Jade (Underground)

Jade (Sara Walsh) is the star fighter, personal assistant, and henchwoman for Monro, the owner of a brutal, often murderous, underground fighting gambling operation in Underground (2010). The movie is the story of Michael, a teenage young man whose parents were killed. He is full of natural fighting talent and he is drawn into Monro's ugly business by the promise of making money by fighting. Monro tests him in a series of fights and is increasingly impressed by his instinctive and showy style of fighting. As Monro becomes more impressed with Michael, tensions arise between Monro and Jade, who does not think Michael is that good and who feels her own special place being threatened. Monro schedules a fight between Jade and Michael. As the fight begins, Michael doesn't take Jade seriously, but she shows him she's for real in their first testing exchange. However, Michael does manage to get under her guard with a quick gut kick that doubles her over. She quickly recovers, removes her shirt, and the bout gets serious.

Although Michael has beaten several other men, he's still a hungry amateur with a flair for fighting who has not yet fully honed his skills. On the other hand, Jade is a seasoned, versatile, deadly professional, and Michael is not yet ready to deal with Jade's combination of strength, speed, and skill. She makes every punch and kick count, and she easily blocks, ducks or leaps in the air to avoid most of his attacks. The first flurry ends with her putting him to the ground with a series of punishing body blows and a debilitating kick to the gut. She signals impatiently for him to get up and try again; she grins confidently as she waits to regain his stance so that she can punish him more. Again his attacks are mostly ineffective, although he does manage to boot her in the gut once more. Jade again pummels him with body blows until he is helpless and kicks him to the ground. She continues to stomp him, but Monro stops her from killing him: He wants Michael alive and in his stable. Jade steps over his fallen body, turns and looks down at Michael as Monro formally announces her victory to the viewing bettors.

Michael is sent to the hospital and recovers, but he also begins to understand just how evil the whole operation is. He rounds up some friends to take down the operation. As they enter the Monro's building Monro sends Jade to take care of Michael. This is her chance for vindication. Their final encounter begins with Michael running down a hallway to get to Monro and Jade running around a corner to intercept him. This is not only a life and death battle between good and evil - it is also a very personal fight. Michael is hungry to avenge his painful and humiliating beating by Jade. Jade is equally hungry destroy the young man who has spoiled her relationship with Monroe - she will both finish Michael and get back into Monro's good graces. The personal nature of this battle means that each of them wants to make sure the other recognizes their superiority along the way to a fatal ending.

Michael runs down a hallway and Jade appears from around a corner, flicks her high heels at him, flustering him, and then disappears back around the corner. He runs after her and is met by high kick to the chest, throwing him over backwards. Jade looks around the corner and then continues her kicking attack to his chest, driving Michael back. He traps her leg against the wall and fires back a kick. As he spins for a second kick, Jade keeps her guard high and, only too late, realizes he is aiming for her gut. He connects solidly, doubling her over. He could have pressed his attack and finished her but, instead he retreats a few steps and watches her. As she struggles to catch her breath, he signals her to bring it on and says "Payback, bitch." Seasoned pro that she is, she pulls herself together, flicks the hair from her face and prepares to get down to business. They reengage and their earlier pattern is really established where she avoids his attacks, while scoring on his body. They briefly lock up facing each other and Michael tries to spin free. Jade holds one arm, catches the other and flips him over her back. He lands on his feet and launches a kick into her midsection, but Jade rides it out, blocking and jumping. He throws a brutal roundhouse at her face, but Jade easily bends out of the way and replies by kicking him to the ground. She stomps his chest as he tries to rise, but he throws his feet upward, kicking her painfully in the jaw and throwing her head backwards.

As Michael rises, Jade is back at him with a series of kicks to the upper body. He sweeps low and she jumps high over his leg. He swings for her face and again she easily moves out of the way. He's still too sloppy and she's still too quick for him. She gives him a smile that says, "tough luck, chump-now you die" and moves in for the kill. Her punch connects and spins his head and upper body. As he recovers, she grabs his shoulders and begins throwing her knee into his belly, but Michael has improved his blocking since their last encounter. He catches the blow and then raises his crossed arms to Jade's shoulders. His arms effectively block hers as he raises his knee into her body and kicks free. As soon as he has some distance he launches a sidekick under her guard and into her belly - another bullseye that keeps her doubled over painfully. He keeps up a series of spinning sidekicks driving Jade back, just as Jade had done to him at the beginning of the fight. Jade, ever the pro tries to protect her wounded body long enough to recover and get back into the fight, but this time Michael is relentless. Jade spins into the wall and Michael kicks her back, smashing her hard into the wall and then delivers a powerful blow to the base of her spine that seems to have broken her back. She sinks to the ground, motionless. This time it is Michael that we see, stepping over Jade's fallen body.

Jade (Underground)

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