Ring Girls (Video 2005)

Ring Girls: Directed by Jennifer Ferrara, Thomas Weber. With Gina Carano, Ardra Hernandez, Lisa King, LaTasha Marzolla. Five American women who practice Muay Thai boxing are to prove themselves to their trainer Master Toddy if they are to go to Thailand and fight against some of the best Thai female Muay Thai boxers. It is a clash of West versus East.

“This is one of those films I stumbled upon, rather than deliberately setting out to watch. Being a life long martial artist myself, I have for many years been disappointed by the lack of real passion in female combat sports. However, Ring Girls was one of those rarities whereby the level of skill and aggression displayed by the participants is clearly evident. The u0026quot;docufilmu0026quot; follows five American girls through their preparation to fight in Thailand against opponents who have grown up with the discipline of Muay Thai. The odds donu0026#39;t look good but itu0026#39;s obvious from the start that these girls arenu0026#39;t just playing around.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film itself was a little contrived, and dare I say u0026quot;cheeseyu0026quot;, at times with Karate Kid moments that made me cringe a little. Fighting leaves on a tree was one particular scene that springs to mind along some of the narration and Master Toddyu0026#39;s motivational talks. However, none of the u0026quot;castu0026quot; being actors, it was obvious that some scenes had been set up to complete the telling of the story.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eActors, NO… Fighters, YES… And the fighting and preparation was the main point of the film. Weu0026#39;re not looking at awards for acting ability – this is after all a documentary – but rather the total dedication and commitment of the girls featured. In regards to this, the utmost respect is due. The intensity of the training sessions and fight sequences was greatly enhanced by the editing techniques and although none of the fights are shown in full, the camera work and integrated u0026quot;matrix styleu0026quot; slow motion contact shots will have you right in amongst the action, feeling every punch, kick and elbow. For this alone I must commend the film makers. Simple, yet very effective.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll in all, well worth a look. Itu0026#39;s one of the few occasions Iu0026#39;ve taken female fighters seriously and with good reason. This is the real deal, with girls at the top of their game.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOn a personal note: If Gina Carano would like to come round some time and beat the living daylights out of me then Iu0026#39;d be more than happy to take the punishment. Surely, itu0026#39;s not right to be both stunningly gorgeous and as hard as nails… but Iu0026#39;m glad she is.”