Blood and Bone

Blood and Bone (2009)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Ben Ramsey

Starring: Michael Jai White, Julian Sands, Eamonn Walker, Dante Basco (yes, Rufio from Hook)

From: Remarkable Films

Now, here is an action movie released on DVD in the DTV market that is well worth seeing if you enjoy the genre.

I’ve heard about this film for awhile from a certain thread on a messageboard that is filled with hardcore action film fanatics. I even bought it last year from the Blockbuster by me that was closing down. Yet, it was just Friday night that I sat down and watched this.

The story isn’t high art. Isaiah Bone (White, who should be a bigger star in the genre, for damn sure; he more than proved himself in a serious role like this and also a funny role like Black Dynamite) gets out of prison and goes to LA. He finds a room for rent and stays there. He comes across an underground fighting league, and he hooks up with a promoter (Basco) and for a cut of the profit, he goes through various fighters. However, he also comes across people who are out to take him down, along with a few peeps who are related to the buddy he had in prison who got shiv’ed and died. It’s not much more complex than that.

Yet, it’s great entertainment. The story is entertaining enough and you don’t get bored by it. There are such quirks as a big scene involving the 80’s “classic” Dance Hall Days. There’s racist characters who explain their racism in a rather colorful way. The villain does some rather evil stuff in order to make you want to root for the hero. But, you’ll enjoy the plentiful fights and action scenes. From the beginning with Bone fighting off some thugs (including Kimbo Slice!) in a memorable way to the ending, the action stuff is fun, is easy to watch (no shaky-cam awful crap), and it looks good too.

Various MMA personalities appear (including Gina Carano, Bob Sapp, and Maurice Smith, along with karate dude and former pro wrestler Ernest “The Cat” Miller) in small but still unobjectionable roles. There’s such quirks as Miller being an out in the open homosexual, to the point that he wears a wig with curlers during his fights. It’s stuff like this that just makes the movie fun. Sure, it’s violent and there’s no lacking in very strong language, but if you enjoy your movies that way, you should particularly enjoy this little gem. Don’t let it going straight to DVD turn you off.

I’ll be back on Friday night with a new review.