Lets make a movie about fighting, name it Fighting and only have a minimal amount of actual fighting in it. Makes sense, right?
Returning from a three-year hiatus, director Dito Montiel (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) is far from revolutionary with his latest unveiling, Fighting. As there have been countless movies that introduce fighting as the major plotline, Montiel pulls no punches within this familiar territory.
The difference, or lack thereof, with Fighting is that, while some of the others had distinct subplots to spice everything up, this tale really only proves to be just another teenage testosterone battle over a father's love. Fight Club had that sweet, suspenseful doomsday ending; here we get a sad son looking for his happily ever after. This is disappointing to say the least.
Fighting is about a man named Shawn MacArthur (Channing Tatum, Stop-Loss) who is found by a street hustler who thereby introduces him to the world of underground fighting. Once MacArthur steps in, he must balance the desire to make money and live the American dream with certain emotional issues that fuel and harden his heavy heart.
The action and special effects in the film are spectacular. During each fight viewers will feel the adrenaline rush, muscles tightening in suspense. Though the fights are all well choreographed and intense, the major disappointment with them, and the film itself, is that they are few and far between. There were a grand total of four fights in the movie and they were much shorter than what would have been expected out of a movie called Fighting.
And if Montiel did not want to add more brawling, he could have, at the very least, extended the four fight scenes.
Critique aside, Channing Tatum is a solid choice for the protagonist. As he's not a huge guy or extremely buff, the film stresses the actual art and skill of fighting and not just an advantage in size or strength. Though Tatum is good, the writing of the film prevents him from shining too bright as there is never a chance to see the roots of the rivalry between MacArthur and his climactic opponent Evan Hailey (Brian J. White, 12 Rounds).
Fighting is average at best. In a genre dependent on physicality, less talk and more action is needed- especially if the film is going to have such a blunt, straightforward title. Other than the fight scenes, which manage to take up less than 20 minutes of screen time, characters seem to just hang out and offer nothing special. With the thin plot that viewers have been given, this is definitely a problem.
To be a successful fighter you need support and critique after a win, and more importantly, a loss. Montiel, you could have done better. Hopefully that helps.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
