Damage

Plot synopsis:
Released on parole after serving four of seven years in prison for second degree manslaughter, John Brickner (Steve Austin) moves to Seattle, where he gets a job as a construction worker during the day and a bouncer at a bar at night. One day, after work, he meets up with Veronica Reynolds (Lynda Boyd), the widow of the man he killed in self-defense. It is revealed that she petitioned to have John released on parole following numerous apology letters he had written to her over the years. She also tells him that her eight-year-old daughter Sarah (Katelyn Mager) is in need of a heart transplant, and he should be the one to cover the US$250,000 operation.
With the help of bar waitress Frankie (Laura Vandervoort), John locates fight promoter Reno Paulsaint (Walton Goggins), whom he had initially rejected a job offer. When he realizes that the job is in the world of underground fighting, he once again declines the offer, despite Reno telling him he can score six figure earnings in the business. The next day, he is fired from his construction work, but he saves his boss from a heart attack. Later that night, he decides to enter the fighting tournament, defeating his first opponent. John continues to fight for Reno and Frankie and rise up in the ranks and earning thousands. It turns out, however, that Reno owes a syndicate over US$150,000 and must pay them within a week, or they will hurt Frankie whom he had covered for the debt.
After winning a gruelling fight, John rushes Veronica to the hospital after discovering her unconscious in her apartment, having slit her wrists after receiving a notice that an organ donor supplier has denied her request for a donor heart. During a fight, he defeats his opponent, but forfeits the match when he realizes that it is to the death. This results in Reno losing his wager and being roughed up by the syndicate. The next day, John is picked up by a tycoon named Veltz (William B. Davis), who turns out to be the owner of his former job. As a token of gratitude for saving his son-in-law's life from a heart attack, Veltz offers to cover John's US$150,000 wager for the main event or to clear Reno's debt. John chooses to clear Reno's debt.
The next night, John faces and defeats the defending champion Wendell Timmons (Tony Bailey). It is revealed that the Deacon (Donnelly Rhodes), a friend of Reno, covered his stake in the fight. In the end, John covers the payment for Sarah's heart transplant while Reno offers him another deal.

Tags: cult, violence

Review:
good film overall, plot was a little generic rather similar to "Fighting" the fight scenes can be enjoyable although they all seem to be somewhat similar.It's a shame there is no real training scene as in these sort of films they're really needed, the closest thing to one is a little bit of jogging which is obviously unrealistic if he actually wants to win a fight worth the amount of money he is gambling!.It's worth a watch, they're are better movies but i wouldn't disregard this one and would certainly watch it again.
this is not just another brainless action movie.not that there's anything wrong with that.there's actually a story here,and a good one.
there are some tender sensitive moments in which Steve Austin shows he has some real acting ability.yes there are some brutal fighting sequences,but that is not the core of the story.the core of the story is about doing the right thing,about morality,forgiveness and redemption.and that's what moves the film along.the dramatic scenes work very well here.partial credit must go to the cast,not just Austin but the supporting players as well.Walton Goggins and Laura Vandervoort are very good as well.for me,Damage is a 6/10.
In his second leading movie role, former WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin plays John Brickner, an ex-convict whose attempts to live a quiet life on the outside are thrown into jeopardy when he is forced into the shadowy world of illegal fighting.
Though his acting skills are somewhat limited, Austin is perfectly adequate as the star of this low-key action drama; just don't expect anything groundbreaking from the execution or basic set-up.
Like Austin's previous vehicle (WWE Films' The Condemned), this basically just adheres to an established action movie template (this time the 'inspiration' is the old Jean-Claude Van Damme effort AWOL), and goes through the motions of its familiar plot in an unfussy and unsurprising way.
The direction is unspectacular, the fight scenes efficient but not particularly brutal, and the final result is a film that is nowhere near bad enough to despise, but nowhere near good enough to be memorable.
The supporting performances are largely anonymous, though Walton Goggins (sporting the same ghastly brown leather jacket he wore as Shane Vendrell across all seven seasons of The Shield) makes the best of a badly-written part as Brickner's debt-ridden manager..
"Damage" is a remake of a Charles Bronson flick, "Hard Times," which in turn was remade some years later with J.C. Van Damme.
