Good concept, poorly executed.

Don't Believe the Hype

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Sigh. Where to begin?A bad film with a hell of a lot of stupid moments, a stock caricature villain, awful rap music... At least the Western-style cinematography is new - not particularly well done, but new. There's also the annoying and cliché freeze-frame with each character's name as they appear on-screen for the first time. Yes, just five minutes in you'll know that this film will suck... but will the fight scenes redeem it?Unfortunately, I'd have to say no.Cung Le is pretty good as the stoic, kick-arse lead and, given some better material, I'd give him a second chance, but the film is forgettable at best and painful at worst.Yes, van Damme's in it (the reason I recorded it when it came on TV), but don't expect too much from him, as he somehow manages to train the lead in prison from sorry loser to ninja, in such a short period of time that his student's hair doesn't even grow!Credits to the man for that - now where do I sign up for my martial arts lessons?Given van Damme's massive library of content though, I'd have to advise that a fan looked elsewhere to get his kicks... a joke that falls about as flat as this dreadful feature.

Call me lame, but I still love me some Van Damage. Every time he has a new film coming out, I go out of my way to see it. I can't help it. I grew up with the guy, and he means a lot to me, but this was so disappointing, it's not even funny. Cung Lee certainly has some movies, there is no doubt about that, but he needs to start picking better scripts, so he can utilize his talents for maximum effect. For big Van Damme fans like myself, prepare to feel slightly ripped off and ultimately disappointed. Despite his top billing, he is barely in this film, and is reduced to a glorified cameo as a mentor to Cung Lee in prison, and the scenes between them are quite forgettable. When the fighting scenes happen, they are actually fairly exciting and violent. Cung Lee is terrific when it comes to action, but he needs work on charisma and personality as well. He is not yet able to carry a movie on his own. Peter Weller makes for a solid villain. He's usually dependable and here was no different. We also get Kristopher Van Varenberg (Van Damme's real life son) and he is proving to be quite the solid actorFinal Thoughts: It's too boring for its own good. It does have some good action sequences, but the boredom that frequently comes in between all that kills any momentum. Cung Lee has potential. I just hope he chooses a little more wisely in the future3.5/10

This film is entertaining.The bias we hold coming into a film will always steer our opinions of it. Mine was the foregone conclusion this would be boring and low budget and I was wrong! Well, I was wrong about boring.Most people on here seem to rip the story line and the main actor's demeanor but I don't watch fight films for character development. Does anyone really do that? The fight scenes are pretty cool and at times sweet. I enjoyed the use of camera angles throughout the film and wasn't ever bored.In the end it was entertaining and that is what I look for with fight films.

The director of two newer Universal Soldier movies, John Hyams, has apparently wanted to move onto the martial arts level with similar elements and ideas. Unfortunately, the screenwriter Tim Tori is not up to scratch, thus the outcome is complex mix of gang violence, martial fights, looking back in the form of flashbacks and unrealistic cases such as fully corrupt US police unit. As for the cast, then the only decent performances were provided by Peter Weller Mr. V and Jean-Claude Van Damme as Tiano, all the others seemed to derive from non-decent amateur theaters. Van Damme's part is strangely short and dull, although it was evident that he is still well fit.Although its length was 1 hour and 20 minutes only, it was dumb to watch at times. Even for brain-switch-off entertainment, there are much better options. On the other hand, it is no worst-movie ever or similar overstatement.