Customer Reviews

Fight Night

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I watch a lot of independent films. Typically you can tell that they are independent either by the low-grade filming, all outdoor shots, or worthless actors who can't make it in community theatre. It's no easy task, but if those things work for you, you still usually have to be forgiving with issues with story or continuity, but these things are not an issue with "Fight Night".

The start of the film is a bit messy... the cinematography doesn't settle down for a while and there's too much "effect" for effect sake. But soon the lead actors present a story well enough that you soon move pass the effects and start paying attention to the story. It's a shame that neither star has other credits to their name that I can find... they should definitely be holding our attention in more movies.

I saw this fight flick on Showtime and had to add it to my library.
Chad Ortis "Mike Dublin" should become an A-Lister - he's a very good actor. He times throw-aways well and was a convincing sleazoid manager.
Rebecca Neunswander is captivating in her role as the fighter and she's also a very good actress. Ortis and Neunswander should do more films together - there was some great chemistry.
Despite all it's violence and blood gore, there's something about this movie that wins you over. Perhaps it's the great dialog between the characters? Kudos to writer Ian Schorr for excellent screenwriting.
(Disclaimer: I do not know any of these people. I was simply impressed that they created a fight flick that was actually interesting to watch, was well-written and acted -- and it stayed clear of the all-too typical fight movie cliches.)
Go "Speedy"! ;)

Slyly Starts Off As A Typical B-Action Movie, Morphing Into A Poignant Character Study Of Two Lost People Trying To Find Their Way. I Actually Enjoyed This MUCH More Than The Highly Celebrated Female-Fighter-With-A-Twist Movie, "Million Dollar Baby".

With All Due Respect To Hilary Swank's Buff-Looking Boxer, Former Martial Arts Champ Rebecca Neunswander is NOT Only The More Credible Fighter, Convincingly Taking Out Most Of Her Rivals With Skill And Quickness As Much As With Strategy; But Along With Chad Otis As The Opportunistic Promoter Michael Dublin, Gives A Top-Notch Performance As Drifter Katherine Parker, A Refreshing Rarity From The Mostly Wooden, Martial Artist-Turned-Action-Heroes That Are Usually Cast In These Films.

Even With The Different Direction That Editor/Producer/Director Johnathan Dillon Takes With This Film, It Has Enough, Excitingly Staged Fight Scenes Throughout To Please The Average Action Movie Fan; And It's An An Absolute SHAME That A Major Studio Didn't Pick Up This
Film And Give It The Push It TRULY Deserved.

To ANY Studio Exec Reading This Review, Take A Look At This Film, The Two Leads, And The Producer/Director At The Helm, And Get A Deal Going With ALL Three; A Goldmine Awaits!!!

If you like the premise of a film about aspiring female fighters and were disappointed with Clint Eastwood's overly morbid Oscar winner on the subject, then please give this film a try. It is excellent by any measure. The star, Rebecca Neunswander, is a combination of strong, independent, but also vulnerable and soft(at times) that some men seek all their lives. The male lead was excellent, doing a "film noire" job of running a two-bit boxing promotion business while being penniless. The film plays with our emotions, as all great films do, but provides a "payoff" at the end which I won't spoil for you. I purchased the film with no expectations at all; the entire cast was unknown to me. Having seen it, I am very glad to have bought it and wonder just what DOES constitute a hit movie and a "star", as this film and its major players both deserved higher station in the Hollywood pantheon.

WOW! I really didn't know what to expect from this movie but was blown away at by how good it was. It is very entertaining and the actors/actresses were excellent. It had alot of violence (boxing of course) but also had some good action, drama and touching moments. It kept my attention the whole time and I was cheering for Kathryn Parker, the female fighter. I hope the writer and director makes alot more movies! Oh and the reviewer that gave it one star and said he'd give it zero....well you know there's always one in a bunch. Oh well.

Chad Ortis played Michael Dublin, an unlikable cocky Tom Cruise wanna-be. He is a hustler and illegal fight promoter or fight rigger. He happens on Katherine Parker (Rebecca Neuenswander), a woman who can beat any man in the ring. She reluctantly teams up with Dublin as they travel cross country. As it so happens he is not the best or brightest. His character remains unlikeable as we pity the poor girl who is stuck with him. In Florida both their pasts catch up with them as they go into the final climax match.

What I thought was odd is that they went to great lengths to make Kathrine Parker look like she has been ugly beaten in the face, while she had a full set of straight white teeth. Dublin healed rather quickly from his beatings, apparently because they were using all the black and blue make-up on Katherine. The movie starts out with a first person narration by Dublin in a seedy motel room, then flashes back a month to start the movie. What I don't recall is that at no point did they return to that scene. That is proper movie etiquette.

This movie was originally released under the title "Rigged." Brief nudity.

I enjoyed this movie.

It was not Hollywood-style, and its characters were real -
with the possible exception of the fighter holding her own
against much larger male fighters.

If you liked this movie and 'Bend it like Beckham', I
recommend the movie Fighter - which is sort of a mix of
those two movies.
Fighter - Starring Molly Blixt Egelind, Cyron Bjørn Melville, et al.
(DVD - 2009).

Picked this one up because of the cover art and didn't expect a lot. I was pleasantly surprised all around.

The movie tells the tale of two very different people and the personal redemption they both eventually find while on the bare knuckle fight circuit.

Chad Ortis does an excellent job as Michael Dublin, an amoral fight promoter who's only looking out for himself.

Rebecca Neuenswander is outstanding as a very feisty Katherine Parker. She's got a bad attitude and something to prove. I really got invested in her character and the inner drive that motivated her to fight.

If you're looking for a "real" fight, then rent a MMA dvd. If you want to be entertained for an hour and half, give this one a look.

Man, I actually kind of liked this movie. Started a little odd with freeze shots and stuff, but once it got going, there was pretty good suspense. Plus Rebecca Neuenswander is really great in this - actually everyone did well. Probably worth renting before buying to make sure.

Can't say much about the movie. Captions weren't working. Spanish subtitles worked, but that didn't do me much good. If you're deaf and don't speak Spanish you might want to skip it.