Plustown
A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.
Tayloriona
Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
Billie Morin
This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
bousozoku
I appreciate the thoughts behind this film. It makes points, if you can find them, that need to be seen and said and realized and remembered.Following the story takes strong dedication as the numerous flashbacks injure the story and misdirect the message.Diana Lee Inosanto and Michael O'Laskey II are good but not exactly convincing and they should be. Their fighting is more convincing than their acting.Sab Shimono and Emily Kuroda delivered realistic performances but they were mostly in the background.McClain's female friend needs acting lessons.I admire the take on hate, ignorance, and discrimination.This is definitely the opposite of a Hollywood movie, but that shouldn't kill it. Regardless of the flaws, it's worth watching two or three times to see what's happening. The ideas were worth making into a movie.
carazeb
I had expectations for this film, as I went to see it with members of my dojo, including my Sensei. It explored and broke boundaries in film and in the martial arts. Dealing with AIDS not in a metropolitan area but in a small town, racial barriers, genders in the martial arts (an issue that is still very prevalent), and sexuality are all here. Though the film takes place in the 80's, it has a timeliness to what is happening in the US today. Problems aren't completely solved here. But The Sensei gives us an idea of where we can start to go without turning into a Lifetime movie. And it does look great. Made by people who give a damn about what they're doing, instead of worrying about the paycheck.
jason-gould
I am a martial arts instructor in Boston, MA. I just watched this movie with a group of my adult students. I was very pleased with the film, it's ambition, and Ms. Innosanto's vision to make a martial arts movie that represented the best the martial arts have to offer. The film gracefully takes on some very tough subjects: racism, social phobias, bullying, the challenges of family dynamics, and more. Well written and beautifully shot, this is a great film for anyone looking for a martial-arts-themed movie that goes beyond its genre of "punching and kicking" to get at the "battles" of real life. I loved this movie, and strongly recommend it to anyone interested in martial arts, community activism, and social change. Remarkable effort -- I would strongly recommend this film be used as a tool for teaching respect and tolerance in martial arts clubs, religious organizations, social groups, and even schools!
Angel27090
This was a great movie, it really depicted the way things were in the 80's. The story was a amazing it is so easy to get lost in the script. The ending really does bring the movie together. It movie gets better every minute, you spend the whole time wanting to know the characters and what is going to happen to them. It is an amazing movie, I can't wait until the movie is out on DVD so I can have my own copy that I can watch whenever I want. It is truly an amazing film, it is defiantly one of the bet movies that I have seen in a long time. I would love for this movie to be show in the theaters in a wide release or at least in a limited release.
