The Circuit 2: The Final Punch Reviews

Director Jalal Merhi seems to have learned nothing in his decade as a director, producer, and actor. The numerous fights that are the main draw of an Olivier Gruner film are flat and fake, and seem to be simply staged demonstration fights from some L.A. dojo. Gruner, always a struggling actor when it comes to line readings, convinces no one of his unspeakable rage, which dampens the revenge motif considerably. The finale is an unintentionally hilarious set piece: The nutty warden moves the climactic fight contest to a beach at night, where, lit by tiki lanterns and surrounded by a couple of machine-gun toting prison guards, nicely dressed men and women sit in beach chairs waiting for the fisticuffs among beefy prisoners to take place. Once Dirk Longstreet (Gruner) and Pike (Jim Shagen) begin the finale fight, the prisoners begin to run, causing the guards to begin shooting at the nicely dressed civilians who are fleeing the mayhem. Dirk chases Pike into the darkness, only to be seen in the next shot fighting with him in the surf in broad daylight. But by then you've either given up or found it amusing.