Customer Reviews

Punch

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This was a good movie. The direction was solid and the storyline interesting. The movie actually centered more around the dynamics between the relationship of the father and daughter than female boxing, and this was a good thing. What really made this film was the lead actress, Sonja Bennett. Her acting was excellent; plus she's beautiful. (always a good combination) There was one scene in particular where she is sitting naked on a bed with her legs apart in an attempt to seduce her tutor. She may not have seduced him, but she sure seduced me! That scene alone is worth the price of the dvd. The actress has a sex appeal that oozes through at all times. This adds to the realism of the film and makes the odd quasi-incestous relationship between the father and daughter believable and somewhat understandable. Another interesting twist is that this film was actually directed by the actresses' father, Guy Bennett.

It's hard to define this film, as there are several sub-plots operating simultaneously, but I bought it and I would definitely recommend it. Kudos to both Guy Bennett and Sonja Bennett for a job well done. I hope to see more of Sonja. If Hollywood ever discovers her, she could become a star, since she's a first-rate actress.

This film offers no illusions, no Hollywood sweetness to cover problems presented. As such, it is an unpleasant exercise in viewing. The star, Sonja Bennett, is not unattractive, but plays a disturbed tomboy. She has an obvious elektra complex attraction for her father that(thankfully) goes unfulfilled. She has an attraction to the concept of fighting. The film addresses that too. In most films, the pretty fighter normally wins, just the way we want it. This film goes out of its way to show that hokiness(beautiful brunette downs ugly heavyweight) but then says, "not in real life, bub" and has the ugly babe come back and win. Our heroine, in the same way, keeps hammering away at that brunette about fighting..until she can't take it anymore. So the star, Sonja Bennett, is shockingly severely beaten by the brunette pro, as a lesson that fighting is real, not for amateurs. Again, unpleasant to watch but, commendable for cinema verite` I suppose. Overall, if you want a pleasant movie experience, buy Fight Night at Amazon; get this film if you want to see some disturbing, if gritty, drama. Update: I 1st gave this film a dreadful score; upon seeing it again, I again did not enjoy it but see its merits(see above); the climactic scene between the two lead women makes sense plot-wise, but also is a "payoff" to those who simply wanted a "cat fight"; God help me, but as cat fights go, it was pretty nasty, which is to say hot.

Okay - up front, the characters aren't typical of movies. The father is a wimp, totally lost at how to discipline his daughter. The daughter is socially estranged, fixated on her father, jealous of his girlfriend, and simmering with anger. The girlfriend is emotionally timid, indecisive, and scorns her sister while feeling guilt about not protecting her from some dark secret in their past. The sister is compassionate to women and emotionally abusive to men, quick to take offense at every opportunity. The topless boxing is populated by women who look better with their clothes on, and the bartender is an insensitive clod.

In short, they're typical people, with all of the flaws of people that we know - they're annoyingly believable. Nobody is Hollywood beautiful, the characters are human, and you see hints at stories that you never learn.

The main plot is about watching these people deal with their problems, and the problems of the people that they care about. The ending is on a hopeful note - but it's no fairy-tale "they lived happily ever after".

All in all, an amazingly realistic look at very realistic people - not a great movie, but good, and beautifully casted, written, and directed.

I was intrigued when I saw this movie in the store. When I watched it I wasn't too dissapointed. The story surrounds an anger fueled, anti-social teenage girl named Ariel and her single father who both seem to have their share of problems in life. Things start to heat up when Ariel becomes rivals with her dad's new girlfriend and her sister. It's a movie worth checking out.

Punch (2002) was a huge hit at the Vancouver Film Festival. I saw it there and loved it.
Canadian actor, Michael Riley, gives a subtle, understated performance. It's beautiful to watch a male star who doesn't try to steal his scenes from the women around him.
Newcomer Sonja Bennett gives a gutsy, startling, riveting performance as the troubled teen, Ariel. Supporting cast is all excellent.
An interesting script. Not typically Hollywood. Punch (2002) is funny, rude, tender, caring, rough, optimistic, intelligent, interesting. Surpisingly (given that includes topless female boxing) this is a movie that women love.
It's worth seeing twice. I'm looking forward to seeing the DVD version with Director, Guy Bennett's, comments.

Great acting, marvelous script, beautiful cinematography.

You might think that a movie containing topless female boxing is basically a movie to get drunk to, but this one is not. It's funny, unpredictable, tender, strangely up-beat, rude and intimate.

How very Canadian to have a male lead who doesn't try to grab the limelight. Bravo to the subtle Canadian actor, Michael Riley. And how very gutsy to have a female lead (Sonja Bennett) who is willing to be thoroughly dislikeable almost the entire was through.

It's a film worth seeing at least twice (I saw it three times when it was released in Canada earlier this year).

It's about family relationships, love, overcoming dysfunctions, growing up, grieving, hope - and, of course, topless female boxing. Did I mention that Punch is hilarious? It is.

This is really a review of the film, since I saw it on satellite and can't comment on the DVD's quality or extras, but I feel that this gem is worth your attention since it was not distributed very widely or very well.

It is a film whose themes on the surface (incestual longings, teen hostility, failed relationships, topless women boxers being exploited) might seem off-putting or even sensationalist, but the film, under a sure director and his cast, manages to spin this stuff into real acting gold by drawing out motivations and actions in the characters and letting them unfold gradually rather than telegraphing all its punches.

"Punch" is a pathetically bad movie with no likable characters: The father is weak and subconsciously wants to bed his daughter, the girlfriend is wimpish and desperate, and her sister is violent.

The one character we should have sympathy for is the daughter, but she has no redeeming qualities. She is deeply psychologically disturbed and wants to have sex with her father. She's violent and has severe anger problems. The father should have recognized this - but seems unaware all the way to the end. It's unbelievable that the daughter wasn't forced to have counseling. In the movie, it's never even considered as a means to help the girl.

The film-makers seem to believe that receiving a good beating or giving a good beating is the way to solve deep rooted psychological problems. A notion in itself which is very disturbing.

Exciting movie. Extremely funny, somewhat risque, a little bit violent, quite unusual, and oddly heart-warming. What more could you want?

lnteresting, erotic and yet a bit disturbing. You try to have sympathy for Ariel, but she is too much of a [...] to give it to her. Sure the topless boxing is nice, even though one lady l'd rather see her with her shirt on, but there is a very interesting story around it. l was shocked to find out that the lady who played Ariel is the director's daughter. Why would any Father subject their daughter to a near full frontal nudity scene? The title is appropriate because the story line really hits you, hard.