A Fighting Man (I) (2014) User Reviews

low-brow 'Rocky' definitely has its' positive traits

[witster18 · 6/10 · 2 July 2014]

"A Fighting Man" will be added to my "B Marathon List" because it's definitely deserving. Not perfect, but deserving.

A fine supporting cast helps. From the lady who plays Sailors mother, to James Caan,Famke Jannsen, and Louis Gossett, the entire cast(save one) does an EXCellent job. Unfortunately, the 'one' is Dominic Purcell, who's performance is a bit rigid and uninspiring. His lines all delivered with the same emotionless whisper that really loses the fight against his acting counterparts.

The director deserves MAD PROPS here. The film is put together extremely well considering the shoe-string budget. THe fight choreography is strong, the camera work and editing are all above average.

The story is pieced together beautifully with many pertinent subplots, all played out perfectly, even some surprises thrown in there. This film needed a new star and a bigger budget, and it could have really been amazing.

The film had style in its fonts and its shots, time-jumping, and human elements, but it just couldn't elevate into rarefied air without a better performance from the lead and a little more money for extras and and overall production design.

Still, kudos for the effort. THe director gets an asterisk next to his name as someone to keep an eye on. Good "B" movie that is definitely worth your time and money, but oh how this could have been a diamond in the rough instead of a garnet.

70/100 You Might like this if you liked: Streets of GOld(not as good), THe Wrestler(much better), Vision Quest(better), and Win Win(better)... but most of those are pretty strong flicks.

Impressed overall. Good sleeper no doubt.

Worse than what I'd like, better than I expected

[guisreis · 6/10 · 9 April 2020]

Not bad but not remarkable Canadian boxing film either. Anyway, it is better than I expected for a film with Blade Trinity villain Dominic Purcell in the leading role and one of the writers of 1996 Z-movie Electra, Damian Lee, as both the writer and the director. Famke Jansen has a small role, which seems that was included only to have her in the casting, as the relation between her character and Purcell's is poorly developped (the mystery is unveiled in the end without the necessary emotion). Other established actors were also casted, in other underdevelopped characters. Alternating parts of the fight with flashbacks is a good narrative idea, but Damian Lee was unable to make espectator feels anything. Adam Beach speaking in the middle of the fight was ridiculous and nonsense.

Very original

[athena-no-sainto · 27 February 2015]

Great boxing drama which through a very original script and editing recreates a boxing match in which between rounds and through long flashbacks we find out the reasons why boxers are fighting in that fight.

One of the great virtues of the film is it's originality in the way that tells the story, not resembling to any other movie of the genre, being the less important of the film the boxing match and focusing more in the human drama that both fighters are going through Damian Lee, director and screenwriter of the film achieved in a outstanding way to keep you interested until the ending of the story.

The film is starring by a great Dominic Purcell who lead a cast with some established names such as James Caan , Louis Gosset JR and Famke Jamssen who also displays a very nice performance.

There is a brief a appearance of Freddie Roach that boxing fans will probably enjoy Highly recommended

It Coulda Been a Contender but this one is down for the count.

[deadbull-95171 · 3/10 · 8 September 2023]

If this thing had stuck more closely to the story it shamelessly plagiarizes, Jack London's 'A Piece of Steak', about an over-the-hill fighter who's ability to take all kinds of punishment, and whose threadbare and broke with a desperate spouse, and who has already been advanced and spent the loser's end of the purse, matched against an opponent half his age, 'King' (the name comes from London's story), who ends up winning despite the old man's being game, things would have fared much better for the film and the viewer. Instead, this trumped up mess devotes its entire run time to this one pointlessly symbolic, idiotic fight, which is continually back-cut with flashes explaining how all the losers involved got to this current sorry state of affairs. Please read the elegant short story instead of seeing this. In this epic disaster, the two fighters are both bloated and shockingly inept. The eye of this bizarre tragedy, 'Sailor" ,is an affable klutz with a bad conscience and an oceanic masochism. He hovers in the ring with slack dead arms and almost never throws a punch. When he does, it's a leaden blubbery stump moving through Jello that come across as a reluctant nudge. In the final round he even tells his moronic young opponent to 'just do it', and finish him off, as his useless stumps hang by his sides. His young opponent is equally ludicrous, throwing wild haymakers that connect but with no power, despite the sound effects that suggest the broad side of a shovel sledging into huge slabs of dead meat. In reality if just one of these wrecking ball punches hit a passive ruin like 'sailor', the fight would end within eleven seconds of the first round, taking into account the ten seconds needed to make the KO official. But, dragged out as it is, any suspense about the outcome is dissipated in the endless and ominously heavy back stories of the long suffering ex'es and Gf's and buddies. All of that should have been dispensed with 'great dispatch' in the first minutes of the movie, and then opened into the big (and in this case utterly and comically, though unintentionally), slack fight. The simplest formula. It's too bad I guess, because we have James Caan and Mike Ironsides and Famke Janssen. But nothing can rescue this tottering punch drunk mess. When there's no dynamic, no drive, and no momentum, this is the result.

