Art of Submission
Art of Submission
PG-13 | 21 September 2012 (USA)
Art of Submission Trailers

Johnny Sanchez has a troubled past which manifests in the dissonance between him and his family, particularly with his father and son. As Johnny gets released from prison, his father's garage is going to be shut down. The only way to save it is to fight in the Red Canvas tournament, an MMA event. Amidst preparing for an opponent who can't be defeated, Johnny must deal with the turmoil of his family and answer for mistakes of the past.

Reviews
Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
Leofwine_draca ART OF SUBMISSION is a dull drama detailing mixed martial arts fighting in an urban setting. The main character is played by Ernie Reyes Jr. as a tough fighter desperate to make a name for himself but who finds his life spiralling out of control after making some difficult choices. Finding himself in prison, he befriends the warden who has him released so that he can take part in some televised fighting contests.There's little more plot to it than that, and indeed the narrative exists merely to feature a string of fighting scenes. An early multi-participant brawl in a garage is the highlight here, although there's a whole bunch of MMA fights at the climax. Unfortunately, the fights are very poorly filmed in an ugly style, all quick editing and cross cutting, so that it's very difficult to tell whether any of the participants are truly skilled or not.This film wants to be NEVER BACK DOWN but doesn't come close. A bunch of seasoned performers make appearances, including a typically weary Ving Rhames who seems to appear in any old thing. '90s B-movie favourite Matthias Hues appears in support but doesn't really get to do much while George Takei makes no impact as the clichéd master villain. Maria Conchita Alonso, of THE RUNNING MAN fame, plays the hero's mother.
doc_old55 I am rarely tempted to review a movie, but in this case I am willing to stick my neck out.Although this movie had me watching until the end, it was with a good deal of frustration. I am a one-time martial artist and a keen fight spectator, and in my opinion, the fight scenes in this movie were not (for the most part) up to snuff. I'm not saying that the fighters were amateurs, it was the choreography that annoyed me. Many of the moves and techniques seemed to be used simply for the looks, and not for authenticity. Without going into specifics (I don't want to give away spoilers) the were a lot of very poor choices of hold/grapple/blow that you simply would not see in real competition. The very experienced Ernie Reyes Sr. dropped the ball on this one.Another bug-bear was the music being that it was way too loud in some places, actually drowning out the dialogue, and inappropriate in other places.Having said all that, I thought the acting was good for the most part, and in particular one scene featuring John Savage and Ki Reyes (Oscar), which had my partner tearing up.In summary, I would not recommend this for anyone who just wants to see an MMA movie, and also not for the hard of hearing:) I'd rather rent 'Redbelt' or 'Never back down'.
jackmeat Submission, err, Red Canvas or Art of Submission released in 2009, or 2012, or, oh, forget it, all the same movie. This is a MMA action/drama movie centering around the plight of a young adult who wants to train to be a mixed martial arts star. Of course, he is in troubled times and the movie attempts to juggle the action with the drama but falls short on it. The tempo switching in this movie is often too random to hold the audiences attention, while debating if this is a tear-jerker, or just a beat 'em up flick. The fighting sequences at times are very well done, and other times, just plain silly. Ernie Reyes Jr. does a decent job acting as the main character, often being forced to shift gears from a apprehensive heavy to a sentimental person of the film quite quickly. Ving Rhames (big fan of) plodded through this movie, seemingly unconvinced of why he was there. I may have been a bit more sold on this movie had it not been the length of it. By the films finale, I just felt more or less like "get it over already" so I will. 3.9/10
Kenneth Chamitoff As real as it gets... Real Fighters, Exceptional Full Contact choreography by the legendary Ernie Reyes, Sr. A compelling and meaningful storyline carried by wonderful performances. Ernie Reyes Jr. is awesome. UFC Fight considered the fights "Top Notch." Others give the film's story and direction a "Black Belt." Over 1600 martial arts school owners who screened the film in Orlando gave it great reviews. Won 'Best Picture" at the action on Film Festival... Finally, a martial arts movie made by martial artists, for martial artists... People who have seen it as crushed and streamlined download through pirate internet sites don't have a fair representation by which to criticize the picture or sound mix... Watch it legitimately on the big screen, then make your comments... True MMA fans, fighters, and Martial Artists love it, and that makes me proud of the incredible team that put this project together. Great Work!