Film Reviews

Fighting

• Rating:
• Director: Dito Montiel
• Starring: Channing Tatum, Terrence Howard, Zulay Henao, Michael Rivera
• Details: US/105mins (15A)

Having previously teamed-up on the excellent A Guide To Recognising Your Saints, director Dito Montiel and star Channing Tatum once again walk the streets of New York in this drama centering around fighting - that only has four fights in total - unless they were referring to verbal altercations as well. Tatum is an engaging presence on screen, but the film overall feels too lacking in immediacy to really grab the audience's attention. With Mixed Martial Arts currently the fasted growing sport on the planet, you'd be forgiven for expecting some sort of MMA tint in this production, but it actually plays like a strange cross between a random Dance movie and the old school Sega game, Streets of Rage. Although executed nicely with some impressive location shooting on the streets of New York, the often cliched plot over simplifies Channing's small town boy, who hits the big smoke having had a row with his father back home. While trying to make some money, he gets in a scuffle, handing two wannabe muggers their asses. His talents are quickly spotted by Howard's streetwise hustler, who says he can organise some street scraps for serious money. Next thing you know, Tatum is working his way up the urban scuffling ladder, and soon has big enough pay days to take care of his new bird's rent. The fights themselves are well handled for the most part, but are extremely short, so anyone looking to go into this purely for the ass-whoopings will be sorely disappointed. There is only one training montage, and it takes place on the subway. Still, one-handed push ups are impressive no matter the editing style. Tatum is by far the best thing about 'Fighting', there is a subtle masculinity about him, despite his burly presence and square jaw; he doesn't oversell lines, and that's a rarity that takes a lot of confidence for an up and coming actor to continue to do. He has starred in some drivel in his time, but Montiel got the best out of him in 'Saints' and does so here once again. Howard is fine if unmemorable, but it's really the by-the-numbers plot and lack of focus that lets it down.

Review by Mike Sheridan