I would have to imagine that anyone picking up a copy of In the Blood, which hit DVD and Blu-Ray (and Digital HD) earlier today (June 3, 2014), has heard of former female fighting sensation Gina Carano, who rose to fame as the “Women’s Face of MMA” under the Strikeforce banner.

If so, they won’t be disappointed.

That’s because In the Blood is, at its core, an excuse to watch 108 minutes of Carano doing all sorts of actiony-type things, like shooting guns, beating up bad guys and looking sexy. The “twist,” if you will, is that her role is usually played by a macho tough guy. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in Recoil comes to mind.

I much prefer Carano.

Whether I enjoyed In the Blood because I’m easily wooed by its female lead is hard to say, but I can admit without bias that what you’ll get from this film depends largely on your expectations. It’s formula, no doubt, but Carano has something of an “it” factor (see the trailer here).

And she’s anchored by B-movie legends Danny Trejo and Luiz Guzman, among others.

So what’s it all about?

Carano plays “Ava,” who is described as “a trained fighter with a dark past.” She goes on honeymoon with her husband and wouldn’t ya’ know it, the poor sap goes missing. Turns out the only way to find him is by beating the shit out of a bunch of Caribbean tough guys.

My kind of flick.

Action movies with a decent cast and modest budget are a dime a dozen, so the only thing to make In the Blood standout is Carano. She’s a little more dynamic here than her one-note performances in Haywire and Fast & Furious 6, and it may be the only way to see her until she inks that UFC deal.