Audience Member
"Bullied into an accident that leaves him near death, depressed foster teen Ben's recovery process is slow, until he meets Taekwondo Master Kang, who not only coaches him back up on his feet, but also inspires and teaches him how to take charge of his own life."
Venturing into the production of a martial arts film that doesn't fall into the action genre is a risky undertaking. Compound that risk by producing a martial arts film that tells the story of a bullied, orphaned youth and his Taekwondo Master, without being compared to "The Karate Kid". To make the risk exponential, eliminate any "bad guys", "Rival Dojangs", or over the top caricatures. The foundation has all the elements, if handled improperly, to turn the film into a campy, martial arts cliche'. Not "I Can, I Will, I Did". This film is very powerful and enjoyable.
This independent film, now available from Random Media and 408 Films, and Directed by Nadine Truong, tells the powerful story of a bullied, orphaned boy's (Mike Faist) struggle to overcome a tragic accident and his friendship with a sage Taekwondo Master (Grandmaster Ik Jo Kang).
The film's characters and plot are moving and realistic. Taekwondo is portrayed in a very tangible and realistic way as more than just kicking and punching. The use of Taekwondo, and the wisdom of a traditional Taekwondo master, as the vehicle to transform the physical and personal character of the film's star is inspiring and personally meaningful to anyone that has experienced its transformative powers in their own life.
One of things that I loved about the film, without giving anything away, is that there is no portrayal of Taekwondo as a magic wand to instantly transform one's life. Similarly, it adeptly memorializes that a path to a goal, whether that goal is recovery, earning a black belt, or other achievement is not always a linear path. Like life, the road to a goal can be difficult and treacherous. The value of Taekwondo, as highlighted by the film, is that it provides the foundation, the reinforcement and the roadmap to overcoming adversity inside and out of the Dojang.
I highly recommend this film. It would be a great Dojang "Movie Night" film to watch and discuss asa group-especially for the teen age Taekwondo students.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/13/23
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Audience Member
As a martial art practitioner for quite some time, I was interested in seeing what it was about. It is an Amazon video, so it was undoubtedly an independent effort. It was heavily supported and acted in by a legitimate Taekwondo/Hapkido instructor, so the info contained was certainly accurate.
Plot-wise, it is a film that focuses on people overcoming injury-based disabilities, but it also has a philosophical sub-context that those of us in the traditional arts will certainly recognize and endorse. It strives to be inspirational, and that makes it OK. I don't know that it will attract a sizeable audience.
Performance-wise, the acting and production values were certainly workable. It is not really an artistic movie. Despite action sequences, it is not very exciting. It could be of interest to martial artists, but I am not sure that it has "legs" for the general population. Nevertheless, it is watchable, but probably not a "must see."
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/16/23
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Audience Member
This movie is a hidden gem. With all the big budget junk coming out of Hollywood it is hard to find a movie that is smart and engaging. This is not exactly a martial arts movie, although that is the manner in which the plot is delivered. We are introduced to a young man who is broken. A TaeKwonDo Master and his grand daughter restore his soul, but in their own way, they are broken too. And so now the patient becomes the healer.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/23/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The story line was great, but started slow. As it gained momentum, bullying showed its ugly head, but learning life lessons for all kicked in well. The morals to never give up, be better than you think you can be, and forgiveness, brought closure to a lost soul👍🏾👍👍🏿👍🏼👍🏽🙏
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/23/23
Full Review
corkball
This is a really touching film about a kid who is bullied until he ends up in a hospital. There he meets a wheelchair bound girl with a spunky attitude and her Taekwando instructor grandfather, who help him find purpose and strength again. Yes, there are a bunch of tropes on display here - 'upbeat teens in a hospital', the Mr Miyagi thing, the happy go lucky rainbow foster family. But the film stays on target and lets the story unfold without falling in to these ruts. You would think that being a martial arts film, it would end with a beat down, but that is not how things turn out. The only things I would ding are 1) the movie just kind of ends on what feels like an impossibly upbeat note 2) while there are some really good performances, some of the supporting cast come off woodenly. I got the feeling the grandfather was a real grandmaster who was asked to act, vs the other way around like Pat Morita.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This movie was awful. I watched on a transatlantic flight. The acting was horrible. The dialog was awkward and lame. The plot was predictable and trite. Honestly, this moving was so bad, I wondered if it was a Christian movie. The one redeeming thing about the film was that it was not a Christian movie.
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
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