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Capone goes toe-to-toe with Channing Tatum in FIGHTING...a film he did not entirely hate!!!
Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
Going into writer-director Dito Montiel's second film (after the impressive A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS), I thought I had this one figured out just based on the casting. Seeing Channing "Mumble Pants" Tatum in the movie's trailer doing his tough-on-the-outside/squishy-on-the-inside routine immediately made me recall his less-than-deep work in STEP UP and cameo in the sequel, STEP UP 2: THE STREETS. But weirdly enough, the movie FIGHTING doesn't feature that much actual fighting--I think the final count is four, including one that gets interrupted midway through. There is no fancy martial artistry going on here. Tatum's Shawn MacArthur is a former high school or college wrestler (I could never quite get that straight) who knows how to scrap in the streets. The bare-knuckle brawls last only a couple minutes, and are about as savage as they come, but they hardly make up the bulk of this film.
Instead what we get is an admirable, if not entirely successful, attempt to actually create and develop a few characters in a setting that does its best to look and feel like a film made in the 1970s, complete with a cool, old school R&B soundtrack and a gritty atmosphere that often appears as though Montiel simply tossed his actors on the streets of New York City and let them play out their scenes among the civilian population. Throw in what sounds like a whole lot of improvised dialogue, and you get something more experimental and daring than you might at first expect.
Shawn is essentially homeless as he peddles what few goods he is able to collect on the street for money. When a couple of rip-off artists rob him blind, he retaliates by kicking a few of their asses pretty soundly. He still loses his money, but when he spots one of the players, a fast-talking hustler named Harvey (Terrence Howard from HUSTLE & FLOW and formerly of the IRON MAN franchise), the two men have a conversation that leads to Shawn lining up an amateur fight that he wins with much force. The two men use each other to make money, but they quickly become something resembling friends. Soon to be seen again in both PUBLIC ENEMIES (as Pretty Boy Floyd) and G.I. JOE, Tatum does a pretty solid job playing a guy who moved to New York from the South, and has had to learn to survive and fight back when necessary. It helps that he's under Montiel's guidance once again; his performance in SAINTS is still the best thing he's ever done. And Howard isn't half bad either. I like seeing him as something of an underdog, a man who crossed his business partners (played by the indelible Luis Guzman and Roger Guenveur Smith) years earlier and has been attempting to re-establish some credibility ever since. He manages to encompass both stark confidence and masked timidity.
The characters in FIGHTING actually do grow and discover what is truly important in their small corner of the world. Shawn falls in love with a club waitress (newcomer Zulay Henao), and the relationship gives him some of the strength he needs to conquer his demons (which seem to date back to a fight he had with his father). But to get to the place where he needs to be, he must first fight an old rival played by Brian White (12 ROUNDS, "The Shield") in a contest Shawn is told he must lose to keep his life. The film has an ending that is as dopy as I found it predictable, and I guess that's the problem I had with most of the movie. When you have characters whose lives aren't that interesting (hell, their personalities hardly seemed totally formed yet), having the actors playing those characters improvise lines seems pointless. Most times, the characters just murmur words to each other that in no way resemble actual conversation. Howard and Guzman handle this task better than anyone else, and that's simply because they are the two best actors in the cast. Tatum has a handful of nice moments, but he flounders more often than he succeeds.
Dito Montiel does a really great job establishing the mood for FIGHTING, and when the performances were lacking, I enjoyed watching what else was going on on the screen. There are real bits of New York in this movie; it's practically floating in the air. And that adds a great deal to the authenticity of the entire piece. But the wandering way the dialogue is presented is awkward and off-putting. You could do a lot worse than FIGHTING, and I applaud Montiel's skill with the camera, but he needs to rein in his actors a bit more and make them do at least one take with the script actually open in front of them. This is a noble failure, but a failure nonetheless.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com
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BOOM!
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except fight club actually had ideas
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It's harder than it looks, brah.
