A well made pseudo-documentary with engaging characters and some great fighting sequences.
Director and protagonist James Boss takes us to Seoul, Korea to accompany him while he looks for Colosseum, an underground fight club running in the dark web. So many enticing words 'brutal', 'fight club', 'secret society' are thrown onto the screen but what hooked me as an audience is the moment when James faces the camera and says that he is making this document to show the world what it really means to pursue a dream. All on a sudden I'm not looking at cool, dangerous, looking-for-trouble individuals from a distance. I'm looking at relatable people with dreams and ambitions which might differ in nature but ignite similar feelings in all of us.
We are introduced to the other main characters Abel, Pedro and Eric three beginners and under the semi-leadership of James they make a great team as they look after one another, cheer for each other and try to make sure no one is left behind. Seeing these four likable characters training together and bonding over the same experiences was such a joy to watch I already had no problem rooting for them from the very beginning when they booked their first fight to the end. It was also very satisfying to see some of the moves picked up on the training by our heroes being used effectively in the fights.
The movie is well paced. The camera doesn't linger on a serious shot to squeeze an extra layer of emotion out of the viewers or doesn't cut away quickly from an action sequence before our curiosity is satisfied. There's this perfect imperfections and awkward humor carried out in the dialogues which any good documentary-style movie is known for as well as the raw dialogue-delivery. It also has room for short but compelling speeches scattered throughout the movie. One of the inspiring moments comes from an opponent character Sammy when she narrates what makes her keep rising up and keep fighting. All actors managed to give great performances in both dramatic scenes and the action scenes. Speaking of 'Action' -
The movie does an amazing job with all its fight sequences. It has no problem showing violent imagery to signify the brutal nature of lawless fights. The shaky cam uncharacteristically doesn't bother. The low light effects and shadowy places also add to the visual storytelling instead of hiding details out of the screen. The stakes rises with each fight as our protagonists has to win from bigger fighters each time with much more to lose.
But the biggest swing this new life took was probably at their souls which goes for any other participator of the secret dark web society. The story takes a depressing turn and that doesn't surface out of nowhere. From the beginning we see how some people only live for the internet. We see fighters over sale themselves to attract bidders. We see some to be at their worst as the dark web allows them to be. We see how far the attention-addicts can go until it's too late for them to return. Eventually it takes a toll on our protagonists externally and internally something they weren't prepared for.
The movie still ends on an inspiring note. It shows that the biggest achievement in any journey is not the destination but the experience we gain and the relationships we build along the way. If we can hold onto them as lifelong treasures we can walk away from any devastating state we got ourselves into in the process.
I'm very much looking forward to the next project James Boss has to offer. If that's anything on the level of Money Fight it will be a great delight.