The good, the Bad ... and the others

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 1 October 2014]

It's nice and refreshing to see a movie about two boxers, where you get to see both sides and might not be able to pick a favorite. Of course deciding to start with the fight and then going back in flashbacks, might either be enticing for viewers or appalling. You'll have to make your own mind up about that.

Acting-wise you get quite a lot of good people in this. James Caan, Kim Coates, Michael Ironside and Famke Janssen to name a couple. Mostly they don't share the screen together, but you still get the gravitas a movie like this needs. It's nice storytelling, with slowly revealing/uncovering its layers. Not really surprising in the end, but still a nice movie to watch

Expected very little, ended up with a lot

[John_Tore · 7/10 · 30 December 2014]

I expected very little from this movie. I noticed I wasn't really in the mood for a movie after a couple minutes watching it, but I was too lazy to turn it off. And I'm happy I didn't. I wasn't really into the movie in the beginning, and I didn't understand why they had to cut off the fighting scene all the time with these flashbacks. However after a couple, these flashbacks started telling a compelling back-story of the older fighter. So I naturally parted with him, since I'm always trying to find a hero and a villain in the movies. Then the movie slowly introduced the back-story of the other fighter and I was torn. Who am I rooting for now? What is this? "Too many feels!"

I don't want to tell too much of the story, but it follows two boxers who have their own reasons for stepping into the ring. And this movie tells those stories in a unique way. I don't think I've ever seen a fighting movie where there was only one fight, but this was perfect. I really enjoyed the movie, and if you like deeper, emotional fighting or sports movies, this movie is a great pick for both you and girl on any night of the week.

Insufficient Credits

[emoac1 · 7/10 · 8 August 2020]

Freddie Roach, the great boxing trainer, is the fight doctor.

Pretty Good

[roliveira83 · 8/10 · 21 June 2014]

The movie is all about human life and their stories. I wasn't really expecting what I watched but I really liked it.

Unlike an usual movie, it starts with the action. So, you are not really sure what the characters are... I mean, you don't really like or dislike anyone yet even though the stories is already happening. So they keep crossing characters life over and over again in a pretty interesting way.

What I really like about fighters movies is that we are all fighters in our life... we fight for our friends, our family, ourself. We need to overcome our challenges, be ready to "take a punch" from life and don't never give up. In the end, life is more about how much you can take and keep going than how hard you can punch. It is just and simple human stories... human life.

I understand why not everyone will love this movie, but I had a really good time watching it!

A win!

[teoalcantara · 8/10 · 21 June 2014]

I wasn't expecting much, but this came as a pleasant surprise! The editing uses flashbacks in between rounds to tell the motivations that drive the two fighters, revealing their personal dramas little by little.

This helps to keep you interested on the movie, and ultimately on the outcome of the fight.

It also works because there's no 'villain' on the ring - both characters have good reasons to be on this match, and it's difficult to root just for one of them (though for me Dominic Purcell has a slight edge, if anything for being older).

I wasn't expecting something this good. I really enjoyed this. I actually liked it more then The Fighter. I say A-

[cosmo_tiger · 8/10 · 13 June 2014]

"The best we can do is to forgive ourselves." Sailor O'Connor (Purcell) is an aging fighter with a past that won't let him go. He is trying to move on when he is approached by a local promoter for one last fight. After agreeing for the biggest payday he's ever had he tells his mother and old trainer, neither of whom is happy about it. His opponent is an up and coming young kid with a past he is also trying to change. Together they fight not only each other but the past they can't forget. As many of you know I am a huge fan of sports movies. Being a lower budget one that not many people have heard of I wasn't expecting too much from this. I'm not sure if that had any effect on my feelings toward this but I really really enjoyed it. Every other boxing movie I have seen tells the story of the characters then ends with the fight. This one switches between the fighting and the story which I really enjoyed. You see some punches then part of the fighters life which segues beautifully into the break in between rounds. That gives extra meaning to the rest period. I could go on and on about this but I'll end by saying I highly recommend this. Overall, not sure if it was because I wasn't expecting something this good but I really enjoyed this. I actually liked it more then The Fighter. I give this an A-.

Under Different Circumstances this could have been really something

[Robert_duder · 8/10 · 29 June 2014]

Now let me explain my header to this review. I already think that "A Fighting Man" was really something. In fact, I thought it was really good. Considering I went into expecting a schlocky and silly attempt at making some sort of "Rocky" knock-off. I watched it because I still really like Dominic Purcell from his Prison Break days and the short lived but amazing John Doe TV Series. Unfortunately Purcell has descended into straight to video, horribly campy sort of stuff so I had pretty low expectations. Certainly, there were aspects of A Fighting Man that showed its independent roots but overall the film is very well made, inspiring, interesting, well written and unique in its own way in the boxing drama genre. A Fighting Man is very unique in fact and in the beginning of the film I wasn't sure I liked how it was laid out. Instead it won me over and made it all the more appealing. Instead of building to a big fight at the end, the entire film is the "big fight" and it flashes back to what brought these two men together. Neither is a villain, they both have very different backgrounds and different reasons for stepping into the ring. The rivalry is there and as expected it turns into a deep admiration for each other. Perhaps slightly predictable but no less inspiring and wonderful to watch.

