Knockout (2011) User Reviews

What if karate-kid was a boxing-kid ?

[stefgrig · 6/10 · 12 May 2011]

Well this is a story told lots of times , the underdog that comes out alright in the end .And it feels a bit like the karate kid goes boxing . And I'm not really a Steve Austin fan .

But strangely enough it works . The story while not original kept me , and that's saying a lot . The box-kid is an interesting character so is Steven Austin as coach . Austin is not a great actor , but he makes up to it with attitude and stature . And in my opinion keeping it real was smart .

Not much else to say , I enjoyed it , but nothing to write home about . While I think it appeals mostly to teens , its not a bad movie for any age , and I for one like the "you can do it if u set your mind to it " message .

Middle-of-the-road generic underdog story

[ricardovs27 · 5/10 · 3 January 2012]

Nothing new about this recent D-to-D starring Steve Austin as Mr. Miyagi, oops, Dan Barns, a former boxer turned janitor who puts a nerdy kid under his wing and teach him the noble art as a way of learning how to handle life itself.

The good thing is that the flick has a heart, is well rounded and the characters are sympathetic enough to warrant some entertainment.

Of course we movie gobblers have seen the same story done dozens of times, but who does not love to see an underdog get the prize?

The highlight is that Steve Austin is charismatic enough and keeps it real most of the time, compensating the less than thrilling protagonist.

The dialog is cross and direct from a bad self-help book; however, is said with some dignity and Austin shows he is not only a killing machine, he has potential to not embarrass himself in more meaty roles.

A nice time waster, if you do not have anything else to do and likes to tackle this kind of movie.

Decent

[Johnny_Hing · 6/10 · 27 August 2011]

I'm in my 50's and I enjoyed watching this. And that's saying something, as I'm not easily entertained by movies about High School kids and teenage angst. (Not since Fast Times at Ridgemont High, My Bodyguard, and The Breakfast Club from the 80's.) As others have said, this movie is not over the top, nor does it attempt to be. It even takes a friendly poke at some that are, like when our hero jumps up out of his chair after sharing his first kiss with his new girlfriend and shouts something like "Yo, Adrienne!" The Mom not understanding what a son has to endure when transferring to a new school is an important issue that is addressed here. Dads can relate no doubt, but for the single Moms out there, please take note. If your kid wants to learn how to fight, don't discourage him. He most likely has a very good reason. There's hardly any swearing, no gore, no sex, which is refreshing for a film of this genre. Steve Austin's character as the coach is believable, as you know he's lived the life. "For 3 minutes a round, it's just you and your opponent." Wish the kid would have thrown more punches after all that training... he seemed to be mostly on the defensive. Had he noticeably blossomed into a really tough fighter, I might have given this a couple extra stars just to witness the dramatic transformation. As it stands, it is a pleasant, mildly entertaining story about courage and survival within the hallways and gymnasiums of the U.S. secondary school system.

Not good!

[joburocks · 3/10 · 29 April 2011]

Well lets start with the positive. The budget was 9mil. For 9 mil it actually looks decent. Editing cuts are late at times, but simply done which is refreshing from the quick paced clipping action scene cuts we get in the every big budget movie. With what they had to work with I guess its OK.

Stone Cold Steve Austin was the best actor in the flick. Hector the bully did a nice job for what he was working with. The main character is painful to watch in this role. I don't want to bash the kid but a boxer he is not, awkward he is, but in all the wrong ways. The mother is 4 out of 10 and the rest of the cast is blah. The girl the main character falls for has a unique look so she can get a bonus point, blah +1, might like to see her again in a better part to decide.

Script is weak, directing is off, sets look decent, make up not good and effects... there are none. It feels like it's an after school special from the 80's without the warmth or the character development. Somehow the movie did have heart though. I'll attribute it to the main character and Steve Austin standing up for what is right.

My big issue here is that it is a boxing movie and our lead character can't even throw a punch. I mean who the heck did the casting? Did the kids dad pay for the movie? It looks like he just put his xbox remote down and went on set. I really have to stress that the child can literally not throw a normal jab, hook, or any normal looking punch, and has no athletic ability. The main fight looks is like watching 2 tards throw haymakers at each other and for 5 minutes. OK I am harsh but there are so many talented kids out there how could he get the part. He should be cast as an awkward science geek genius that figures out a mathematical way to rob banks. That would be more convincing, but I doubt there will be a future for him in the movie industry.

Like the other guy said this makes Breakin 2 Electric Boogaloo look like Oscar material. :)

If this movie were a flavor, it would be vanilla.

