Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Hayleigh Joseph This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

brchthethird I honestly don't know where to start with this one. It took me two tries to get through it, as the first 20 minutes nearly put me to sleep (on second thought, maybe I shouldn't watch these so late at night...). Whatever, in any case the filmmakers seemed to have a few things they wanted to say with PIT FIGHTER, but much of the "message" (if one can call it that) is blunted by not really explaining anything and massive imbalance in the narrative threads that would have fleshed out exactly what we were supposed to divine from this poorly edited mess of an action film. It's also bookended by a couple of Bible quotes that have something to do with the scenes they immediately precede/follow, but little else (in my estimation).The basic plot is that a mysterious man who nearly died in a shootout and has memory loss gets taken under the wing of a low level criminal in the Mexican mafia (Steven Bauer, SCARFACE). He discovers/remembers a talent for fighting, and so he starts participating in underground kickboxing matches for money. All the while he has memories of a woman he loved and thought dead, but things change when he sees her one night after a fight.As messy and cheap as the film is, it's not all for nothing. There is a decent amount of kickboxing action, and brutal action at that. There was one scene with a guy's eyeball hanging out of his skull, which was kind of cool. I also thought that the overall pacing of the fight sequences was adequate so that the overly ponderous narrative never got too much to take. The best action scene is probably the final shootout between the titular "fighter" and what I'm guessing was the Mexican mafia. You get to see him mow through all of these guys, often using their own weapons against them, and then resorting to a sword that he brought with him. The gunplay and sword-fighting was a nice changeup from the brawling that came before it.Where the film misses is about everywhere else. They tried to make the main character, Jack (as we learn late into the film), into some religious nut. He allows opponents to "show off" by beating him up before knocking them out. He donates his winnings to a local priest (from Ireland? The ethnic makeup of the cast was head-scratching at times. Was everyone except the mafia an immigrant or living there temporarily?). He also has visions of the Virgin Mary that aren't explained (except kind of at the end where the actual person he's been seeing is named). It was all rather weird, and the last minute revelations/memories he has about his forgotten past smacked of narrative convenience, i.e., to add an extra wrinkle to the final conflict.Another issue is the major subplot regarding Jack's girlfriend(?) Marianne, who turns out to be some university professor-turned-revolutionary stealing from the mafia in order to fund antigovernment rebels (or something like that). The story of an amnesiac who remembers his past and then confronts it would have been sufficient, in my opinion. But, I guess the filmmakers thought since it was set in a Central American country they might as well throw in some half-baked subplot about the very real political and social turmoil in the region...without any nuance, of course.As for the other elements, the acting was generally poor. The best actor was Steven Bauer (of SCARFACE fame), but even it seemed like he was phoning it in. The oddest of the cast had to have been the "doctor" who patches Jack up at the beginning. He had these weird mannerisms and speech pattern that was really off-putting. It also didn't help that his dialogue didn't seem based in reality (I know the filmmakers weren't medical experts, but come on, they could have researched a little bit). The cinematography was decent for a low-budget movie, with the occasional shot that looked like it could be part of a TV documentary, but the washed-out look was kind of depressing and just emphasized how cheap-looking everything was. Camera-work was OK, I guess, but nothing special.Overall, I would say that only those with the lowest of standards would possibly get any enjoyment out of this. It had the potential to be laughably bad, but the tone and look would make it hard to have fun with a drinking game, were someone inclined to make one out of this. Basically, this wasn't worth my time and it probably won't be worth yours either.

cwc-8 After reading some of the other reviews posted on this website I was not so sure what to expect of this movie, but I was blown away. I don't know if I'm looking at a different version of the film, but the ending I saw on the Fox Canadian DVD I purchased, had a very effective shoot-out at the end, not only does the lead character get shot during the gun- fight, but he is riddled with gunfire at the end, just blasted to pieces, I totally wasn't expecting it. The guy sacrificed himself to let the revolutionary couple get away . For a presumably low budget action movie this is some lofty idealism, I guess this could be why some of the user reviews are mixed. The moral might be, that it is wiser to be less high minded with your story if you are going to title it "Pit Fighter." Back to the my review, the film certainly delivers on the action front, the fighting seems authentic enough, violent, bloody. I really liked the shoot out by the trucks, all in all the acting is solid. The lead is believable, kinda scary, and Steven Bauer, well, this guy really delivers in this movie. where has he been? The guy is awesome, just riveting, I was moved by what was obviously a very personal performance. I almost feel like apologizing to the Dutch reviewer, who can't spell very well, but this film was very entertaining, the Dutch version must have been very different to mine, because i just don't see how he formed his opinion. I am recommending this film and not just to fight fans, of which I'm not, but to film fans, this is a film with a lot more going for it than the violent fight scenes. One of the other reviewer's mentions "Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" , high praise indeed-- this film is similar in tone to that one, and that film has it's critics. Less informed perhaps, less worldly wise, but more important than the pulpy title prepares you for.

penanceangel The movie's first scene will give you more of an idea of what I'm talking about. The film opens up to images of a South American underground fight club. The crowd is warmed up to the violence by chained dogs snarling and lashing out, held just out of range by their collars. A feeling of routine is pervasive in something we might find abhorrent. Money exchanges hands. The kind of music you'd expect from a Rodriguez film begins, but the tone instead is slightly mournful. All the while, fleeting scenes of the fighters parading towards the ring, heads covered and bowed, become the primary focus. It's fight night, and the crowd wants blood. The battle is part Ultimate Fighting Championship, part Bloodsport riff, but it's well put together, and well shot. Brutal, violent, and quick. A pile of money goes to victor's trainer, and they walk out as they came in. All in a night's work for a pit fighter.The director didn't have to do that, he could have made a decent fight flick and left it at that. But the quality filming and the unusual little editions is what will keep me watching the people behind this film. I'll be looking up their earlier work as well. I'm afraid the film isn't great, though, just better than average, a garnet in the rough, so to speak. Look it up when you're in the mood for a little hard hitting action but aren't into the Hong Kong style.

movieman_kev Jack (Dominique Vandenberg) gets amnesia after a bullet in the head almost kills him. Five years later, still haunted by dreams and visions of a woman he loved in his previous life even while attempting to stay the top pit fighter, his past catches up to him. However he might not like what he remembers. Writer/Director Jesse Johnson made a film that looked significantly better then his meager budget would suggest. The fights are pretty brutal and well choreographed. The story while not the most original one is serviceable enough and while this is the sole film that I've seen or heard of Dominique Vandenberg, I can already tell that a more interesting actor to watch then, say, Don "the Dragon' Wilson. Now on to hunting down Vandenberg's "The Honorable" which I've heard great things about. the film is not without a few flaws, but I found it entertaining even if the ending comes across as more than a tad bit silly. Oh and Steven Bauer's the best he's been since "Gleaming the Cube" in this one.My Grade: B-Eye Candy: Adult film actor, Aspen Stevens, gets topless as well as shows her ass