Holy wow I forgot how good this movie is. Chiwetel Ejiofor was in tip top acting shape here. David Mamet knocked it out of the park here in this very low scale focused film about a man who teaches survival through the medium of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He wants to maintain honor and integrity but the world is at odds with him. He doesn't see the struggle but the struggle finds him anyway. A conspiracy targets him until he's forced, for survival, to fight for competition.

This isn't an action heavy fighting film like _Never Back Down_ instead this is a well written drama. There are jaded promoters who don't care who they screw over for a buck and there are loyal members of Mike's little family of martial arts who have deeper motivations that you might expect in a movie about a fighter. It all boils over to an emotionally effecting ending that had me at the edge of my seat metaphorically.. again.