Review: Fighting (2009)

Director: Dito Montiel

Cast: Channing Tatum (Step Up, G.I. Joe), Terrence Howard (Iron Man, Hustle & Flow), Zulay Henao, Brian J. White (Mr. 3000, 12 Rounds), Michael Rivera (Oz), Flaco Navaja, Luis Guzman (Waiting..., Carlito's Way)

The Deal: Shawn MacArthur (Tatum) came to New York with nothing but a dark past, getting by selling phony merchandise on the street. After getting in a small tussle, he's recruited by Harvey Boarden (Howard) who wants to help him make some money streetfighting. Though the two prove to be a successful tandem, there's always a trace of tension between the two. When a ghost from Shawn's past is set to be the next opponent, tension peaks as Shawn seems to be outmatched, but he won't back down.

Thoughts: For a film titled "Fighting", it really could have used more of it. There were only a few real fights, and though they were cool and well choreographed, everything in between was unnecessary filler. There didn't need to be a romantic plot line, or a ghost-from-the-past story arc, there just needed to be lots of streetfighting. In all honestly, the film would have benefitted from purely nonsensical fighting, but instead, it tried to be something more, and therefore failed to reach its highest potential.

Channing Tatum has always seemed like the kind of actor they throw in a film to be a blunt but good looking object for women. Surprisingly, though fairly blunt, he's actually a very good fit for the role here. He seems like the kind of person that really would be down on his luck and in need of streetfighting to pay the bills. Terrence Howard on the other hand, was unimpressive. I know he has solid talent as an actor, but his docile performance here seemed off for a character that gets buy on shady dealings and gambling on street fights.

As I said before, the film would have benefitted from purely being comprised of fights, and for good reason. The fights really were entertaining, believably choreographed, and never one-sided. There was lots of back and forth between fighters, and though everyone knows the main character always ends up winning, that fact didn't take anything away from the fights themselves. The range of fighters were nicely varied. There was the large guy who gets by on strength alone, the skilled martial artist who's overly confident, and the all-around fighter who's quick but packs a good punch. Each fight had a different style, and they were fairly impressive.

Verdict: Though the fights were impressive and well choreographed, there were far too few of them. The story instead focused on romantic interests and unnecessary back stories, forgetting what the film really should have been all about. ☆☆