Ji zhan

If you are an MMA or MA fan, you probably already have a list of favourites. Films like Bloodsport, Kiss of the Dragon, Undefeated 2.

Most well-known films in this category feature an escalating series of fights. The fights are usually the backbone of the film, so to speak.

A few entries try to build a solid backstory, and some even go so far as to make the backstory more important than the fight scenes.

In this last category I would include Blood and Bone, one of my all time faves, and highly recommended.

Unbeatable is in this category. It is mainly backstory with only occasional action. However where it differs from top contenders in this genre is that the fighting and the backstory-arc do not seem connected, they seem at odds. So, no matter how interesting the backstory is (and it is) and no matter how simpatico the characters are (and they are), this film never quite decides just where it is going or just how it is going to get there.

It is nonetheless very well written, very well acted and very well directed. And if you stick it through you will get a "feel good" life lesson as good as any in modern cinema.

Recommended.