Well, one thing's for certain, this bare-knuckle slugfest lives up to the title..men do indeed damage each other. World Wrestling Entertainment's pro wrestling icon Stone Cold Steve Austin both deals out and is on the receiving end of damage. Stone Cold stars as a recently released convict, John Brickner, out on parole after serving time for manslaughter(we later learn it was self-defense), given a new found freedom thanks to the victim's widow, Veronica(solid, heartfelt performance by Lynda Boyd). Veronica demands that John come up with 250,000 dollars, the necessary monetary sum for the heart transplant for her daughter. After working both as a construction worker and bouncer, John meets Reno Paulsaint(Walton Goggins)through the waitress, Frankie(the lovely Laura Vandervoot), at the bar which he is employed. Reno is on the inside of an underground fighting circuit and can arrange for John to be introduced as a new participant. Reno, however, needs to build John's credibility, and through a series of hard fought, and brutal, fights might just be able to get him in on the big-money brawls. It won't be easy, that's for sure, as John continues to collect numerous cuts and bruises, while always on the verge of making the appropriate funds needed for the child's heart transplant operation. Reno has his share of financial troubles(he has debts owed to a number of associates), including a huge cash amount he must have soon(150,000)or else his life may be in danger. A secret in regards to Frankie is revealed eventually(it is established that the major money debt Reno must pay concerns Frankie)and a certain act on John's part in how he saved a no-good boss' life after firing him for no reason both play a hand in the tumultuous cyclical process of coming close to achieving the ultimate goal set at the beginning of the film: the struggle to get the money John needs and the hurdles he must overcome in order to do so. Donnelly Rhodes is old man Deacon, the one who orchestrates fights and often negotiates bets. With all the plot, and this movie has a dead-serious tone, it's still all about two men beating each other to a bloody pulp. An amusing recurrence is John's visits to his parole officer, each time his face more worse for wear(quite annoyed at the parole officer, John doesn't like how he barely even acknowledges his presence). Veronica's difficult situation is never forgotten in the plot, though, no matter how often we spend with the trio of John, Reno, and Frankie. The filmmakers want us to keep her plight on our minds and hearts. I saw several similarities to the Jean Claude Van Damme action flick, Lionheart, also about a stoic hero with a kind heart who finds himself in violent full-contact underground fights with muscular behemoths.