Forced To Fight (2011)

Fresh and Exciting

Absolutely Fantastic

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Forced To Fight is another one of those underground fight flicks!Another one of those, fighter forced to fight for a family member, flicks!Another typically American MMA action drama!This time, fan favourite Gary Daniels (who has had a few stand out moments in his career) is the lead guy. The fighter with a heart, in probably his best acted role to date.Peter (Robocop) Wellar is the bad guy, and does so convincingly enough, but seems bored in his role.The drama is heavy, the fights are just okay, but Forced To Fight is worth a watch, at least the once.Lets just hope Gary gets back into the Hong Kong style of things before its too late...

Shane Slavin (Daniels) is a former Punchfighter but now shuns violence and works as a humble auto mechanic. When his brother Scotty (Reece) follows in his footsteps and begins underground fighting for ruthless fight promoter Danny G (Weller), he makes a terrible mistake. He begins borrowing against his fight winnings, and soon he owes Mr. G 64,000 dollars. But he can't earn it back because G's goons give him a severe beating. When G approaches Shane about earning the money in lieu of his brother in a "comeback" role, Shane of course says no. Seeing no other way to earn the money, he's then "Forced To Fight". The only problem is, the fight game has become even more brutal since Shane left, and, to compete with younger, stronger fighters, Shane has to train and train to remain in the game. But it begins to negatively affect his personality, and he becomes a jerk to his wife Connie (Weaver) and his son James (Thomas). What with Danny G forcing him to take dives, and even kidnapping his wife and son, the stakes have never been higher for Shane Slavin. But is he truly forced to fight...or does he enjoy it and now he's fighting for his honor and pride? Find out today...It was great to see an older, wiser Gary Daniels. Especially when he can Punchfight with the best of them. But you also care about his character Shane, who goes from a nonviolent mechanic to the guy who gets "in too deep" and his whole demeanor becomes darker. Whether intentional or not, the theme of the film seems to be that the older fighters have more heart. The younger guys might have flashier moves, more bulk, and stupider tattoos, but Shane Slavin refuses to fight dirty and initially is resistant even to MMA-style floor grappling, insisting he's a "stand-up" fighter (in more ways than one). Peter Weller then makes a hilarious remark about how it looks gay anyway.While it is, frankly, amazing that in 2011 Punchfighters of this type are still being made, and we are happy about that, it does kind of make you long for the old days. Probably much like Shane Slavin. Look at a movie like Shootfighter (1992), where fighters had colorful, individual personalities and fighting styles like Boa and Mongoose. Compare that with today where we have a bunch of heartless, soulless, characterless, humorless, merciless thugs as fighters. Screaming fans in the audience no longer hold cash in their hands. Now it's all done on a computer, and rather than clutching their cash, they now clutch their iPhones. Sure, Punchfighters are still being made, but at what cost? The presence of Gary Daniels not only keeps the movie afloat, it highlights and underlines this change of the world to a harsher, less fun reality.If you watch a lot of Punchfighters (and we assume you do if you're reading this site) then plotwise, Forced to Fight is nothing you haven't seen before. It has every single cliché (not meant in a negative way) these movies tend to have. It would be pointless to list them all, because the movie itself is one big cliché. But movies like this are made for fans who want to see them - hence you can actually SEE the fights and there, mercifully, isn't a reliance on quick cuts and nu-metal. That's absolutely to the movie's credit, but you may get "punch fatigue" towards the end if your tolerance for shirtless, hulking men in small shorts wailing on each other isn't super high (i.e. if you are a normal human being).Fortunately, Forced to Fight is, if nothing else, evidence that our beloved Gary Daniels has still got it. That alone makes the movie worth seeing, and the presence of Peter Weller only sweetens the deal. But if some of the things we mentioned earlier turn you off, thanks to the predictability of it all, at least you'll know what to expect going in.

I am not sure what to say about this film. I liked both Gary Daniels and Peter Weller in it, I thought the fight scenes were very well done and I was pretty entertained by it. However the film is bad on so many levels, the plot pretty standard fare, probably something you would have seen a lot in the 80s, Daniels has to fight to pay the debt his brother owes to a underground fight promoter played by Weller.The acting of Daniels' characters wife and child are largely cringe worthy especially the boy. The pacing is very off in the film, you know time has to be passing, but it doesn't feel that way. Daniels decent into his characters fighting addiction is almost so sudden as to be unbelievable as is his abusive way he handles his family after this occurs. Nothing about this part of the film feels genuine and is what really brings the film down.The nail in the coffin comes with when Weller kills the brother needlessly. It doesn't really follow, he has Daniels fighting for him, even got him to take dives. He took Weller's threats seriously, so the murder of the brother does nothing except give Daniels a reason to screw Weller royally which he does.There are other nitpicks here, the big bad fighter at the end isn't really set up well, you never really see him as much of threat and Daniels seems to have an easier time of finishing him then he did the previous fighter. The cop that is investigating the murder seems to have been pulled from the 70s, old style appearance, unkempt appearance, heavy NY accent and all. Then the low budget swat team seen at the end, all black ski mask wearing subjects with handcuffs visible to show they are cops.However even with all the flaws, I was still entertained and in the end that is all a film has to do.

It has been a while since UK Martial Artist Action Star Gary Daniels has headlined a movie in a starring role, but it was worth the wait. After turning in great bad guy performances in Expendables 1 (having one of the most memorable deaths courtesy of a jet Li axe kick to the head), and arch nemesis to Wesley Snipes in Game of Death & Steve Austin in Hunt to Kill, it was time for Gary to return to where he is best. The kick ass action hero bent on revenge (this time for his brother). Set in similar scenario as many bloodsport type events, much of the film is stuff you have seen before and while this could dangerously lead the film to be boring...it isn't. From the start, it is clear all the actors can actually act and Gary turns in a good American accent, father and husband who is "Forced to Fight" to protect his brother. Robocop Peter Weller is a great addition as the main villain "Danny G" who orchestrates the fights and is holding Gary's character to ransom. The story never gets boring, the fights have some great moments (a couple of shots could have chosen better angles) but overall an enjoyable Gary Daniels actioneer for a Friday or Saturday night with the boys. Or in my case with my 3 year old martial arts enthusiast daughter. It isn't the best Gary Daniels film ever, but its great to see Gary Back where he belongs - front & centre of the DVD cover, in video shops as the main star. Out on Video on Demand, Blu Ray and DVD in the US now and other parts of the world to follow.