FORCED TO FIGHT: STAR DESERVES MORE PRAISE

I've always been a big martial arts film fan. It started when I first saw ENTER THE DRAGON while in high school. To me that film remains the best martial arts film ever made and one of the top ten action films ever created. It was also the film that opened the door for more martial arts films that made their way into the mainstream in the 70s and increased in the 80s and 90s.

There were a number of martial arts stars during those decades that seemed to come out of nowhere and find themselves at the center of films. Billy Blanks, Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Sho Kusugi and more were front and center on the video shelves. Towards the end another star emerged as well, Gary Daniels. While his movies did well, he never seemed to get the attention he deserved. What was nice was that he did get the chance to continue on where so many just disappeared. He even got to star in some great movies such as THE EXPENDABLES. And now he returns to be the name above the title in the just released FORCED TO FIGHT.

Daniels plays Shane, an ex-mixed martial arts fighter who has retired to a more stable life with his wife and son working in a garage. Not so his brother Scotty. Still involved in the underground fight scene, Scotty owes money to the bad guy promoter Danny G (Peter Weller). Ordered to throw a fight he ignores the command and finds himself on the run from Danny and his goons. He shows up at Shane's and lets him know he's leaving for a while only to be jumped outside and beaten within an inch of his life.

Knowing what's behind this, Shane goes to talk to Danny, the man he walked away from years ago. Danny knows the potential draw that Shane has and gives him a chance to clear away Scotty's debts. All he has to do is win so many fights and the books are cleared. Shane agrees and goes into training.

But things have changed since Shane last fought. The combatants are stronger and resort to more illegal moves. The world of underground online mixed martial arts is not the high class world one sees on ESPN. These are down and dirty fights where there are no holds barred. Having been out of the fight scene altogether, Shane must first get into condition to fight. Only when Danny thinks he's ready will he do so.

The time finally comes and Shane begins to win his matches. He's developing a following and Danny sees this. That's when he tells Shane it's time to lose a few. This will help Danny when it comes to the money he makes on the gambling crowd. The bad news is that even though Danny is telling him to lose, those matches don't count towards Shane's debt since they're a loss.

With each passing day Shane falls back into old habits. He becomes more savage and brutal in his matches. That personality also falls into his home life as well as he displays fits of rage when it comes to how he deals with his wife and son. Gone is the caring father and it's been replaced by someone who's sole focus is the next match.

Eventually all things must come to a head and between the problems he faces at home and the backstabbing ways of Danny G you know it won't be pretty. It will all boil down to Shane's finding his way back to the man he was rather than the man Danny G wants to make him.

So what's good about this movie? Pretty much everything. Sure the story seems a bit familiar but adding the family and especially Shane's son to the mix gives it a tad more life. The fight sequences here feel more real than many films in this genre do and choreographed with skill that has you feeling each punch and kick. Best of all rather than just give us a fight after fight film, the movie offers more story than most and a chance for Daniels to show that he can actually act.

Daniels has dramatically improved as an actor over the years and perhaps that's why he's still making movies while so many other actors in the genre have drifted away. Many actors in martial arts films seemed like they were doing little more than reading cue cards. To be honest, even Daniels had those moments way back when he began. But acting is a learning experience and with this film it's nice to see that Daniels has spent his time wisely learning to act as well as stay in shape for the fights folks come to see in his films. He displays the changes in Shane from fatherly to maniacal in a believable fashion here and that takes some doing. Oscar material? No not really but a solid performance none the less.

Equally well done is Weller as Danny G. This is by far one of the most despicable characters to ever grace the screen. Weller handles the chore with ease making Danny seem real and dangerous without lifting a finger. By the end of the film you find yourself wanting something bad to happen to him.

For fans the best thing about FORCED TO FIGHT is that the film feels just like those movies that graced the shelves in the 80s. They always showed some martial arts post, someone leaping in the air and always entertained. This movie does exactly that giving you the action you crave and a story that fits it all together. One can only hope that Daniels continues making movies like this and gets the chance to be in some larger projects as well.

Click here to order.