Not too deep, but a fun ride

Rating: 7/10 (21 March 2008)

Clearly, this is not the work of the Coen Brothers, but if all you want is a good way to spend an afternoon with a friend, this movie is great.
Allow me to first say: I really did enjoy this movie. Honest, I did.
But the truth is, for all its muscle-flexing and roundhouse-kicking, this movie is just unbelievably silly. If you can find a high-school with that many future models and kids as psychopathic as Ryan McCarthy, please contact me and I'll delete this.
I can completely understand how intense it would seem if I was Jake "Unbelievably Stereotypical High School Drama Name" Tyler (which I guess the completely ridiculous name of "Baja" is supposed to compensate for), but there are several parts where you just have to wonder how realistic it is for one guy, even if he is a trained fighter, to take on four reasonably sizable dudes.
That said, if you can put realism to one side long enough to enjoy the incredibly brutal fight scenes and surprisingly engaging storyline, this movie is really fun. You won't learn a valuable lesson, but you'll want to start a backyard MMA club when you get home (even though the film doesn't really present an accurate depiction of real-life mixed martial arts).
Overall, this movie is really fun and enjoyable. Great for a $4 matinée.