Thank you Redbox for so many promo codes (This review was written in 2011. Why so stingy now?). Netflix (DVD) may have had "Arena" (2011) in stock, but with the vast library of suggestions, who knows if I would have come across such a ridiculous feature.
I am familiar with two other films called "(The) Arena". The premise is pretty much the same for each one. They are tales of a person's survival through brutal one-on-one combat. The 1989 (brilliant) low-budget take is about a human fighting aliens and the 2001 use of the title was Timur Bekmambetov's international debut about female Roman gladiators, and after further investigating I found that was a remake of a Roger Corman B-movie from 1974 of the same name. With this history lacking luster (or lack of interest), how can Sony believe this can possibly be a made-for-DVD gem?
Pick Your Three Words: Samuel L. Jackson or Sam "Motherfuck'n" Jackson. Sony proves that I am not the only one to believe there is no such thing as a bad feature from this legendary performer. With the amount that he works, it makes me wonder why there have been any bad movies since 1988.
David Lord has a death wish after losing his pregnant wife in a bizarre traffic collision, (An accident implies no one was at fault.) so he decides to head to Mexico for an endless bender with a $100 bill his only form of currency. If he was not an ex-marine, rugby-playing firefighter, his desired fate would not have any trouble finding him. Ironically, this skill set will not allow him a quick demise.
After being seduced by the mysterious Milla, he is kidnapped by Kaden the Executioner to become the latest warrior for an online TV show called "Death Games" where modern gladiators compete in bouts that are nearly guaranteed to end with at least one fatality. The only problem with his "recruitment" to this underground "sport" is that he has nothing left to fight for. Certain that no one can continue to survive the Arena, the arrogant BMF producer Logan has come up with a means to motivate David.
If David wins 10 fights, he can go free. That is probably the only way he will get a chance to kill Kaden and Logan, so it is not a tough decision to become the most badass meme on the worldwide web.
I was still skeptical about renting "Arena" because for an actor like Jackson who has starred in so much, but avoid made-for-video, it just felt sad to see him make his DVD debut. Fortunately, Sam knows what the market's viewers want and the creative team behind "Arena" is more than willing to accommodate his scene chewing.
Graphic violence and abundant female nudity appeals to minimalistic B-Movie fans, so the subpar acting is easily overlooked. The action sequences are not much to write home about, at least in terms of the action, but the deathmatch concepts they introduce are amusing enough to ignore the other shortcomings. The fights are like "Mortal Kombat" levels. As long as there is a pit to drop the opponent into, clunky combat is forgivable. If these masterful compensations are not enough to amuse you, the sophomoric references to modern classics at least argue that the effort should be appreciated.
How this film still wound up costing $10 million to produce is beyond me. It did not go to the box art.
The low-budget style, clever effects and corner cutting make "Arena" a fun film to experience. I suspect $9 million went to Samuel L. Jackson, and I am comfortable with that. Thank you Sony for giving the most prolific American actor a lifetime achievement award attached to a good, quick flick.
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