Fight Night

Directed By: Jonathan Dillon

Starring: Chad Ortis, Rebecca Neuenswander, Will Fowler, Kurt Hanover

Synopsis:

Michael Dublin is a full-time con man working the underground boxing circuit. A lonely drifter on the run from a past best forgotten, he moves from one scam to another, leaving a trail of enemies in his wake. Dublin invents his best scam yet when he meets Katherine Parker, a female fighter with the skills to take down a man twice her size. In a scheme Dublin calls "fight-rigging, in reverse", the two hit the road working fights in seedy basement bars, abandoned warehouses, and backwoods county fairs. But Dublin's shady past catches up with them and suddenly the stakes are higher - and more dangerous - than they'd ever imagined. (taken from imdb)

Review:

I was handed Fight Night to review and wondered why. Although a fan of most of the Rocky films (Part V was a disaster that even Stallone wants to disown), Boxing dramas are hardly my first choice to stick in the player and sit through. But by the end I could see why: it's a movie with heart. It's not overly sentimental, but the characterisation is very well written and helps illustrate the journey each character is undertaking. I like a movie with depth and Fight Night has depth. Fight Night also has more punch than most films of its type.

In some way, I was reminded of Jean Claude Van Damme's 1990 movie Lionheart, without the French Foreign Legion story running parallel to the fight sequences. In both movies, a succession of brutal street fights end in a seemingly idyllic circumstance. I didn't see much similarity to Rocky. There is no father-figure in the form of a professional trainer to the fighter, and the fights in Fight Night are illegal not the type you'd see in a Vegas hotel.

Chad Ortis plays the underhand schemer Michael Dublin. He is quite useless at scams as he seems to leave a trail of enemies. However, it is clear that he has taken a lot of experience and knowledge of the boxing circuit whilst being used as a promoter by Kurt Hanover's character, Clark Richter. Richter is a nasty thug that is quite happy to kill his opponents in the ring, to maintain his reputation. It is Richter that will be the endgame for both Dublin and "Kitty Kat" the name given to Katherine Parker by Dublin. Ortis plays the con man well with a suitable array of expressions that mean you wouldn't buy a used car from him, unless desperate. Neuenswander plays the initially mysterious Katherine Parker who it seems has been forced to run away from home. Her fighting skills are apparent early on as they rescue Dublin from getting a lethal kicking. Neuenswander is engaging in every second of screen time. She brings to life the character of Katherine Parker and is an actress to watch in the future. She is convincing in the fighting scenes and charms in the other scenes. Clark Richter is one of a few villains in Fight Night but is the most memorable because of just how nasty he is. We learn that he is responsible for badly damaging Parker in a previous bout when she was younger. During the course of which, she loses part of her tongue.

The immediate thing I noticed was the way in which Fight Night is shot. Although the film is gritty and appears to have an aim to be realistic, there's a classy feel to the cinematography that reminds me of classic cinema. Although in colour, the movie could have well been shot in black and white. The fight sequences are fast and furious. There's no flashy direction here and makes the movie more watchable because of it. Instead of obvious foley sounds of a piece of steak smacking a piece of wood, the sounds of fists meeting flesh sounds far more realistic. When "Kat" gets smacked around, you feel it. The make-up effects aren't over the top and reflect the damage done.

The ending was surprising for this movie. I didn't expect it to be quite so soft - a contrast to the violence inflicted throughout the movie. Maybe it was the director's nod towards his exceptional female star, by giving her a chance to scrub up, and scrub up well she does.

Summary

Anyone reading my reviews might be cynically seeing a pattern but I have to be honest and say that I'll be looking out for more from the Director, and Rebecca Neuenswander. This movie is another low budget movie that happily puts to the back of my mind some of the disappointments in seeing pitiful Summer blockbusters and endles sequels and remakes. There are effective entertaining movies out there, but they might not be in your local cineplex, they might be at your local rental shop.

Score 7/10 (Wayfarer)