Like the toughest action heroes, Gina Carano looks uncomfortable doing anything short of kicking ass.
Crammed into a wedding dress, the mixed-martial-arts pinup is as conspicuously awkward as Schwarzenegger's buttoned-down alter ego in True Lies. But when her strength uncoils, like spring snakes bounding from novelty peanut brittle, Carano's a force – all kicks, chokeholds, and grappling takedowns. In the Blood sees the Haywire star slotted into a rote revenge plot, avenging the death of her wealthy hubby (Cam Gigandet).
It's overlong, overplotted and crowded with a cast of "hey-it's-that-guy!" C-listers (Luis Guzman, Danny Trejo), but the closed-quarters combat crackles with bone-shattering believability. And that's really all that matters.