Life After Fighting – An Indie Surprise

Life After Fighting, like its star/filmmaker Bren Foster, seemingly came out of nowhere but has slowly but surely been building buzz through word of mouth online among action movie fans. This micro budget indie is a pure showcase for Foster, an Australian martial artist and actor who writes, directs, stars and even does the action choreography on the film. The story follows retired mixed martial arts champion Alex Faulkner (Bren Foster) who found himself stepping away while at the top of his game in favor for a simpler life that now saw him running a martial arts school.

The first half of the film is a patient, episodic look at Alex’s…life after fighting, with numerous little plot threads coming and going in his daily life. A current martial arts champion trying to bring Alex back into the fold for a fight to prove his worth, a budding romance with the single mother of one of his students, her abusive ex, and other happenings around the school. When two of his students are kidnapped, Alex finds himself in the centre of a child trafficking operation close to home, drawing him back into the fight to put those martial arts skills to good use. To claim that the final 40 minutes (compromised of wall to wall fights) is some of the best, most hard hitting and cleanest martial arts fight choreography of the last few years would not be an exaggeration.

The film’s extended running time (running a hair over 2-hours) can and does come across as a tad excessive, making the buildup to the big blowout a fairly lengthy sit. While the dramatic beats are overly plotted in the way many debut films fall prey to, the beating heart and passion behind the project help smooth over any bumps in the road. Life After Fighting‘s existence is a mini miracle, a film that would not exist were it not for Foster’s desire to give himself the starring vehicle opportunity he never had (and judging from this, certainly deserved to). Not trying to oversell the dramatic plot of this story, as it ultimately does still reside in many of the traditions of direct to VOD action fare, but it hits its beats effectively and with far more patience and care than many of its contemporaries.

That long, patient buildup, however, has an immensely satisfying payoff that makes it all worthwhile with 40 minutes of straight ass-kicking. The first half peppers in some brief action but it’s nothing compared to the no holds barred brutality that Foster unleashes on the army of traffickers for its finale. The speed and precision which he dispatches his punches and kicks is incredible to behold, with impressively varied choreography that consistently makes creative use of its limited geography (much of the film takes place in and around the dojo) and camerawork that clearly and energetically captures the action. If one were just to rate the third act blowout, Life After Fighting would earn top marks, for it is a stunning showcase of action filmmaking made all the more impressive by its indie roots.

In the end, Life After Fighting is indie filmmaking at its purest, the kind of project that inspires one to go and make their own opportunities, to create. It’s one of the bigger surprises of the year, truly popping up out of nowhere and delivering some of the finest action many will see in years. A big recommend for all action movie fans.

*still courtesy of Vertical Entertainment*

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Alex Josevski

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