Fighting

Reviewed by:
John Devore

Directed by: Dito Montriel

The Skinny: What seems like another cookie-cutter, energy-drink fueled movie about underground, mixed-martial arts fighting is actually a love letter to gritty, funky, fast-talking New York City. Syrupy nerd hero Terrence Howard plays a smooth talking crook who butters up a surprisingly authentic Channing Tatum and convinces him that money can be made in the fictional, yet believable, street-side fisticuff circuit. It's a classic underdog story peppered with exciting, retro flourishes.

The Good: This is a fantastic movie, and that's no hustle. From a plot that resists cliché, to pimp actors rocking their roles, to music that is straight up funk from a more dangerous era, Fighting is an unexpected, testosterone-jacked journey to a seedier, and dirtier time—the bass-heavy, melody-rich, Bobby Womack-flavored soundtrack is reason enough to check this flick out. And we don't normally go on about sound design, but you haven't been to a move about street fights until you've flinched listening to the sound a skull makes when it cracks linoleum.

The Bad: The only bad in the movie comes from a couple of scenes that veer into cheesy sentimentality. But before these scenes can wreck an otherwise fresh, lively, and original movie, they pivot and redeem a flick that's about reinventing classic genre norms.

Theater, DVD, or TNT in five years? Go see this in the theater. It's not a CGI-enhanced fantasia where elves, and ninjas, and robots duke it out, video-game style. It's a nasty, broke-ass story about bones and money, and it deserves your greenbacks.

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