Blood and Bone

An action film built around underground fighting. Bone is a man just out of prison. He arrives in Los Angeles and goes straight into the illegal fight scene. He talks to nobody, does not take the money he wins, and keeps climbing. His purpose is not stated. What becomes clear later is that he made a promise to a friend who died inside, and the whole climb exists to put him in front of one particular man. The film does not lean much on story; its real work is the fighting. The choreography is direct and legible; camera movement and cutting show the blow rather than hiding it. That choice separates it from most direct-to-video productions of its period. Michael Jai White plays Bone; he holds ranks in several martial arts and worked directly on staging the sequences. Eamonn Walker plays the man opposite him. Ben Ramsey directed. It had no wide theatrical release and built its reputation through video and digital distribution. A well-made example within its genre for anyone who likes martial arts films. For a viewer looking for narrative depth, the script is simple and the characters are limited to their functions.