Review: Only The Strong

I like Mark Dacascos in everything I've seen him in.  He's brilliant as the Chairman in Iron Chef America.  I loved his cameos in Stargate: Atlantis.  I enjoyed him in The Crow: Stairway To Heaven.  Don't even get me started on my secret love for Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight.

I also really love capoeira, the Brazilian martial art that's all about rhythm, fluidity of movement, and being able to kick someone in the face while upside down.  I love the appearance of the fighting style in movies and television shows (I smiled broadly when it made an appearance in the remake of The Karate Kid), and I'll freely admit it's a lot of fun to play as capoeira fighters when I work up the nerve to play fighting games.

It's not that I don't like playing fighting games, it's that I suck at fighting games.

But with capoeira fighters, it helps that half the time I don't even know what their moves are going to do, making it harder for my opponents to predict my actions, and they're also always a lot of fun to watch as they move.

Some are more fun to watch than others.

So when they take a movie starring Mark Dacascos performing capoeira against a gang whose primary form of street combat is also capoeira...why is it that I come away muttering and wishing I hadn't wasted my time?

Well, because it's a pretty terrible movie, is why.