Parents' Guide to K.O.

The fight scenes and action set pieces are above average, but this action thriller is too generic. Once the setup of K.O. is established, the film devolves into a predictable loud-soft dynamic where moments of plot escape between fight sequences. While the initial gimmick of having real-life professional MMA fighter Ciryl Gane star as one of the leads lends some realism to his character's action and fighting, the film never does anything with this advantage except throw Gane into fight after fight. Sure, he's big, muscular, tough, and determined, but he isn't allowed (or pushed) to say much or suggest that his character isn't flat and thin. The story, then, takes a backseat, as there isn't anything narratively interesting to discover or reveal. The film says, simply, "don't think about anything, just watch different excuses to choreograph cool and devastating looking fight scenes (which, to be fair, are quite good)."

Similarly, the other lead isn't particularly inspiring either. While she has more of a personality, she fails to be a convincing physical or violent threat, despite her gusto. Other characters are also very much underutilized. One of the highlights are the villains, the drug dealers who ruthlessly torture and murder whoever stands in their way. Unfortunately, the villains are stereotyped as Middle Eastern and North African and Black French crime lords, and at some point, one of these kinds of films will stop ALWAYS using people of color as the villains, crime lords, drug dealers, and/or "bad guys." Some viewers might think that the casting of Ciryl Gane (Caribbean French) and Alice Belaidi (Algerian French) balances out this kind of misrepresentation, but many others won't agree. Still, the villains are a highlight; they are menacing and truly scary, even if they aren't on screen enough.