Life After Fighting movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Life After Fighting

This dramatic movie is now available on Amazon Prime Video and Fandango at Home.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 2 hours 0 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: A-

IN A NUTSHELL:

A martial arts instructor is confronted with the disappearance of two of his students, leading him into a direct confrontation with a group of international child traffickers. Bren Foster directed the movie, wrote the movie, and also stars in it. He’s got what it takes to be a big star with that cute Ozzie accent, strong bod, ruggedly handsome face, and more. You can tell this was a passion project.

Kudos to the entire cast and crew!

THINGS I LIKED:

We see some fantastic mixed martial arts moves. Believe it or not, Bren Foster and his stunt team are so incredibly quick that no CGI was used and they didn’t speed up any of the fight scenes. It’s all real! Bren’s double round-house kicks are crazy impressive. Set your clock for the 1 hour 50 minute mark for a totally awesome move by Bren!
I’m not a big fan of bloody violence, but I enjoyed watching the scumbag pedophiles get their butts kicked because they deserved that and so much more.
Believe it or not, I actually have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. I took classes with some of my sons. One of my sons is still actively working out at a studio that specializes in mixed martial arts.
I had never seen Bren Foster before. How did I miss him? He’s terrific and the newest heartthrob on the block.
The rest of the cast is terrific too and includes Cassie Howarth, Luke Ford, and the young Anthony Nassif.
The soundtrack is good. Bren Foster is multi-talented and wrote the lyrics to the song “The Last Dance”.
One of the children offers to buy someone an ice cream cone, so she says, “It’s my shout.” I had never heard that expression before. I guess that’s how they say “It’s my treat” in Australia.
Poppin soundtrack. Do people still say that? Ha ha
The sound effects team did an impressively effective job with bone-crunching sounds and other crazy effects. The blood and gore team made everything look very realistic.
I figured the abducted kids would be rescued in a blaze of kicking glory, but it’s more than just that.
Bren Foster, Keanu Reeves, and Jake Gyllenhaal could join forces and make quick work of rescuing children from the sex trade, right?
I was happy that Bren’s character didn’t fall for a plastic princess, but instead, he went for a hard-working, responsible, single mother…who happened to also be cute.
As if Bren Foster didn’t already prove he’s one incredible guy, he dedicated the movie to his mom. Awww.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

I hate shaky cam. We see that a lot during the close-up scenes.
The title made me laugh because the protagonist still does a LOT of fighting after his professional career. Ha ha
It drives me nuts when characters make really dumb choices.
A bad guy drops a gun but no one went for it. Really? That’s easier to use than kicks and punches. Ha ha
I was worried that some of the fight sequences would begin to look the same, but eventually, there was some.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Profanity, including F-bombs
We see a lot of fighting (martial arts).
Bloody, brutal violence (bad guys who deserved it)
Bullying
Talk of suicide
Several girls are kidnapped
We see a man cut off someone’s bloodied finger

THEMES:

Self-defense
Self-control
Parenting
Divorce
Mixed Martial Arts
Moving forward in life
Child Trafficking & Kidnapping

FUNNY LINES:

“I should have told you, don’t fall because I will laugh.” – Alex Faulkner (Bren Foster)
“There’s nothing I could ever say or do to thank you enough.” – Alex’s brother-in-law “You don’t have to say anything. You’re family.” – Alex (Bren Foster)