Damage (2009)

Touches You

good back-story, and good acting

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

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

"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.

Though the plot of DAMAGE has more bends than a deep-sea diver yanked up too soon, most viewers will not be sent to the decompression chamber. Director Jeff F. King does a bang-up job of keeping film spectators aware of who will clobber John Brickner (Steve Austin) next, and why. The only person who will continue out of the loop is John's parole officer (played by Paul Jarrett), who just can't be bothered. 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). Though all this carnage is punctuated by more than a few Biblical references, this isn't exactly THE ULTIMATE GIFT. When a character tries to kill herself, she makes the attempt totally naked, subconsciously aware her husband's killer is the one man who might save her. And sure enough, her homicidal white knight demonstrates no qualms in scooping her up in the buff from the shower stall floor (she's too poor to have a proper bath tub for her final farewell) and carrying her to the slower-arriving EMT's (whom he'd given a head-start via a 9-1-1 call). All in all, DAMAGE should have something to entertain nearly everyone not shocked by the sight of grown men biting each other.

Not to be confused with the Jeremy Irons movie of the same name, this "Damage" is full of hard-hitting fights. (It would be cool to see Irons in a punchfighting movie though. 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. He finds work becoming a bouncer for a dive bar. Reno (Goggins) is a hustler who watches Brickner and invites him to fight in a underground tournament. At first Brickner says no way, but a phone call from the victim's wife asking for $250,000, forces him to fight.Can he fight his way to the top? 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. One of the plot points is that Brickner has 13-inch fists. When he punches once, it breaks a opponents ribcage. The movie forgets what it is. 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! For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

Well, one thing's for certain, this bare-knuckle slugfest lives up to the title..men do indeed damage each other. 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). Veronica demands that John come up with 250,000 dollars, the necessary monetary sum for the heart transplant for her daughter. 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. It won't be easy, that's for sure, as John continues to collect numerous cuts and bruises, while always on the verge of making the appropriate funds needed for the child's heart transplant operation. Reno has his share of financial troubles(he has debts owed to a number of associates), including a huge cash amount he must have soon(150,000)or else his life may be in danger. 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. Donnelly Rhodes is old man Deacon, the one who orchestrates fights and often negotiates bets. With all the plot, and this movie has a dead-serious tone, it's still all about two men beating each other to a bloody pulp. An amusing recurrence is John's visits to his parole officer, each time his face more worse for wear(quite annoyed at the parole officer, John doesn't like how he barely even acknowledges his presence). Veronica's difficult situation is never forgotten in the plot, though, no matter how often we spend with the trio of John, Reno, and Frankie. The filmmakers want us to keep her plight on our minds and hearts. 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.