The Arena

With her sister seriously ill, MMA fighter SAMANTHA MASON is framed by BILLY TANG, a Triad (Chinese mafia) and sent to prison. The mob offer her a way out - and way to pay for her sister’s medical treatment: Sam must fight for them in a series of deadly underground pit fights, where the only rule is to survive. THE FLAVIAN nightclub in Cape Town is a front for the arena. All the major crime syndicates are represented, each with its own stable of fighters and martial arts styles and each taking advantage of South Africa's compliant Police Departments to ply their trade. Whilst training, Sam meets JASON LO – a Triad fighter. The two will eventually fall in love. Within the ARENA Sam climbs the ranks fast and it becomes clear that soon she will be ready to take on NAUKO YAMAGATA, the undefeated Yakuza champion. However – in her penultimate fight – Sam is seriously injured. It is a double blow as now she will be unable to maintain the cash flow her sister LUCY so desperately needs. Jason – behind Sam’s back – arranges to fight Nauko in her stead. It is a titanic sword-to-sword battle but during a frenzied exchange Nauko wins, decapitating Jason – as Sam arrives – just in time to see this awful scene. Now Sam is driven not only by her love for Lucy but also her desire for revenge on Nauko. The two warrioresses face off in an epic confrontation. The scales tip this way and that before Sam finally vanquishes the undefeated champion. But ultimately, she spares Nauko’s life, realizing that if she kills her, she will have become what she sought to destroy. Sam exits the arena with no blood on her hands and her “debt” to the mob paid in full.