There are some less than stellar performances in the film and there are some very good performances in the film. Dominic Purcell headlines the cast as an ageing Irish boxer who really never hit his peak but has the distinguished record of having never been knocked down in the ring. This is sort of a gimmicky part of his character but it ends up driving the inevitable climax that very nearly brought me to tears. Purcell starts out with some so-so charisma on screen but then he finds his footing and you start to really relate to his character. Yes, in some ways he's doing his best Rocky clone but there is enough different about his character. Certainly he struggles with everyone's opinion that he's washed up and over the hill. It was a great character for him. Izaak Smith was very good right from the beginning as a young hot shot boxer who descended into drugs and found himself disgraced. Smith was really terrific. He gives a very powerful performance and the chemistry between him and Purcell is decent and ends up being excellent in the closing scenes. One of the best things about this film and the smartest thing they could have done was to enlist veteran actors James Caan and Louis Gossett Jr. as the respective trainers. Their roles are unfortunately small but very effective and their charisma is undeniable. I desperately wanted to see more from both of them and their relationship to their individual boxer. Still the scenes between Caan and Purcell were particularly good. Most of the supporting cast is okay at best. I'm not sure why they even cast Famke Janssen as her character and story were a bit much and felt like overkill though they were aiming for a story of redemption and emotion. Adam Beach was flat out awful. He literally dragged down the cast as a campy and obnoxious fight promoter. The character might have been decent but Beach was terrible. Kim Coates who is excellent in Sons of Anarchy also felt very out of place and campy as a Priest trying to reach out to Purcell's dying mother. He was an unnecessary character too. Sheila McCarthy was very good in a small role as Purcell's mother. She was probably the best in the supporting cast.

Any lover of Boxing films I think will truly appreciate this. It actually was a much better crafted story than "Grudge Match" and while it certainly wasn't as brilliant as "Rocky" it was a very solid effort. The fight choreography was near perfect. There was nothing cheap or underplayed when it came to the fight itself. Damian Lee writes and directs the film but he's not an amateur. He's been making films for a very long time and despite some of them being straight to video I think this guy has talent and artistic vision. He hit all the right notes in my books. Granted, I had low expectations but I am never opposed to being surprised and this truly entertained and is one I would absolutely watch again. With a stronger cast, more financial backing and a more critically respected director, this could have been a huge success with critics. But for a small independent, straight to video release, this absolutely hits a home run in my book. Give it a chance and sit back and enjoy it. It will make you cheer and maybe even cry a little. 8.5/10

"a masterpiece"!

[rdean1908 · 10/10 · 24 June 2014]

i just saw actor dominic purcell in the movie "a fighting man"! give an academy award to him, the other actors, the producer, the director, the man who wrote the script! i saw all of the "rocky" movies. every one. this is more true to life.a child sees his father brutally hit his mother. then, the father knocks him against the window of the car, and cracks it. the child vows to his mother to never get knocked down right then and there! and, "sailor", played by dominic purcell, is not knocked down, even in his last, his sixty-fourth, fight. his mother raises him herself. the father has run off, abandoning the both of them. my father did the same thing.i see myself in "sailor". this is a prizefighters movie. this is not some "pink and white idiot's" movie about what it must be to be a prizefighter. this is a movie in which the entire cast spills their guts out! purcell was born in england, but, raised in Australia. Australia is a man's world. how many innocent men and women were sent to "new south wales" as convicts years ago? the raw seething beneath the skin for past injustices done to his people comes to life in dominic purcell. bravo! to everyone involved! a masterpiece!

A MAN SHOULD KNOW WHEN TO QUIT

[nogodnomasters · 10/10 · 15 October 2018]

Sailor O'Connor (Dominic Purcell) is a retired boxer, working as a welder. His mom (Sheila McCarthy) claims he is "used up and broken." She is dying from cancer and bitter at God. She wants to see the "old country" one more time before she dies. Sailor wants to go into the ring to obtain a purse so she can go.

As the fight begins the film is consumed with flashbacks, at times getting only 30 seconds of fighting before we go back in time again. During these flashbacks we get to see the life of the other fighter King Solomon (Izaak Smith), newly married with a baby on the way. He has a mother issue also. We get to see behind the scenes of the promotion and the mystery of Diane (Famke Janssen) the woman who has done the "unforgivable." The film slowly builds levels of complexity around a single fight.

I enjoyed the opening of the reading of Percival, and the quick establishment of character. This is not a film about boxing, but that of a fighter. a man who refuses to lay down both in the ring and in life...in case you missed the symbolism.

The film was better than expected, and has that life drama that "Lifetime" fans can enjoy as well.

Parental Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity. Brief sex talk.