[The_Light_Triton · 2/10 · 26 November 2018]

First of all, I can tell you what this movie is in one sentence - The Karate Kid, with no swearing, no karate, and no one who really cared...with a little dash of Rocky.

Knockout is a low-budget, TV movie for the family channel knockoff of the karate kid, just with Boxing replacing Karate. And if you haven't seen The Karate Kid, i strongly suggest you watch it (The '84 edition and it's '86 sequel are great coming-of-age films.) before watching this. Trust me, you don't want to watch this first, then karate kid and call Karate kid "A good rip-off" of Knockout.

Matt Miller (Daniel Magder) is a 15-year old who is thrust out of his comfortable life to go to Aldergrove, a small, nowhere special type of town. (Actually, Aldergrove is a neighborhood in Langley, British Columbia, less than an hour's drive away from my hometown.) His mother has started a new life after her husband has left the family, and it's not clear whether he is dead or it was a divorce, but if it's a rip-off of TKK, most likely he has died. Upon entering school, Matt makes 2 friends and thanks to a dare from one of them, he makes an enemy of school jock, Hector, who also happens to be a boxing prodigy. As Hector repeatedly harrasses and bullies Matt, the school Janitor, Dan Barnes (Stone Cold Steve Austin) becomes aware of it, and winds up training Matt to fight to protect himself.

Yep, it's karate kid through and through. Matt Miller is Daniel LaRusso, Dan Barnes is Mr. Miyagi, Hector is Johnny, Ruby is Alie, and Coach Harward is Kreese.

First of all, the acting is really bad. While you may think since Stone Cold Steve Austin is a good actor, he might have carried the film? Sure. He's the best actor in the movie, and he was phoning it in pretty much the whole time. It's almost as if the director was scared to ask him to re-shoot his scenes in fear of Austin walking off the set thinking it was a waste of his time.

Or maybe he was scared of SCSA giving him a stone cold stunner and drinking a steveweiser over his fallen carcass.

The main star, Daniel Magder, has about as much skill in acting as a pornstar does. He's either overacting, or not acting well enough. He can't get that balanced throughout the movie. his banter with SCSA feels like he's reading it off the script and it doesn't come off natural. His arguements with his mother and father are hardly believable. I can see why this guy got roles with shows on the family channel.

But by far, the worst part is the script. It's one of the most skeletal, vanilla flavored, boring scripts I can think of. And when i say vanilla, i mean the supermarket-branded vanilla flavored ice cream. It's not as good as the breyer's or the chapman's brand. Every word, phrase is either cliche or laughable. (Seriously, How many high school kids call someone a birdbrain?) And remember how i said "family channel" film? How can you give a role to SCSA without him saying any H-E Double hockey sticks or those things beavers build?

So why did I buy this movie for 3 dollars at a Dollarama? Because Stone Cold Steve Austin was on the cover.

2/10

YOU'VE SEEN ONE KARATE KID MOVIE, YOU'VE SEEN THEM ALL

[nogodnomasters · 2/10 · 22 July 2018]

Imagine living in a world where every movie plot is fashioned from the Karate Kid. In this movie it is boxing instead of karate. I must give kudos to the casting director for being able to find people whose acting ability were on par with Mr. Austin. At times the acting and script was so hokey I found myself laughing at the serious moments of the movie, such as when boy Matthew first tells his mom and step-dad he wants to box. The lines and acting were so bad, I thought this might be a comedy. This might be a good movie for tweens, but beyond that it's a bust. One bright spot was Emma Grabassky, the young girl who played Matthew's gf. I can't figure out how she slipped through the bad actors only screen.

What I really want to know is how does one get funding for this type of tripe? You go the studio and say, "I have written a screen play stolen from the Karate Kid. I have substituted the word "boxing" for "karate." I got Steve Austin to play Mr. Miyagi and he promises never to smile and to only speak in truisms. We are going to find worse actors than Austin, so as not to upstage him. We won't have a decent soundtrack either and the director is blind." I think a movie about trying to sell this film would have been more entertaining.

Recyclable material, but with charm and true heart that raises the overall product.

[good_times_roll · 7/10 · 28 April 2011]

Sometimes enjoyment can stem from your level of initial expectations. I try to remain open minded when I'm viewing a movie, but it's hard to completely keep out certain things. Even though I've seen better movies recently, I felt obligated to comment on this one, due to the preconceived notions one might have. If you take it for what it is, you'll be satisfied.

