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Critics Consensus: Though Fighting has a likable lead performer, and the fight scenes are impressive, the paper-thin plot ultimately unravels.
Critic Consensus: Though Fighting has a likable lead performer, and the fight scenes are impressive, the paper-thin plot ultimately unravels.
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All Critics (130) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (79) | DVD (6)
The tell-it-as-it-is title hardly indicates anything out of the ordinary, but this bare-knuckle boxing flick is put together with more love than you'd expect.
The fights may not be very convincing, but the story's underdog structure is satisfying in a happy-cliché sort of way. Fighting is Rocky without the bombast, Fight Club without the daft metaphysical pretensions.
This is a story we've seen dozens of times before.
There's an effective, unstylized authenticity to those fights. A life or death mania, which enhanced the film's credibility.
Fighting arrives fully charged by the charisma of its star, Channing Tatum.
There's a better movie inside it struggling to get out.
Yes, both Channing Tatum and Zulay Henao... have careers for their looks alone, and they'd have better careers delivering pizza than delivering dialogue.
Call a movie Fighting, you expect action. Only include shots of Channing Tatum shirtless in the trailer, you expect to see half-naked Tatum. Fighting doesn't deliver either.
Channing Tatum (GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra) is crazy beautiful, and perfectly cast as a slow, troubled young man.
the protagonist happens to be played by an actor who looks more like a fashion model than tough street fighter
Fighting consistently feels like a patchwork of better movies without their excitement or rooting interest in character.
There's something interesting in this film and that's the reality it brings to its subject matter. Scenes seem real. And that's a lot to do with the performances. They're all terrific. But there's the reality of New York too, there's grit here.
Two gorgeous men with their tops off. What more could you ask for? There is also a really nice story and a genuinely great film. A must see!
Super Reviewer
This movie was okay, I kinda liked it. The acting was just okay, and Channing Tatum is one of the great new rising stars. The concept was good, but the way they do it wasnt bad, but strange. Their were moments in the movie where Tatum would randomly run into aquantinces in the biggest city in America, WTF? In the end I enjoyed the movie, but it still was far from great.
An ok fighting film about the underdog on the rise. It's a well made and put together film with some good actors. However I have to say it hasn't got very good fight choreography!! Most of the fights are random brawls, cage fight style mixed disciplines....and don't last that long. There isn't a lot of build up to the fights either in terms of tension or training. Overall an ok watch but I thought Never back down was a similar plot film done much better.
I actually enjoyed this film. I thought by comparing this to Never Back Down would be an insult, because I enjoyed them both. Fighting delivers many brutal fight scenes that make you shiver, and even though the acting sort of fell off, I can't find myself disliking this film!
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