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Say it last night in a special screening in AMC on 42st. I just wanted to say that they are making all these fighting movies as of late but i really enjoyed this film.
Just the beginning was alittle lame with the street hustling but the movie just got better and grew on me. Of course its not the best movie in the world but i enjoyed it. Cung Le is fucking retarted in it!!! -
Is not in Iron Man, but does this. Good call, this will make about the same amount as the budget for catering on the Iron Man 2 set.
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So, I thought I would be able to check out one of this Tatum's movies before GI Joe but all he's done are chick flicks it seems. Step Up, now this?
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What's that?
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"When a couple of rip-off artists rob him blind, he retaliates by kicking a few of their asses..."
Are these people with multiple asses aliens or something? -
Apr 24, 2009 11:42:01 AM CDT
First rule about FIGHTING is: you do not watch FIGHTING.
by ricarleite2
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Seriously, is it just me or is it blaringly obvious that this guy only gets roles because of his look? He's lacking the slightest semblance of charisma on-screen. He's plain and simply eye-candy for females and boy-lovers. Not that there's anything wrong with admiring healthy testosterone on display, but his lack of talent is actually disorienting.
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his features are too harsh, he's muggy. That's why he always plays slightly stupid characters. Yet too boyish too be tough. He's all wrong for Duke.
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Hate to sound mean, but so far he has shown no evidence of presence, charisma, or substance on screen. To be honest, he often comes across as blank, devoid of depth. He does not deserve the exposure he has received. But of course this is a culture in which Twittering is a phenomenon and Ashton Kutcher is a frequent topic on CNN.
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You heard it here first.
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in mentioning that Terence Howard was the actor in the small arthouse feature 'Iron Man'-just in case there were people who read this site that aren't fans of blockbuster summer movies based on comic book superheroes.
I kid because I care : ) -
is only in public enemies for a minute, and gets shot by bale in that minute. Another reason to worship at the HD alter of Mann this july.
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It was the worst movie this year so far! I enjoyed street fighter: chun li more than this piece of crap.
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I enjoyed this movie better when it was called Lionheart and had JCVD kicking ass.
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As far these types of movies about a dude who sees the potential in some schlub and then exploits him for profit and the two kinda bond and tussle 'n stuff. But these types of movies are hard to do in any way resembling interesting.
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And a fine film in its own right. Van Damme gives an understated, but emotionally availabe performace. Harrison Page as Joshua is excellent, brilliant even. The chemistry between Van Damme and Page is deep and very real.
It might not be smart, but Lionheart truly is loaded with heart. -
I have never seen a guy that actually seemed to hate being white so badly. I know going to far in the other direction is just as bad but what the fuck man? How many white guys beat your ass growing up? I know every body has seen the youtube footage of him on TMZ by now.If you haven't ,it's a travesty. He actualy tells Terrence Howard how bad he hated going on"those corny white talk shows, I was like hey guy howya doing". Even Howard looked confused as he did his best lame white guy routine. Classic. It's a good thing Cobra Commander doesn't get to wear his "Klan" hood in this one.It might just cause Duke to go bat shit crazy.
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Apr 24, 2009 2:40:52 PM CDT
Channing Tatum sucks fucking dick
by supercowbell4therequestformorecowbell
fuck you tatum. you are a horrible actor. you will make a horrible g.i. joe and i sat through shitty ass step up for a girl. i will never put myself through that punishment again. fuck you.
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Tatum will be doing straight to DVD flicks in 18 months.
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iron mayne
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can u link that mate?
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Apr 24, 2009 3:37:54 PM CDT
Yeah I get Lionheart vibe from this film as well.
by hollywoodhellraiser
I think with Terrance here at least there will be someone who can act! Not a Tatum fan but I may give this one a shot.