When I first started "Knockout", I mostly expected a highly predictable experience which would essentially leave me empty handed. Although it did turn out to be predictable, I was won over by the enormous sense of warmth and the sincerity of the actors. This is basically another take on the underdog story, which means there's an obvious inspirational tone hanging in certain scenes. But despite the presentation of certain scenes, I felt like it wasn't overdone for the most part. I was even slightly touched during a few moments, even if they weren't entirely original.

Steve Austin was surprisingly comfortable in this role. He projects an enormous feeling of kindness all throughout the picture. As for Daniel Magder, he started off rocky, but as his character progressed, his earlier choices started to make sense. The actor who plays the childishly maniacal Hector also deserves a mention. Even though the character is one dimensional, he manages to believably embrace the bully role.

All and all, this is an example of a movie rising above the material in order to bring the viewer with a fairly delightful experience.

Terrible garbage fire of a movie

[Zedyeti · 1/10 · 18 December 2020]

I've seen high school student films better than this mess. Main actor is so cringy and annoying. Nobody can act, story is stupid. The fighting choreography is so bad. How did this get made?

Standing above most.

[keepitlove · 7/10 · 12 May 2011]

I'm almost certain that the people who are down rating this film initially thought they would be watching a Stone Cold Steve Austin action extravaganza instead of a family movie. Even though I'm not a professional movie critic, or a filmmaker, I do consider myself a movie buff who delves into every possible genre. And as far as this certain type of genre goes, it's pretty good.

"Knockout" never tries to jump over itself. It clearly knows what it wants to be. In fact, at one point, it gives a shout out to the original "Karate Kid." Many plot lines feel familiar, but it's all handled with as much care as possible. The movie is successful at flowing down the middle without being overly heartwarming, or not heartwarming enough.

Steve Austin isn't applying for greatness, but he feels completely right for this role. Despite his opposing figure, you can see the soft spot within his eyes. As for the main kid, he eases into the role by the end of the film. The kid who played Hector tackles the bully role with aplomb. The girl playing Ruby is also very charming.

All in all, my two young kids enjoyed this and so did I. As far as these types of films go, this one is above most.

The Karate Kid but worst

[SnoopyStyle · 3/10 · 2 January 2024]

Matthew Miller (Danny Mags) is not happy to start a new high school. He is befriended by Nick and Ruby, but Nick's prank makes him the target of a bully. Dan Barnes (Steve Austin) is the janitor. Matthew tries out for the boxing team and gets opposed by his bully.

The kid is too whiney. The bully would work better without the whining. I don't like the kid and I think he's about twenty. The writing is not good and the acting is worst. Steve Austin may be the best actor in the cast. The story is basically The Karate Kid but worst. There are so many little moments of bad writing and it all adds up.

Typical "Stone Cold" move...in a good way!

[TrailbossMCT · 10/10 · 29 April 2011]

I am a Steve Austin fan: Loved "The Condemned" and "Damage", and most of his other films. I think the folks who slammed him with the negative reviews were a bit harsh and unfair. Is he "Oscar" material? No. Does he do Shakespeare type material? No. His "genre" is pulp type fiction for the masses! My only real benchmark for a good movie is this: Do I feel better after watching a movie, than I did before I watched it? In this case: yea! It was pretty good. A little campy but...overall, I gave it a 10 for meeting expectations and for the above mentioned reason as well. Actually, I give this movie a "7", to be honest: the extra "3" is to spite the negative reviewers and their vitriol!! I love the way the folks leaving the terrible reviews accuse anyone who actually *liked* the movie of being shills!! I assure you: I live in Ocean County, NJ and I don't work for Hollywood or the production company...nor do I know, personally, Steve Austin! Which of course puts me in the *other* box they accuse those of us who like the film of being in: We are retards!! LOL!! If we actually like the movie they are bashing, and we are not shills or work for the production company, then we are just stupid, or retarded! Wow! I think that that mindset, on their part, is very telling! Says a lot about them, don't you think? Anyway, Thanks Steve Austin, for making an enjoyable film (again!) and I wish you much success in the future! STONE COLD FOR PRESIDENT: 2012!!! J/K!!

Pretty decent movie

[timothyrcullen-22855 · 7/10 · 23 May 2020]

Usually when I look up a movieI look at the overall rating and decide if I wanna watch it; however, I actually read some of the reviews because of the 5.0 and decided to give it a shot. While there are definitely cheesy parts, the movie has a good set of messages that apply to life, not just boxing. Definitely worth a look if you're looking for a clean cut, great message movie. I can't remember hearing any swearing

"Kid, this is boxing. Anything can happen."