Steve Austin plays an ex-con who gets involved in the murky and illegal world of bare knuckle fighting.
Walter Goggins plays Austin's sleazy but likable manager and the very pretty Laura Van DerVoot is Goggins' partner.
Several veteran actors were cast as well, including Donnelly Rhodes, to support Austin, who in fact isn't all that bad as the soft-spoken, hard-hitting tough guy.
There's a workable story hiding in there somewhere, but it's mostly obscured by mind-numbingly cheap fights, a clichéd soundtrack and general DTV feel.Stone Cold Steve Austin is John Brickner, a recently paroled ex-con.
However, Veronica's help is not motivated by forgiveness or understanding, but rather by a need to have John help her with her own desperate agenda.Needing money and fast, John befriends underground fight agent Reno (Walton Goggins) and his girlfriend Frankie (Laura Vandervoort).
Together they enter a fight circuit hoping that the rewards of victory will solve their respective dilemmas.The acting in "Damage" is sub-par.
Laura Vandervoort is a little bit of eye candy, but her character seems more interested in appearing scene than actually helping her man out.
By consequence this perpetuates the bromides that money = root of all evil, and happiness consists of a duty ethic.And oh yeah, rich whitey is behind it all.Many action film fans are willing to overlook genre clichés if the film has exciting fights, like in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine".
But the fights in "Damage" consist of unrealistic blood splatter and mindless repetition, so it's doubtful that even the action buffs will be satisfied.
Steve Austin only throws hay-makers (which rarely appear to connect),and his primary fighting attribute seems to be that he is "Stone Cold", i.e., takes a beating without getting knocked out.The "final fight" of the film hearkens back to the cheese of mid-80's action flicks, but without the enjoyable payoff.
being a fan of stone cold in his wrestling days I thought I would enjoy this action movie...
If you like steve austin kickin a$$ than I recommend another B action movie and that is "hunt to kill".
"Do you mind if we finish this?"...is the line Steve Austin uses before he knocks out his last opponent in Damage.
Steve Austin wasted too many good years in the wrestling ring when he could have been honing his acting chops in action films like this one.
Austin plays an ex-con named John Brickner, who is enticed in to the underground fight world with the promise of a six figure pay cheque by a bar maid named Frankie played by Laura Vandervoort and her questionable crony friend Reno Paulsaint played by Walton Goggins.Okay, so the story line has been done hundreds of times before.
In this action film John Brickner agrees to enter the underground cage fight scene in an effort to raise $250K to pay for a new heart for the pre- teen daughter of the man Brickner strangled to death years earlier.
I like Steve Austin as the ass kicking hero with a big heart in Damage.
His fight scenes are better than most action stars, and his acting character that he portrays is humble and realistic.If you like the action and fight scene genre than you should enjoy this film better than the other average cage fight movies.
Steve Austin should go on to make many more action movies based on the quality of his acting skills, large physique, calm cool collected mannerisms, and his natural All American hero image..
Excitingly ethical action movie.
A rough, "theoretically sophisticated" action movie with an amazingly clear ethical and metaphysical dimension.
On the action movie: conforming to Yin-Yang principles, use of Chin Na in a symbolic place, fighters with specific styles, brilliant reverberation of the first fight, and all this in rough, bloody street-fight, with sheer determinations and blocks of energy testing each other, at a point brilliantly nodding to Rodrigez.
You wouldn't expect a lunkheaded beat 'em up starring hulking wrestler Steve Austin to go for the heart, but this virtual remake of the Van Damme vehicle A.W.O.L.
Austin plays a guy fresh out of prison who finds himself engaging in a brutal gambling ring where he battles opponents to the death.
Such bouts are satisfyingly hard-hitting and unflinching, and Austin holds his own against even the toughest brawlers.What surprises is that the story outside of the violence is also engaging, with Austin delivering a realistic turn as a guy forced down a dark path in his bid to do good, and some heartfelt emotion dished out along the way with it.
I feel the first thing I should do is confess that I'm not a wrestling fan - I've hardly watched the sport, and I've never seen Steve Austin in action.
What did get me to rent it was my love of B movies - I watch them all the time.
This one got me interested since it promised it would have a lot of action (fighting) in it.Now here comes my second confession - I didn't think very much of "Damage".
