I was sceptical at first because straight to video martial arts films tend to scream 'rubbish' from the front cover all the way to the final credits. But this film is certainly different. The story is beautifully basic and uncomplicated, yet never seems too simplistic or rehashed. A biomechanically augmented ex-assassin and wise cracking bar-fly hardly seem the most likely pair yet this film manages to pull it off as it follows them running from bounty hunters, police and various explosions alike. The star of the film is certainly Dacascos who demonstrates such physical ability on a par with the likes of Jet Li and Ong Bak's star Tony Jaa. Due to the low budget - which adds to rather than detracts from the style of the film - there's no CGI and wire work is clearly minimal. Kinetic, frenetic and beautiful are certainly words that describe the fight sequences in this film. Dacascos fits the part of an enhanced fighter with a speed reminiscent of Bruce Lee, and the varied and stylised arenas complement the action no end. I cant believe Hollywood didn't target Dacascos for the biggest projects, save Cradle II the Grave. Kareem Hardison is hilarious at times but also sometimes a distraction from Dacascos but his improvisations and ability to carry the story between the action cannot be overlooked. This film has everything you could want from a martial arts flick and smacks of Chinese influence despite being an Amercian project. The main reason this film is probably unheard of is that it was released at the same time as Rush Hour which was a big budget version of this film, in the sense it is an action comedy with African American/Chinese protagonists. I strongly recommend this film to anyone who has seen Dacascos before as this is surly his finest film, and also to anyone that is intrigued by an American martial arts film that can hold its own against its Chinese counterpart.