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 9 June 2023]

As a comeback story in which the underdog kid comes back to score a surprising victory against a school bully, this was not convincing. The casting of Daniel Magder as Matthew Miller didn't work at all for this viewer, he didn't look anything like an athlete, much less an aspiring boxer. Even Steve Austin's presence in the story didn't help much. I don't know when he actually quit pro wrestling, but his paunchy middle didn't translate well on screen for a former superstar of the game. I guess this would resonate a lot better for young teens still in high school, as the message has some relevance, but when he knocked out Hector (Jared Brandt Bartlett) in the final box-off match, it came across more as a fluke than an earned victory. The same could be said for the fight that went just before Matt's. The grandfather (Scott Hylands) who showed up for the bout looked like a Burgess Meredith knock-off from the "Rocky' movie, which added one more dimension to this film as art imitating art.

Change of pace

[sissy3006-179-640454 · 7/10 · 12 August 2019]

This was a good movie and change of pace for Austin not his typical action adult movie, he gave the kid some hope and a goal. Good movie for teens

Great movie.

[droidbox-74271 · 7/10 · 24 July 2019]

I thought this was a really good movie but alot of people didn't seem to like it

Surprisingly well done

[steve1925 · 10/10 · 30 April 2011]

I was pleasantly surprised with respect to the execution of the actors. Some of the previous reviews simply didn't get it! Young Matthew Miller played by Daniel Magder (Life with Derek's Edwin) was transformed over the course of the film from a bumbling geek to a self confident young man at the conclusion of the film. He displayed the stark contrast in character between the role he played at the beginning of the film and the end. At the start of the movie Matthew was in a place he didn't want to be and had to sacrifice his academic arena for the sake of his mother. He was nervous, angry and self conscious and displayed his emotions and feelings with an awkwardness both physically and emotionally. This is a much different role than that of Edwin in "Life with Derek". I believe he pulled it off beautifully. Steve Austin was consistent throughout the film showing a "soft side" and yet he was still rough around the edges given his checkered past. He played the role beautifully. Nice job Steve!!!

Matthew's mother came across as annoying which added balance to the story. If the kids were shown as professional boxers the credibility of the film would have suffered. These are teenagers in middle school just learning the craft of boxing, not seasoned veterans.

Yes, definitely a "feel good" story and yet not over the top. The lesson that the film depicts should not be lost on today's young generation. The old adage, when you fall, pick yourself up and try again, rings out load and clear.

This movie is a winner!!!

Boxing film

[micahbboswell27 · 8/10 · 28 August 2020]

It's like karate kid for boxing, with a slightly more shallow story. Steve Austin does an excellent job of carrying the film while Janet Kidder contributes with a professional fashion that's admirable. The rest of the cast skates by, with the time tested formula being enough to let them off the hook and carry the film. Anne Wheeler does a great job of bringing out the best in everyone and I, for one, Was glad to have seen It. Keep up the good work!

Champions are born. They're made.

[bluesman-20 · 10/10 · 6 July 2014]

Knockout is a charming effective film. The story is a shaggy dog cliché. A young boy the new kid in town. He idolizes his grandfather a former boxer. He runs into the school bully. friendless he has no one to turn to except the school janitor played wonderfully by Steve Austin. The boy tries out for the school boxing team. Only to find the bully is the school Champion. the boy loses faith in himself. The janitor Dan Barnes takes pity on him.Dan a former contender for the heavyweight Championship.. Barnes lived life in the fast lane and burnt himself out. Barnes got hurt and ended his career. Barnes takes the boy under his wing and trains him. The bully continues to torture him until a boxing match is set up to determine who will get the final spot on the boxing team. The film is filled with teen angst, young love and issues with the parents. Knockout finds it's voice in the relationship between the boy and Barnes. and later on There is that magical first love with another outsider. A young girl named Ruby. The film could be called sweet and tender. It could also be called a slice of life.Showing us how outsiders are made. How people who feel differently are sometimes punished for being different. The films driving message is simple. You must have faith in yourself. No one can fight your battles but you. You must choose a course of action and do it. Pretty effective message for a pretty effective movie that tries to disguise itself as a Boxing tale. Very Well done.

A Great Family Movie

[bigbadjohn-46034 · 10/10 · 31 May 2019]

This movie was just outstanding from beginning to end because it had an uplifting message and the script was superbly written with no profanity along with very little violence.The actors all did a great job in their roles and the cinematography was superb.