True, it does look pretty good for what was a Canadian low budget movie.
And Austin, though he's no actor, does bring to the screen a strong presence and wisely doesn't try to be very expressive in his somewhat limited dialogue.
The fights are mostly filmed with the camera zoomed way in, and with somewhat quick cuts, making the action hard to follow at times.
The fights are supposed to be brutal, but I never got the feeling the fighters were suffering or in pain at any time.This isn't a BAD movie - it's just somewhat bland and disappointing, considering they got a skilled fighter and a premise that would indicate wall-to-wall action.
A reasonable film, worth watching if you don't mind the dam camera shaking all over the place, it gets hard to tell who's winning the fight when you're sat trying to watch the movie without feeling dizzy!.
solid acting from Steve Austin but weak fight directing.
John Brickner (Steve Austin) is starting over after spending 4 1/2 years in prison for taking the life of Mathew Reynolds.
Reno (Walton Goggins) offers him underground fights.
When Mathew Reynolds' wife (Lynda Boyd) tells him that she needs $250k for an operation for her girl, John needs cash and starts fighting to get it.Steve Austin has a commanding and compelling personality.
Walton Goggins, Laura Vandervoort, and Lynda Boyd are all good solid actors.
The fights are good at first, but they're not shot in the most interesting way.
This movie needs to be about the fights.
Only the action directing isn't quite good enough..
An ex-convict John Brickner (Steve Austin) gets released after a second degree murder charge.
Fraught with feelings of guilt he attempts to do his best to right the wrongs of the past and in doing so promises the victim's widow Veronica (Lynda Boyd) to do his best to gather up $250000 in order to pay for a heart transplant meant for Sarah, her daughter.
Given the limited options of earning such cash he decides to enter into an illegal fighting circuit with the help of Reno (Walton Goggins) and Frankie (the sumptuous Laura Vandervoort).In a movie littered with decent actors it seems surprising that the wooden barn-house performance of Steve Austin actually manages to be the best of the lot.
Given this is an cranked-up testosterone all-American machismo fight movie I wouldn't expect anyone to go the distance, but some honest input would do everyone involved (including the viewers) a world of good.Crudely placed on top of a simpleminded script bound to be targeted on supplying some decent fight scenes, "Damage" tends to be extremely tiresome in between the action, especially due to some poorly crafted story-building.
However likable Steve Austin may be he just isn't a persona of such intensity as Jean Claude van Damme or Arnold Schwarznegger..
I checked out this movie not knowing only that Steve Austin was it i think hes a good actor so i may be bias.
I like watching movies that i know nothing about cause well i enjoy watching the show truly unfold in front of you.
The movie starts out with Steve getting released from prison event then take him to the underground fighting world where he must win to save a life.
Its a fight movie but it has more then you typical fight movie it had a great plot good script and all the actors showed up.
For a B movie this was worth every minute spent watching i would recommend this to anyone who is a Steve Austin fan or like UFC or just likes a good story driven movie.
Steve's quest for Action Hero stardom is off on the right track,.with this decent DTV effort..
Damage is surprisingly an entertaining no holds barred, old school Action film.
I am a die hard "Stone Cold Steve Austin" fan.
One of the main key's that made this one of the better direct to video Actioner's i've seen,is the relationships with the characters.
We are able to care about them all,even if Reno's a bit of a weasel,and I just think that helped a lot.I also approved of Steve's enthusiasm to this project.
Any less of an effort would've resulted in your standard straight to DVD flick,but Steve put his all into the film,making sure to give us riveting fight sequences and a decent overall storyline,but mainly I give that credit to Frank Hannah.
I have seen many straight to video Actioner's and i'll be pretty blunt,most of them flat out suck,so I was really pleased by the effort of this film.
Damage is certainly not original by any means,it rips off Big Brawl,Lionheart,among others..but it managed to entertain me for a 100 minutes or so and that's really all I can ask for.The Performances.
Steve Austin is a physically gifted performer.
Everyone knows Steve is a redneck with a good heart,but he's hard as nails,and well he came across as looking silly more then anything else.
Nevertheless I thought Steve was fabulous and I look forward, to his future projects,he's got big time potential.
Damage is one of the better DTV Actioner's that seem to come out like crazy now a days.
