A retired fighter returns to an underground women’s ring to save her sister from debt.
About the Film
Female Fight Squad, which was also known as Female Fight Club, is an American action film directed and co-written by Miguel A. Ferrer. It was his debut feature, and he wrote the screenplay with Anastazja Davis. The film runs about ninety minutes and is rated R. Kristoffer Carrillo handled the cinematography, Yvan Gauthier edited it, and the producers include Carl Colpaert, Michael Tadross Jr., Marklen Kennedy, Frederic Demey and Sonja Mereu. It first appeared in March 2017 and reached streaming and DVD later that year.
The Story
Rebecca Holt, nicknamed Bex, is a former fighter who believed she had left the world of illegal combat behind. One reviewer notes that she now works at an animal shelter. Her sister Kate, played by Cortney Palm, is deep in debt to dangerous people, and that debt is described as roughly a hundred thousand dollars.
To help, Rebecca must return to the life she abandoned. The man who runs the underground scene also runs an all-women fight ring, and that ring gives her a way to earn money and confront the people threatening her family. Along the way she is drawn into a relationship with a cop, and she keeps in touch by phone with her imprisoned father.
Amy Johnston Takes the Lead
Amy Johnston plays Rebecca, and the film is built around her. She is a stunt performer turned actress, and her previous lead role was in Lady Bloodfight. One reviewer credits her with fight work on Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad and Black Widow in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. That background explains why the movie puts so much weight on physical performance.
Here she must also carry dramatic scenes, which is a different challenge from pure action. Some critics praised her intensity and described her as an unstoppable force, while others felt the drama did not give her the ideal setting for her talents.
The Supporting Cast
Cortney Palm plays Kate, the trouble-prone sister whose problems start everything. Rey Goyos plays Landon Jones, and Sean Faris plays Kyle Potter, the cop who becomes Rebecca’s love interest. Dolph Lundgren appears as her father, Holt, in scenes set around a prison, and he gets a memorable moment where he deals with several large inmates.
The fight ring is filled out by Shaun Brown as Micah, Levy Tran as Lisa, Folake Olowofoyeku as Winter, Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez as Claire Stromson, known as The Bull, Jeanette Samano as Gaby and Briana Marin as Nika. These characters give the ring a sense of rivalry and variety.
The Fights
The fight scenes are the main attraction, and the credits show a team built around them. Malay Kim is credited as fight choreographer and Johnny Yang as stunt coordinator. Critical opinion on the results is sharply divided.
One reviewer praised the choreography for combining traditional martial arts with mixed martial arts so that the fights look both good and authentic. Another found the punches tame and the kicks laboured. A third felt there were not enough fight scenes and that the story was standard action material. Viewers should know that the reception is truly mixed before pressing play.
The Title Change
The film was originally titled Female Fight Club and was later released as Female Fight Squad, and both names remain in circulation. Anyone searching for it should try each one, because streaming listings, reviews and disc releases use them differently. The same story appears under both titles, so there is no alternate cut to worry about.
Themes of Family and Debt
Beneath the punching, the story is about family loyalty. Rebecca does not return to the ring for glory. She returns because her sister is in danger and the debt cannot be paid any other way. That motive gives the violence a personal purpose and keeps the film from being only a series of matches.
The father in prison adds another layer, because it suggests that violence runs through the family’s history. The film touches on that idea, though it does not explore it deeply.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The strengths are Johnston’s physical skill, a cast with several credible fighters and a clean, direct plot. The weaknesses are the familiar storyline, an uneven balance between drama and action, and reviews that question how well the fights deliver. Fans of genre cinema who value stunt work will probably find more to enjoy than viewers who want a surprising story.
Final Thoughts
Female Fight Squad is a low-key action film that tries to give a stuntwoman her own showcase. Its premise is simple, its cast is led by Amy Johnston, and its fights divide opinion. For viewers who like underground fight stories, Dolph Lundgren cameos and independent action, it is worth a look. For anyone expecting a deep drama, it is best approached with modest expectations.
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