claude Van Damme vehicles as ¨Kickboxer¨ and ¨Bloodsport¨ and Cynthia Rothrock as ¨Lady Dragon I and II¨. Worth is also a notorious cinematographer who photographed for Clint Eastwood various films as ¨Any which way you can¨ and ¨Bronco Billy¨ . Rating : 4,5 passable , only for those who like films in which fist-play are staged ¨ad nauseam¨.

I've just finished watching this movie, and was totally amazed. I don't care what other people think about this movie, but I love it. I'm also very happy that I saw my hero Roddy Piper almost all the time on screen, and not like 5 minutes max as in some previous movies.The fighting scenes were amazing, and all actors, no matter how old or young they were, played their roles perfectly and believably. And that is, in my opinion, the most important thing, to play your role so, that people believe it.I'm glad that it is finally available to watch, it was well worth the wait. :)

Absolute garbage, worse fight scenes than a 20 year old van damme movie or American ninja etc.Truly dire acting, not a skill in sight in the entire movie its like a cast of wooden sculptures.Watch it just for how truly bad this film is, it may have been acceptable in the 80s but this is a 2006 movie, i don't have much love for this movie as it wasn't born in the 80s.If you like real fight movies then check out tony jaa in ong bak and the protector, those are proper martial arts films.have a laugh and watch this today you may see the unintenional humour at how grim it is.

The fighting sequences, are often cut with slamming revolting 1980's disco music. If you are a fan of the cheesy blown out of proposition movie called the "Ultimate Fighting", you are going to recognize a lot of the b cast actors here. For example, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Jason Barry and Russell Wong.It's a dull story but anyway I was blown away by the cheesy unwillingly funny fighting scene - the bad choreography, the unheard of skill, the unwillingly funny savage nature of the fights and fighters, and the way the 1980's disco music in the film accentuates each thrust and parry.This is definitely a film to watch with your martial art friends with pizza and beer...