3 out of 5 stars.

Strong family sports drama about abuse and overcoming it. Strong family drama. Performances. But boring and dull direction. It does lead to a strong showdown climax.

I am not really following MMA or any other fighting ring sport. I did watch boxing a while ago, but even that not as rigorously as others. Having said that, this as others probably have noted is not so much about the fighting, but about the relationships. Which if you think about it, make it a really good movie or really elevate it above others maybe.

Don't get it wrong, just because the emphasis is on the family drama, it doesn't mean it skips on the fighting. Quite the opposite - you feel the punches and you are even more invested. In a sense I personally was torn. I could see and understand the father, but I also really wanted the son to get away from under his shadow.

Having said that, the inevitable ending is quite telling. I mean it does not say it out loud, but you may not question who won and who lost ... even if it may say differently if you were to go by facts. You'll know what I mean, once you see it. A very great performance by Stephen Dorff who I really like a lot - shame he slams certain doors by making extreme announcements and going against the stream, instead of really going with the flow and embracing his genius in front of the camera.

This movie came as a complete surprise to me. I mean i enjoy Martial Arts flicks so when i saw this i was like "sure, ill give it a watch" , was not expecting more than a direct to dvd fight movie, but oh boy was i in for a surprise !

The story is really amazing, it really get you into it, the fights are well filmed and keep you on edge even tough there is not a ton of them. Yet i was never bored, i was always super into the movie because of said story. The actors also play very well.

This is really one of my 2021 favorite find so far. I highly recommand it.