Roughly six months back, Martial Club released their awesome short Shaolin Avengers (2025). Featuring Andy Le, Brian Le and D.Y. Sao, it wasn’t only a love letter to old school martial arts films but could be considered a teaser for their latest venture, the feature length Gladiator Underground. Saying that, any of Martial Club’s shorts could be considered as teasers, being excellent showcases for their talents.
Gladiator Underground may feature more modern style fight choreography, but the set up is pure 80’s cinema. Similar to the likes of Bloodsport (1987) and Kickboxer (1989), Gladiator Underground centers on an illegal fight tournament, where combatants end up fighting to the death. Sure, it isn’t exactly original, but it certainly allows director Chaya Supannarat to feature some fabulous fight scenes, the majority of which are so good you will be more than willing to overlook any of the film’s shortcomings.
Clearly the filmmakers all have an inherent love for the genre, with the film including numerous homages and nods to classic martial arts movies during its tight 90 minute run time. D.Y. Sao is once again in the lead after carrying out the same duties in Supannarat’s Bangkok Dog (2024), with Brian Le also returning from that movie. This time however, they are also accompanied by Andy Le, who rises Gladiator Underground way above Supannarat’s previous film.
Whereas Bangkok Dog was enjoyable for its action scenes, I didn’t find myself as invested in the plot or characters as I felt I should have. Gladiator Underground overcomes this by focusing on the relationship of Max Yen (DY Sao) and Wu Yen (Andy Le), two estranged brothers who find themselves seriously at odds. Both have drifted apart since Wu left the city with their Sifu (Craig Ng), with Max staying behind, making a living by taking part in the underground fight scene. It is here he has befriended fellow underground fighter Shojin (Brian Le) who works for local gangster Bohan (Geoffrey Giuliano).
Both Max and Wu find themselves further at odds when both of them end up competing in a deadly underground fighting tournament run by a powerful crime boss. The fights attract an assortment of criminals and gamblers, all who are able to gamble on every detail of the fights be it the competitors, where they fight or even the weapons they will use. With everyone fighting for their lives, Max and Wu have to put their differences aside if they want to survive.
Similar to her previous movie, it is obvious that Supannarat had limited resources at her disposal, resulting in Gladiator Underground being somewhat rough around the edges. As is the norm these days, it was clearly shot digitally, but Supannarat still injects the film with an energy that smooths over such a distraction, with the fact the film only has limited locations actually helping the production rather than hindering it. The underground location where the tournament takes place looks suitably dark and dingy, being the perfect setting for the majority of the film’s action.
Furthering assisting the film is decent cinematography from Picha Srisansanee, who does well in capturing the action. Last year, Srisansanee also shot the low budget martial arts movies Art of Eight Limbs (2024) and The Lockdown (2024), which like this movie featured fight scenes that you could easily follow.
Smartly, the filmmakers don’t set all the fight scenes squarely in the ring, the best example of this being a battle royale, where each of the remaining fighters compete against each other at the same time in a barbed wire strewn series of cages and platforms. Inclusions such as this stop the action from becoming stale.
Another element that does similar is the introduction of a wheel, where spectators can gamble on the fighters where a wheel will be randomly spun and offer up a random weapon that can be used during the fight. Now these can range from something worthwhile like a gun or knife to an umbrella. The variety of weapons that ultimately end up on offer also allow a nice variation to the fight scenes, allowing our performers to show off even more of their skills.
And what skills they have. Each of the three lead actors get a chance to shine, with their characters as well as the action. Surprisingly, for a fair amount of the runtime, D.Y. Sao’s Max comes across as an arsehole, albeit a talented one. Carrying a massive chip on his shoulder, he isn’t quick to cut his brother any slack, even after a tragedy looks like it will bring them together. To be honest, this is one aspect I really appreciated. It would have been so easy to make Sao the likeable hero like Van Damme portrayed in Kickboxer, but instead his character has more shades of grey. Luckily, Sao keeps the character just on the right side of likeable, but he does stray close to the edge on occasion.
As much of an arsehole Max appears to be, he certainly backs it up with his fighting skills. Sao has multiple fight scenes throughout the film, with each perfectly showcasing his martial arts skills. The same is true for the Le brothers, who feature in an assortment of beautifully choreographed fight scenes that are perfect showcases for their martial arts talents. As awesome as the three performers are, if I had to pick a standout it would have to be Andy Le, whose display of gravity defying martial arts will have your jaw hitting the floor. Any follower of Martial Club won’t be surprised by this revelation, but even if your not you will be blown away by the talent on show.
As I say, this isn’t to negate the skills of the other performers, with the incredible Brian Le being truly impressive during his fight scenes. Looking at him, you would not expect him to pull off the moves he is capable of. He is certainly the most powerful looking fighter amongst the three leads, with his character Shojin being the most aggressive, with him at one point putting his head between his opponents legs and biting off part of their thigh. At least I hope it was their thigh. Of the three main characters, Brian Le’s is certainly the meatiest in terms of drama. As cocky and disagreeable as he comes across, this is a character that is seriously conflicted between right and wrong. He is pushed into some uncomfortable situations because of the love of his family, a love that the sleazy Bohan uses to his advantage.
Joseph Le’s fight choreography certainly puts the cast through their paces, with each of the three leads also being involved in the action design. Although they certainly get the majority of the film’s most impressive fight scenes, other performers still get their opportunity to shine. Of the opponents they face off against, I was most impressed by screen veteran Ron Smoorenberg. It feels cheeky saying someone is a veteran when they are only 51, but I have been watching this guy in films going back to the late 90s when I first saw him in Benny Chan’s Who Am I? (1998), famously facing off against Jackie Chan. His screen time is limited in comparison to his role in Supannarat’s Bangkok Dog, but even in his short appearance he more than shows his capabilities.
Some of the supporting cast’s performances are slightly stilted, but nothing that can’t be forgiven. My only gripe would be that the film could have done with a stronger villain, or villains if you include Geoffrey Giuliano’s Bohan. The fact that he, nor Selina Wiesmann’s Mantis pose a possible threat makes it hard to believe they would end up in such positions of power. Still, there are enough deadly opponents for our heroes to face off against so that this doesn’t become as much of an issue as it could have been.
Gladiator Underground won’t win any awards for its acting, but I seriously doubt that is most people’s attraction to a film such as this. They’re here for the action, and this is certainly an area that it could win awards for, with you never having long to wait until you are treated to another bone shattering, gravity defying fight scene. There may be some detractors, but for those in the mood for a fast paced, violent martial arts actioner, Gladiator Underground is just the ticket.
Hopefully it will also bring the work of Martial Club to a wider audience. With their sheer dedication they more than deserve the recognition.
Plot: 3.5/5
Acting: 3.5/5
Action: 4.5/5
Overall: 3.8/5
