Fighting…
I’m always in the movie for a good brawler movie. Not just a marital arts movie, but a brawler. Not as polished, just raw and in your face. So when Fighting came out, I certainly took notice of it. Not enough notice to go see it in the theater, but enough to remember it when it came out to video.
So like any brawler file, Fighting is not that complex. Channing Tatum is an ex high school wrestler living in poverty big apple style. While attempting to sell bootleg goods, he gets into a rather unimpressive tussle with Terrence Howard’s crew, who has a striking similarity to Fagin and his band of pickpockets. Howard sees the potential that is Channing Tatum and becomes his manager setting him up in back alley fights across New York. All of this builds up to the not so exciting climatic conclusion where Tatum has to fight the top street brawler, who by the way just happens to be part of Tatum’s mysterious past. Riveting! (If only that statement was actually true.)
Oliver Twist comparisons aside, which there are a number, but this film does not warrant such a deep deconstruction, this movie was incredibly dull and lack luster. Tatum barely says more than four words at a time and Howard with his soft voice never sells the fight coach/hustler/leader of young me. In fact, I don’t even know what Howard was supposed to be. He has a small apartment in nice looking brown stone, but the interior is crappy, he doesn’t have a real job, and hangs out with young men all day long. He wears the same suit the entire movie, so I’m assuming he to in living in poverty but trying to hide it.
But who gives a shit? This movie is called Fighting and is about fighting. So how is the fighting? It’s pretty lack luster. Tatum is never that impressive, nor is the fight choreography. It looks like they were trying to go for realism instead of excitement, which is a shame, because I was really in the mood for some stylized brawling. But oh well, I’ll have to go elsewhere. And I suggest you do the same.
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