Image Entertainment | 2007 | 892 mins. | NR
New to the world of MMA (mixed martial arts) I wasn’t familiar with TapouT until recently. Released by Image Entertainment last month, the series follows “Mask” (real name Charles Lewis, Jr.), “Punkass” (real name Dan Caldwell) and “SkySkrape” (real name Tim Katz), of the TapouT clothing and gear line, as they travel around the country in search of promising MMA fighters to develop and possible sponsor. Each episode follows the training and development of one fighter, culminating in a fight at a professional MMA event.
“Mask,” “Punkass” and “SkySkrape” started the company back in 1997, as a clothing line baring the TapouT logo. Since then, it has expanded into water bottles, boxing gloves and all forms of fighting accessories. Much of their business is run out of a warehouse. The three men spend much of their time on the company tour bus transporting new young hopefuls for cage fights.
The would be fighters are a diverse bunch—some are troubled kids who would otherwise be he headed for a life in gangs or crime; others want to provide better lives for themselves and their families. There’s a cowboy, a SWAT member, a guy trying for a comeback, and a mama’s boy.
In one segment, the guys decide to sponsor their first female, Julie Kedzie, after being impressed by her workout in the gym. In another, they must contend with a hostile young fighter who’s at war with the world. Little if any of the show seems staged, and there’s none of the forced drama that infests most “reality” shows because none is needed–these characters and their stories are interesting enough as they are.
We learn about each of the fighters as the weeks pass. We watch them train, and we get to witness several matches. While not every match is a winner, there’s no denying that these are all tough dudes. Everything culminates in a series of fights that leads to the MMA event. For anyone not familiar with TapouT, it’s important to note that company founder “Mask” was killed by a drunk driver on March 11, 2009.
The five-disc collection from Image Entertainment is in full-screen with Dolby Digital stereo. There are no subtitles and no special features.
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