Fighting [HD]

It Tries Hard
This is generally not my kind of movie, but I did like it as it had kind of a Rocky element going. I also thought the actors gave sincere performances and the story was gritty enough to keep your attention - I get bored easily. As I watched it, I really felt this movie had a lot of potential to be great but because it was kind of rushed, it couldn't quite get there. If it could have taken a little more time to develop the characters and their relationships, it might have gotten there. I know that Channing Tatum is always criticized for his non acting ability, but if you really watch this movie, you can sense his potential, there were several times that you got a sincere sense from him that his character really wanted to do the right thing and Tatum does this more with expression than words. The only other thing that I feel could have been better was the connection between Shawn and Zulay, I just didn't get a sense of actual attraction, it really seemed kind of forced, like there...

Fighting deserves a fighting chance...
The main problem with a film like 'Fighting' is the expectations that come with the obvious - fighting, or fight sequences. Although the movie centers on fighting, it seems like attention was spent elsewhere. In other words, the filmmakers did not conceptualize intricate fight sequences that would leave Bruce Lee breathless. On the contrary, the fights here are very low brow, meat and potatoes, bare knuckle, anything goes kind of brawl, which I'm not opposed to whatsoever. Personally, every now and again, the over-orchestrating of fight sequences can be a bit too much for me, but the minimal aspects here lend quite nicely to the main character's plight to survive.

As you've probably read the other reviews, the story surrounds the nicest small-time drifter once could ever hope to meet (quite a stretch I may add). He holds doors for strangers, pays fair prices for goods and aside from the funky smell & shabby clothes, you'd be proud to bring him home to mother for...

Channing definitely picked the wrong movie
This movie sucked badly. Channing's character came off as being kind of slow. His speech was really slow as if even before he even started fighting, he took one to many blows to the head. And he couldn't even fight. He only won his first fight by knocking a guys head into some kind of fountain. He couldn't even beat that big guy. Oh and don't get me started on the fight against the chinese guy; three time world champion Cung Le. Even without me knowing who Cung Le was I could see that Channing's character was no match for him. The only good scenes in this movie was when he fought Evan in the end and when they won all that money. Now that was a real fight.
So glad I waited until this came on cable, because had I'd went to see this at the movies I would have been pissed off. This movie is not even worthy of Channing or Terrance Howard. I can't believe someone actually made this movie as a supposed action movie and then named it "Fighting", it should have been called...

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