Review: Fighting

May 15 2009 by The Journal

landscape: fighting (cinema, DO NOT REUSE)

STRUTTING down similar avenues to David Fincher’s Fight Club, albeit without that film’s biting wit and directorial pizzazz, this is a no-holds-barred tale of one young man’s introduction to the bare-knuckle brawl scene in New York City.

Writer-director Dito Montiel directs rising star Channing Tatum, who copes magnificently with the extreme physical demands of his role.

Competitors drive one another’s heads into floors and smash ribs, accompanied by sickening sound effects.

The Marquess of Queensberry rules hold no sway here: it’s win at all costs even if that means your rival leaves the arena in a wooden casket.

Shawn MacArthur (Tatum) lives from one day to the next by selling counterfeit goods on street corners.

When a fight breaks out, scam artist Harvey Boarden (Terrence Howard) spots Shawn’s raw potential and offers to make him $500 for one brawl.

Shawn is then introduced to the illegal bare-knuckle circuit, where the promoter organises big-money showdowns for the best athletes.

Shawn’s first bout is impressive and, as he moves ever closer to a showdown with a former wrestling buddy, Shawn kindles a romance with a single mother (Zulay Henao).

The fighting assaults the senses at every opportunity, but never engages the mind. Character development is sketchy, while the romantic subplot never quite boils.

Book-marked by ferocious brawls, the film neatly ties up all of the loose ends, including a climactic sleight of hand we see coming a mile off.