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http://tinyurl.com/cvgdjo
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is dog shit. Anyone who spends money on this should be removed from society. Also, quit fucking perpetuating the downfall of Hollywood by giving press and acknowledgement to ass-vomit like this movie. Fuck You And Quit it!
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Channing Tatum... this is a guy that REALLY needs to take acting classes. It's like he draws inspiration from Eminem for all of his roles. For realz... I gotz to earn the respect of my woman, yo!
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Cung Le is in it!? That guy is beastin anyone that steps into a ring with him. Broke Frank Shamrock's arm some kind of awful. I was totally writing this movie off, but anytime I get to see Cung Le (either fake or real) I am showing up.
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what the hell is that squeaky voiced line in all the previews? its fuckin annoying
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I knew a white kid in Elementary school who spoke like Mr. Cooper from Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. At least he grew out of it. Tatum is an adult and still pretending to be black.
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this guy should hide forever
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how would you know they were improvised? Maybe they filmed the first draft and ran out of time. You don't know.
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What's with this "trying to be black" idea u posters seem to have? Since when did acting hood and being ghetto mean you're trying to act "black?"The most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I agree that Channing is trying to gain street cred with his wannabe gangster performances. I mean seriously, how are you gonna put out TWO movies called Step Up and Step Up:The Streets, and yet all the main characters are white? I thought that was mainly owned by the minorities? And a white girl who's adopted by a blk woman...?Laughable.
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Im indifferent to Channing Tatum's performances, and his career as an actor really irks me. If you check this movie out, you'll see all these supposed "fighters" are all former models. Lol. WTF? How can i take it seriously when this movie consist of just models and pretty boys (Terrence Howard, vain and in love with his own looks) that are trying to be actors? It annoys the hell out of me. This is the reason why the craft of acting and modeling is soooo tainted these days and ruined by these young idiots who think that just b/c they look good they can have a succesful and serious acting career. Wanting to be a model and an actor is so common that I can't bother taking most actors seriously. Y the hell do i want to watch 2 former guy models trying to "act" like they're fighting? Thats what this flick should be called, "Model Wars." I only respect actors who have a strong desire for this art, try to improve their craft, and who are passionate and dreamed of playing strong roles whether on stage in theater, or in a movie. NOT just wanting to be a movie star. Acting is beyond fame. Its about the skillful expression.
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I normally love your reviews! They're so on point. But this...
I caught this film last night. I was so excited to see Dito Montiel back in the directing chair, I had to catch it. I expected going in that this is a story we've all pretty much seen before, but I hoped that Dito would bring something new to it. And he did.
I think Tatums best work is with Montiel. He clearly brings out the best in the kid.
The dialogue is what threw me off of your review though. I felt that the dialogue was so genuine and real. It had you laughing because honestly, friends tend to fuck with each other the way that these characters did. I felt how these characters interacted was what made them memorable. Its what made me remember their names, their backstory, etc.
I'm so baffled that you call this a failure. I thought it worked so well! I truly felt that this film could be real people living their lives. My only gripe was the focus puller. Maybe it was just my theaters projector but some of the shots seemed to have issues with what they wanted to focus on. -
please tell me you're being sarcastic.
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Then why are we talking about it?!
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Apr 26, 2009 11:28:46 PM CDT
I really want to eat my Doritos but I don't feel like them...
by outlawsdelejos
Wait, is that off topic?
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And without gay sex. But then again, it does star a bunch of male models, so I think I'll be skipping the "extras" that come with it on DVD.
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so he can shave his chest nice and smooth in between fights?
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Some of these assholes need to be well informed that talking ghetto or hood does not equate to being black. The wigger remarks are just as stupid. Does Obama talk "black" or he's not "Black" enough?effin Morons!Other than that GIJoe will suck.
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Channing Tatum can not act. His range is shit. Name me one movie where he doesn't speak like he's gangbangin' in da hood.
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To be PC... say Channing Tatum has a firm grasp of ebonics. That boy can act! Not.
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