Moral Rating: | not reviewed |
Moviemaking Quality: |
|
Primary Audience: | Teens Adults |
Genre: | Action Drama |
Length: | 1 hr. 45 min. |
Year of Release: | 2009 |
USA Release: |
April 24, 2009 (wide—2,100 theaters) DVD: August 25, 2009 |
VIOLENCE—How does viewing violence in movies affect families? Answer
Fear, Anxiety and Worry… What does the Bible say? Answer
What advice do you have for new and growing Christians? Answer
How do I know what is right from wrong? Answer
How can I decide whether a particular activity—such as smoking, gambling, etc.—is wrong? Answer
How can I deal with temptations? Answer
Should I save sex for marriage? Answer
How far is too far? What are the guidelines for dating relationships? Answer
What are the consequences of sexual immorality? Answer
Featuring |
Channing Tatum Terrence Howard Zulay Henao Michael Rivera Flaco Navaja Peter Tambakis Luis Guzmán (Luis Guzman) See all » |
Director |
Dito Montiel “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints” |
Producer | Misher Films, Relativity Media, Rogue Pictures, Lisa Bruce, Kevin Misher, Andrew Rona, Kim Surowicz |
Distributor |
“Some dreams are worth the fight.”
Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “‘Fighting’ is a rough-hewn heroic tale about realizing dreams of glory, putting audiences ringside at high-stakes underground street fights. Channing Tatum stars as Sean Arthur, a young man who scrapes up a living hustling counterfeit merchandise in NYC. With family tragedy in his past and his father keeping him at a distance, this outsider has little to motivate him. A chance encounter with veteran street-fighting coach Harvey Boarden (Terrence Howard) leads to a whole new career for Sean. The ensuing bouts get tough, especially with the criminal element horning in, so Sean gets tougher. He will fight to win, not only the prize money, but also the unexpected new relationships that are strengthening him.”
The movie spends no time dawdling. You see Channing Tatum (the lead), and whoosh! He and Terrence Howard are best chums. You wanna make money? Yeah. Fight. Simple premise.
What I love about this flicka show is the uncanny level of realism. It doesn’t feel like a movie. Movies are polished. They’re supposed to clean up life’s lesser moments into a glamorous, fun-sized package that fits into a 2 hour window. Fighting takes the road less traveled. It mimics real life, all the awkward, goofy times included. No spiffy camera angles. No crazy transitions. No particle effects. No catchy tunes. Watch it. It’s not only apparent in the pacing and the diaglogue, but in the characters themselves as well as the extras. New Yorkers… bunch of street thugs ‘n thieves.
Unfortunately, for “Fighting,” the anti-movie feel kinda hurts its replay value. Without that polished coating, a movie is armed only with a story. The story behind this one is okay, but it’s like a dude hobbling around on crutches. Just ain’t 100%.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3½