I wholeheartedly recommend Damage for a good night of entertainment.7/10.
I felted the movie was very very good.
I do feel the fight scenes were good, but could have been a lot better specially with Steve Austin as the main character.
Steve Austin did a great job as an actor more then just being a tough guy.
I feel in this movie he was able to have that, but really pull of the guy that just wants to make things right and have a second chance at life.
A good sit down and watch movie.
The action was great for a low budget film.
So, many movies now lack simple fight scenes.
If you are an action fan or a Stone Cold fan I think you will enjoy it..
An action film to pass the time....
It's not a great film, but the action is there to keep the smiles on a majority of the audience...Steve Austin brings his bad guy attitude to the screen, but a little sombre than usual....Walton Goggins plays the greedy manager...he's fine...But I felt that Laura Vandervoort character was just there to be the eye-candy.
Yes, it's corny with cheesy heroic music at the end of the film...But the fight scenes are okay, brutal...I couldn't help notice that this was similar to 'Blood and Bone' which I loved...But this is a mindless action film that entertains...
Steve Austin Damage.
After retiring from the ring of Pro Wrestling Steve Austin begin to journey into the world of action films.This one Damage is actually a good show case of what he could become.
Now Steve Austin has play in TV shows and few movies this is his first solo film.The film also starts Laura Vandervoort, Walton Goggins, Lynda Boyd, Scott McNeil.
Then when the mother of the man he killed Daughter fell ill he promise to help her with getting the money which leads him to underground fighting.
The story for the film fits it very well as it shows that a man can have something worth fighting for.The fighting in the film has been done well as if you watch a old school brawl and it shows that Steve Austin can still open up a can.
The film shows that there is more can be done with a direct to DVD release and Damage shows off some good work.It is very violet and can be bloody at times still don't count this film out just for that.Overall Damage shows some good talents from Steve Austin and it is very good film.I give Damage an 7 out of 10.
Not to be confused with the Jeremy Irons movie of the same name, this "Damage" is full of hard-hitting fights.
A man can dream...) John Brickner (Austin) was in jail for manslaughter for 5 years and is now just been paroled and looking for work.
Reno (Goggins) is a hustler who watches Brickner and invites him to fight in a underground tournament.
Steve Austin does a pretty decent job as Brickner.
You care about his character...but this is a punch-fighting flick and we don't want to see maudlin acting.
I like the effort it was making, but the most exciting moments are the fight sequences.They deliver in spades.
They are brutal and bloody.I'm happy they are still making movies like this.
Undisputed III (an upcoming review) should be very entertaining."Damage" is cool fight flick worth renting!
King does a bang-up job of keeping film spectators aware of who will clobber John Brickner (Steve Austin) next, and why.
Those of us with 106 minutes of time on our hands (five minutes more than promised on the DVD box) will see ultimate fighting in nearly every sort of venue conceivable (except on the arm of the Statue of Liberty; they must be saving that scene for DAMAGE 2).
World Wrestling Entertainment's pro wrestling icon Stone Cold Steve Austin both deals out and is on the receiving end of damage.
Stone Cold stars as a recently released convict, John Brickner, out on parole after serving time for manslaughter(we later learn it was self-defense), given a new found freedom thanks to the victim's widow, Veronica(solid, heartfelt performance by Lynda Boyd).
After working both as a construction worker and bouncer, John meets Reno Paulsaint(Walton Goggins)through the waitress, Frankie(the lovely Laura Vandervoot), at the bar which he is employed.
Reno is on the inside of an underground fighting circuit and can arrange for John to be introduced as a new participant.
Reno, however, needs to build John's credibility, and through a series of hard fought, and brutal, fights might just be able to get him in on the big-money brawls.
A secret in regards to Frankie is revealed eventually(it is established that the major money debt Reno must pay concerns Frankie)and a certain act on John's part in how he saved a no-good boss' life after firing him for no reason both play a hand in the tumultuous cyclical process of coming close to achieving the ultimate goal set at the beginning of the film: the struggle to get the money John needs and the hurdles he must overcome in order to do so.
I saw several similarities to the Jean Claude Van Damme action flick, Lionheart, also about a stoic hero with a kind heart who finds himself in violent full-contact underground fights with muscular behemoths.