Knuckle-duster cinema is a healthy straight-to-video sub-genre, for sure, but it’s usually rooted in stories of guys making their way up in the world, and not necessarily cross-pollinated with the DNA of mama bear protectionism. Trading in feminine-fringe fisticuffs in passably similar fashion to last year’s Fight Night, though, Bare Knuckles peddles an inspired-by-a-true-story tale of a cocktail waitress and single mom who steels her nerves to do “whatever it takes to provide for her daughter,” a cinematic sales phrase that usually involves the baring of much more skin than in this PG-13 flick.

For boxers and cagers, sometimes the lines blur between professionally sanctioned bouts and vicious backyard brawls tied to illegal gambling. When waitress Samantha Rogers (Jeanette Roxborough), trapped in a job she hates but willing to stay for the daughter she loves (Teya Roxborough), ends a bar fight between two drunk women, she catches the eye of a down-and-out fight promoter, Sonny Cool (Martin Kove). Sensing a lucrative partnership, he introduces her to “the show” — a highly lucrative, extremely dangerous and of course completely illegal underground world of high-stakes, all-female, bare-knuckle fighting. Blood-letting and deception ensue, against enough of an estrogenized backdrop of parental courage and love to hold the attention of at least a portion of the typical Lifetime set.

The chief appeal of Bare Knuckles centers around showing, in
puffed-chest fashion, how far a woman will go to provide for the ones
she loves — even in arenas maybe not conducive to her most immediate strengths. So while the world of mixed martial arts is increasingly popular and mainstream, hardcore fans of such head-clubbing mayhem may find their patience tested by all the feelings on display. Still, Roxborough’s performance is steely and committed (she picked up a Best
Actress prize at at the Downbeach Film Festival), even if she’s frequently not given the best dialogue with which to work. It helps, too, that the movie features a real-life female brawler like Bridget “Baby Doll” Riley,
a Black Belt Hall of Famer and the owner of five World Kickboxing titles and one
World Boxing title; she helps give Bare Knuckles a musky scent of authenticity. This isn’t the reinvention of the wheel, it’s true, but a rental won’t bruise your wallet if you’re so inclined.

Housed in a regular plastic Amaray case, Bare Knuckles comes to DVD presented in 1.78:1 widescreen, enhanced for 16×9 televisions, with a Dolby digital 5.1 surround sound audio track and optional Spanish and English SDH subtitles. Its bonus features consist of a music video for the song “American Girl,” performed by Mylin, and a fairly cursory behind-the-scenes featurette. To purchase the disc via Amazon, click here. C+ (Movie) C- (Disc)