Fighting (2009)

disgusting, overrated, pointless

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

I don't like to write negative reviews, but with a film like this. I feel like i'm being more then modest. So the film was sold to the audience as an original take on an inspired action film, that all boys and men love "Wrong bet" starring Van Damme. The film stars Tatum in one of his first action roles, and it fails. You can't really call it a remake, because its not. You can't call it an adaptation, because its not. You cant call it an Action film, because its not. You cant call it Drama, because its not. You can call it a bad attempt at film making all together. The film has two, maybe 3 fights in total. Tatum character wins one fight by accident, and that makes him the champion. Yes, we don't see a montage or even hear it in passing dialogue that he beat other fighters or that he is a great fighter. We see him go up against one guy, who slips and knocks himself out while beating the living sh out of Tatum and thats it.The acting in the film is pretty terrible, Tatum didn't even try to act he just appeared angry in every shot. Howard was playing the same role he had played in hustle, just a pimp from the hood, you can say.IF you want to watch this film, Don't! instead look up and stream/ download or watch the Van Damme version Wrong Bet or Lion-heart, much more enjoyable with the same level of acting, but better and actual fight scenes, better story and a really cool soundtrack and theme music.

Shawn MacArthur (Channing Tatum) is a NYC street hawker. Harvey Boarden (Terrence Howard) leads a team of hustlers and tries to run him off. Shawn is able to fight them off. They meet up again and Harvey offers him an underground fight. Martinez (Luis Guzmán) is another promoter. Zulay Velez is the single mom waitress love interest. Evan Hailey is a rival fighter who was on the same college wrestling team coached by Shawn's father.This has a feel of something more interesting than a B-movie. Terrence Howard does that to his films. He makes it better than it should be. This is most notable for an early starting role for Tatum. He has solidified this character type with a chip on his shoulder. The fight scenes tries to be indie gritty. Other than that, this movie doesn't stand out.

the good guy/poor boy. the occasion to have some money. a hide world. few fights. a love story. and Channing Tatum.piece of a trend. not bad. not interesting. a couple of emotions and old story of the surviver. gray circle. single virtue - the memories of another movies about good guy, fights and love story. cliché. or just drawing of ordinary society. so, the acting, dialogs, fight scenes, sex scene are only symbols from a recipes again and again refuge for a director in search of subject. basic, perfect movie for fans of actors. for waste of time. for war against dark thinks. is it OK ? maybe not. but it is unique gift from this small film.

It took Hollywood awhile to dust off the old fighting genre. Here we have 'Fighting", more or less an updated version of Van Damme's Lionheart thankfully with a little more realistically choreographed fighting. There's a few details and character development which has some thought worked into it, but unfortunately it doesn't make up for horribly clichéd romance and painful associated dialog to follow. Terrence Howard does the best he can with his hustler character, but there's not much of interest going on. The fight scenes are better than a lot other movies, but they cant carry the movie alone. The "thugs" and investors are cookie-cutter. There are worse movies out there, but this certainly isn't a good movie anyway you cut it.