FIGHTING (2008)
Rating: 2.5 out of 4 /Buy the DVD Here
Tagline: Some dreams are worth the fight.
Directed by Dito Montiel
Starring: Channing Tatum, Terrence Howard, Luis Guzman, and Zulay Henao.
THE PLAN: Troubled street-vendor Sean MacArthur (Channing Tatum) lives a lonely existence in an oppressive New York City; selling books to (barely) make ends meet. After an attempted robbery prompts him to show off a raw set of fighting skills, he’s taken under the wing of lowly hustler Harvey (Terrence Howard), who soon introduces the young man to a secret – and lucrative – world of underground street-fighting.
THE KILL: The basic structure for FIGHTING is timeless. They’ve been cranking this story out since the 50s because its well-worn formula has all the hallmarks of a crowd-pleaser. You’ve got the volatile tough-guy (with a heart of gold, of course) at the center, who prefers not to fight because of some unfortunate fighting-related business in his past; you’ve got the shady promoter who spots the kid in an unguarded moment of brutal fisticuffs, and you can practically see the dollar signs flash in his eyes; you’ve got the girl, who the tough-guy falls for, and though she’s resistant at first, you just know she’s falling for the lovable lug – you also just know she’s got a dirty little secret that could tear that blossoming relationship apart; you’ve got the villain – another, better fighter – who taunts the tough-guy until the two must have a all-or-nothing showdown in the end. But by then, the kid is dealing with all manner of emotional and moral conflicts in his beefy soul, and he has to decide whether or not he even wants to go on …fighting.
The trailer for FIGHTING. I must admit, I laughed the first time I saw it.
You get the picture. There’s nothing new under the sun in FIGHTING, which adequately tells this story without rocking the boat too much. The film’s moderate success rests on a few necessary aspects. A) The “charisma” of Channing Tatum, who plays the part of tough guy Sean about as well as he should (or can). Tatum often looks like he’s unsure of what to say, or how to say it, and that’s actually a positive in building his naive, hesitant hero. (This is not a plus in G.I. JOE, however, in which he’s awful.) B) The setting, which is New York City – and actually New York City, not Canada or Bulgaria or wherever the hell else they try to pawn off Manhattan in most budget-saving efforts. New York’s vivid personality shines through in FIGHTING, as the authentic hustle and bustle of the intimidating city provides a necessarily compelling background to this routine saga. C) The fight scenes are vigorous and well-staged. Obviously taking a cue from FIGHT CLUB’s visceral sequences of flesh-battering, FIGHTING stages a few impressively rough and tumble scenes of face devastation.
The way Channing Tatum chooses to deal with his G.I. JOE critics…
And then there’s D). If there’s one single aspect of FIGHTING that is completely unexpected, it’s Terrence Howard’s nuanced, quirky performance as Harvey. The obvious choice for the filmmakers – and the actor – would have been to make Harvey a sly, devious manipulator intent on winning at any cost, no matter the danger posed to his young fighter. But Harvey is a surprisingly pathetic figure, a nobody who waits in the wings for a big chance that he’s sure will come, but seemingly never does. Howard gives Harvey a strange, almost sheepish way of talking that reminds me of Dustin Hoffman’s “Ratso” Rizzo from MIDNIGHT COWBOY; in fact, that film’s central relationship – between Rizzo and Joe Buck, the naive yokel he guides through the big city – was almost certainly an inspiration for the uneasy friendship between Harvey and Sean.
Tatum just mentioned IRON MAN 2… Awkward….
I’m not saying FIGHTING is a great movie – or even a very good one. I’m trying to convey that it does what it sets out to do, which I consider worthy of mild (very mild) praise. Between the fight scenes, you have to sit through a very boring, standard-issue romance subplot, during which you might as well tune out. But I must admit the bare-knuckle brawls, combined with Howard’s riveting performance, elevate this from predictable tripe to minor surprise.
TOP DEATH: Nobody dies in this film. Next.
TOP ACTION: All of the fight scenes are pretty energetic, but the climactic bout in a ritzy penthouse wins out for most vicious.
FEMALE EXPLOITATION: Zulay Henao’s adorable smile is about as exploitative as this flick gets.
HOMOEROTIC MOMENT: If you’re a fella that enjoys watching buff dudes roll around the floor while a faint smacking sound can be heard, you’ll be in heaven.
TOP DIALOGUE: Sean: Where we going?
Harvey: We’re in a hundred thousand dollar Mercedes. That’s where we’re going.
DRINKING GAME: Drink every time you’re positive Tatum has forgotten his line, only to find he remembers it just in the nick of time… A fight between you and the liquor cabinet is sure to ensure by the time the credits roll.
TRIVIA: Director Dito Montiel directed Tatum in 2006’s A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS.
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