REVIEW: ‘Blood and Bone’ (2009)

Although Michael Jai White has been acting for over two decades he has never quite kicked his way into the upper echelon of action stars. When SPAWN came out in 1997 it was supposed to bring his style of fighting to the limelight. The movie came out with a PG-13 rating and was a bit watered down, probably not what he hoped for. White’s chance to shine was greeted with many mixed reviews, with several being very negative.

Fast-forward to 2009 and an older, more mature White is a co-producer and star of a new urban tournament action film entitled BLOOD AND BONE. The film also stars Nona Gay and Julian Sands, with several MMA fighters in cameos.

The gritty, no-holds-barred story unfolds with White’s character, Bone, in prison roughing up some thugs sent to bump him off, including MMA star Kimbo Slice. The fighting in this opening sequence is brutal, yet crisp and obviously well planned.

After he gets out of the slammer, Bone finds a place to stay with Tamara, Nona Gaye’s character. Things are not what they seem however. He is at her house for a reason and revealing that would spoil an important plot development.

Gaye’s acting is decent, although she should have been more emotional in the role.

Bone soon meets up with a small-time street fight promoter named Pinball, played with zealous intensity by Dante Basco. He is known mainly for his voice-over work. Bone begins fighting for money, and with Pinball as his promoter, moves up to bigger paydays. Yet the real reason why he is fighting is not yet revealed.

Up to this point the movie plays out like a straight action film with little plot development but it really gets interesting with the introduction of a bigger promoter named James (Eamonn Walker from OZ).

Walker, with a wide array of wit and brutality, mixed in some twisted sophistication that even includes quoting Genghis Khan. His character is in control of a large portion of the street fighting and approaches Bone for a big payday after seeing him beat up one of his big henchman.

The cameos by Kimbo Slice in the prison sequence and Gina Carano on the street fighting action are rather entertaining to watch. Gina might do well in films. She seems to have a relaxed delivery and has a clear speaking voice. Kimbo Slice, while not a trained method actor plays the role of scary evil guy fairly well. Several other MMA fighters and trained martial artists like Bob Sapp, Xingu Rodil, Michelle Lee, and Kumiko Nagano are also peppered throughout this production. This film is strongly recommended for fans of MMA, for that matter, fans of any form of martial arts.

The second half of the movie is filled with action, some longer fight sequences, and a fairly solid twist that finally reveals why Bone is fighting. The action is filmed with a variety of camera angles and the edits are not so quick that it makes focusing on the motion difficult. Fans of a straight, no-wire urban action film will like BLOOD AND BONE.

Although the story concept, plot twist and action were solid the final resolution seemed quick and a bit simplistic. Michael Jai White’s acting is rather unemotional, especially at the end when the story needs the softer sentiment. His fighting is exceptional though. To use an ECW reference, he is “rough, tough, buff, ripped, and jacked!!” He obviously did extensive training for the role and it shows in the intrepid intensity of his fighting. At 41 he looks to be in peak physical form and is even quicker than he was in the ’90s.

The final boss, Franklin McVeigh (played by Julian Sands), is the silence behind the violence. However, he never is given enough screen time and whether it is due to budget restrains or storyline he is never fully explored in the film. This is truly needed in BLOOD AND BONE. Having the big boss not be a fighter is fine if he is given something to do, especially as an intricate part of the plot. This part of the film was a rather glaring detraction on what might have been a four or a five-star production.

Although an urban drama like BLOOD AND BONE usually has an even more limited initial audience than BLOODSPORT had in the ’80s, the film is definitely worth a rent. Ultimately, it should be seen by a wider audience due to the surge in popularity of MMA fighting over the last couple of years.