A_Different_Drummer This was a controversial production in 2014, an MMA film out of a country that specializes in bad sequels, Lifetime movies, and every bad X-Mas movie you have ever seen.It was ambitious for its humble beginnings, casting the usual Canadian unknowns -- the sole exception being Michael Biehn, one of the Godfathers of the Canadian film industry -- and throwing in some cameos of top MMA fighters.The controversy even spread to the IMDb where, at the time of release, it appeared that the first reviews were front-loaded by first-time-reviewers (reviewers with only 1 review to their name) who could only gape in wonder at the excellence of the film....? So, on a second viewing, I say look beyond the controversy and, in spite of a few fails here and there, you will find one of the most satisfying MMA films in recent memory, an unusual but oddly comfortable mix of Karate Kid and Death Wish.Way under-rated by the critics, props should be given for a script which (like my all-time fave, WARRIOR) knows how to build and build and build without ever getting in its own way.Here is the unvarnished truth -- while everyone loves MMA - duh! -- there are very few films in that genre that this reviewer can recommend.This is one of them. Catch it if you can.

The_Phantom_Projectionist Direct-to-video MMA films have always been an easy target. While MMA has long since captured the mainstream, more traditional karate and kickboxing flicks have metaphorically beaten the small screen cage fighter to the ground and kicked him as he lay. TAPPED OUT shows that the subgenre is finally getting to its feet, ready to be taken seriously. Despite the film's occasionally ridiculous narrative decisions and other shortcomings, I am genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. This is a serious coming-of-age story with a martial arts theme, and I definitely recommend it.The story: A maladjusted teenager (Cody Hackman) working off his community service at a local karate dojo embarks on a quest to confront the murderer of his parents (Krzysztof Soszynski).There are many reasons that this movie might have failed, not limited to its curious casting and status as a KARATE KID knockoff, but it perseveres. At first glance, Cody Hackman appears to be your average prettyboy but turns out to be a real-life competitor who delivers an strong performance as a steadily-improving martial artist. His sensei is played, of all people, by old Michael Biehn, and Biehn somehow manages to be 100% convincing as an instructor. The screenplay the two of them act out is also to its film's credit: the journey of the main character is refreshingly nuanced, with significant victories and setbacks throughout that are not directly tied to the buildup of the ending. Different forces pull him in different directions in a lifelike manner, and even when the movie resorts to moments of clichéd stupidity, these are at least grounded in logic. Stupid decisions are addressed in an almost self-aware manner by the script, and traditional martial arts are not downplayed.Like most movies marketed as MMA flicks, there is some disappointment in the false advertising of TAPPED OUT: UFC megastars Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida are prominently featured on the DVD cover, but are in the film for only ten minutes. Additionally, the ground & pound fight scenes are not about to outdo the likes of NINJA II's. With that said, the brawls are still a solid highlight of the film. Admirably foregoing slow motion and featuring decent editing, the dozen fights are at worst bearable and at best downright exciting. The choreography is far from ground-breaking – there's some intricate grappling, but that's it – yet the pace and dramatic components of the fights are admirable. I found myself actually holding my breath during some of the later matches simply because the filmmakers did such a good job of making them such close contests between characters I had invested in.There is no guarantee that traditional fight fans will enjoy this as much as me, and even I teetered on whether to give this a lower rating simply because it wouldn't matter to me if I never saw Cody Hackman in a martial arts movie again. While it may not have rewatch value, this action-drama is worth at least a single viewing and will probably do the trick for general martial arts devotees and MMA nuts alike. Rent it!

danielwriter37 The movie all and all is what is to be expected. It's the typical David (good guy) Goliath (bad guy)story that many fight movies seem to emulate. There is two HUGE things in my opinion that prevented me from given this at least a 7. 1. The antagonist is HUGE compared to the main character. I guess it is plausible after all the training the guy a third of his size could win but not in dragged out fight. Not in a million years. It honestly looked like a typical high school student versus a WWE wrestler. They could of had the same affect and made it more realistic by not having the size difference as drastic. It just seems to obvious to me (David versus Goliath on crack). I would of had the antagonist his size or maybe a few weight classes higher than him. A guy doesn't have to look like a WWE wrestler to be intimidating. My second major critique is the fact that he's bound and determined to beat up the guy who killed his parents. He barely even attempts to contact the police and in the end its all good because he won the fight yet the bad guys not in jail. Not that the antagonist knows that the protagonist knows he killed his parents wouldn't he later go after the main character. The plot was basically someone kills my parents when I'm 12 and seven years later I win the fight and all is forgiven. The acting wasn't too bad and some of the screen writing was a little dry. Overall it was decent but those two facts I pointed out really destroyed this movie for me.

danjameswilson Bad to OK, but could have been good... there's hope for the plot.Too many places in the film where you think, NOOO, stop being daft, develop a decent background and continue.Example, skinny kid with little training is going to ever beat an established MMA fighter (this side of a barrel) nope, but serious HEAD damage to both, YES! The kid has SERIOUS anger against this guy, so he would be willing to break his body to win... so let's see it, full on impact, evasive action, ALL head shots (where there is F' all muscle development),.. but to overpower this guy, NO!! it would NEVER happen.Would have been good, if the development of a VERY small chance of winning would have been explored fully. Othererwise, looks daft.