Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Clunky action movie has violence, language, smoking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Mojave Diamonds
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In MOJAVE DIAMONDS, Roy (Donald Cerrone) is a washed-up MMA fighter and truck driver. After losing a fight on the underground circuit in a Vegas casino, Roy incurs the wrath of crime syndicate boss Julian (Quinton 'Rampage' Johnson), who gives Roy an ultimatum to make up for the money Roy's losing cost Julian: Transport $50 million worth of uncut diamonds from Vegas to Baja, or Julian will track down and kill Roy's estranged brothers Danny and Joe, as well as their families. Roy agrees, and goes back to visit Danny and Joe, and decides to take Joe along for the ride. Things take a wrong turn when Roy's truck is stolen by a group of heavily-armed men who steal the diamonds. In retaliation, Julian kidnaps Joe's wife and kids, and now the three brothers must set aside their past differences to work together to stop Julian and rescue their loved ones.
Is It Any Good?
There are some who maintain that MMA fighters cannot act, and Mojave Diamonds won't change their minds. The actors with MMA backgrounds tend to mumble or yell, with no nuance in between. It's a clunky low-budget action movie with amateur-hour production values and exposition.
It would almost be a fun watch for the sheer badness of it if it wasn't mired in just about every action movie cliche in the playbook. There are also a few MMA fight scenes that come across as gratuitous and unnecessary to the story except to serve as a reminder that these actors are good at something, if not acting. Not that anyone expects MMA actors to be naturally gifted thespians, but this movie proves that it would be worthwhile for some to spend less time training to fight and more time in the proverbial actor's studio.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about action movies like Mojave Diamonds. What's the appeal of action movies? Why do they remain so popular?
Was the violence gratuitous? Why or why not?
How is this similar to and different from other low-budget action movies you've seen?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 30, 2023
- Cast : William McNamara , Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson , Donald Cerrone
- Director : Asif Akbar
- Studio : Grindstone Entertainment
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 93 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Violence, pervasive language and some sexual content.
- Last updated : May 31, 2023
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