Fighting

If you are looking for a gritty docu-drama about steet fighting...this is not it. However, if you want an uplifting story with some good acting and a few fights thrown in... Welcome! I gave it four stars out of five for its entertaining value, rather then the artistic achievement (for that it would have been two stars only).Based on the title, I expected roughly 90 minutes filled with an assortment of muscle bound men who tried to kill one another in creative ways (and what's better to relieve the stress of a long day in the office?). Instead, what followed was a charming story about an underdog who wins in the end, and, of course, gets the girl. The story is not new. And yet, such is man's hunger for the uplifting value of the tale, that we continue to crave it, and I'm sure will do so for millennia to come.The strong point of the film were its lead performances, particularly that of Terrence Howard's as Harvey, the hero's street wise, but vulnerable and down on his luck, handler. The hero, Channing Tatum (Shawn the Street Fighter), should have worked harder pre-movie to build a believable street fighter physique. As he was, one had to engage the suspension of disbelief quite frequently in order to "buy" his supposed fighting prowess. In real life, anyone betting on him to win would have had to be either drunk, or his mother. However, what Tatum lacked in muscle power, he more then made up for with his charm. The chemistry between the three leads (with Zulay Henoy as...Zulay, the love interest) carried the story.So, what was missing? Motives are always important to the viewer. But, it seemed the writers had spent very little time coming up with good ones. Extra few minutes of work on their part could have saved me from having to work extra hard on developing empathy for the hero (yes, I'm a lazy viewer; for $9.00 plus cost of popcorn and soda I want it handed to me). Secondly, the fight scenes could have been better. Aside from Tatum's toothpick appearance, I felt the visual potential and the high energy charge of a no holds barred match were never fully realized. Inexplicable, given the talent Hollywood seems to have on its beck and call these days. I felt the creators shortchanged themselves by not fully utilizing Tatum's opponents, mainly Yuri Foreman, a real life professional boxer, and Cung Le, a world class martial arts champion.Overall though, I am pleased I saw "Fighting". I left the movie theater with a wistful smile on my face, glad that the good guy had prevailed once again...ready for another day in the office (where the good guys/gals don't always win...alas...).

I love Dito Montiel, and have begun to really notice Channing Tatum. This is not quite "On the Waterfront" but it's a powerful and surprising "thinking" movie.Channing Tatum as an actor suffers from the same handicap that many other handsome actors suffer from: it's so easy to be charmed by his looks that you can easily lose track of what a talented actor he is. But if he keeps pushing I think he can overcome this handicap, at least I really hope he will, because he is a gem of an actor.As for the movie: if you are looking for a traditional "fighting" movie, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a movie with an exciting plot, find something else.It's a movie about being beaten down and standing up. And, not unrelated, it's about being able to create tenderness and beauty in the middle of garbage. The quiet exchanges between the main characters are powerful and painful and tender. The unlikely bonding between Tatum's and Howard's characters has depth and pain and beauty. A signature of Montiel's stories and directing, the tender scenes between Shawn MacArthur ("like a knight" what a gem of a line!!!) and the girl Zulay leave you breathless.There's a running theme throughout the movie that is a reply to Brando's "I coulda been a contenda", and what a reply it is! I just about jumped out of my own skin when I got the reply.As for Tatum's acting, his facial expressions and body language speak volumes. He's a wonderful actor.The only problem with this movie is that it hasn't been noticed by the audience it should reach. But it will.

This movie's story is a little confusing at first, but as you watch it through you will be like oh...so thats why hes fighting. I have to note out of nowhere Harvey says "Do you like to fight?" Ok just a little bit like other people say this movie's title seems like it replaced another one. In the story with the character Zulay, Shawn apparently kept his head that direction until he finds out a little secret. I really thought he would see her again. The unrated version now only adds an extra 3 minutes to the movie. I didn't see much new things to it. Instead I thought it should be called the extended version not unrated. There were 5 fights including the little intro. Like I said there could be more fighting to earn that title. Now let me say the acting is great. I really like Terrence Howard being in the film. He plays a great role as a scam artist. Channing and Zulay also have good roles. The comedy mostly came from some of Harvey's friends and Zulay's mom, or grandma I think it is. The soundtrack also kept me interested into it and even though I have a weird feeling like something is missing I really do think its an awesome movie. It kinda reminds of movies like 8 mile, you got serve, and stomp the yard (I really don't know why). There should be a sequel and with more fighting.

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 was no choice. Obviously not one of the best movies of 2009 but certainly one of the better ones. I hope you enjoy it.

BD UK, con audio en castellano

una piacevole sorpresa, ottimo cast, mitico Channing Tatum, bellissima anche la sua fidanzata !!il video è in 1:85:1 quindi quasi a pieno schermo, audio ita HD, molto bella la confezione steelbook.Film : 8,5Video : 8Audio : 8

Steelbook alemán con audio y subtitulos en castellano, mismo disco que en España, la parte trasera contiene sinopsis e información en alemán y en su interior diversas caratulas de otras ediciones Universal.

Shawn MacArthur è un giovane uomo che tira a campare vendendo merce contraffatta a New York. La sua vita è allo sbando anche per via di una tragedia avvenuta in passato e per colpa del padre, che lo evita. Sarà l'incontro casuale con un allenatore che è un veterano di street-fighting che darà a Shawn le motivazioni che gli mancano, facendo di lui un combattente.La costruzione di Fithting procede per archetipi narrativi così rigidi e approssimativi da corrompere anche la fluidità della storia. Tutto è costruito secondo una logica antica dove, però alla linearità del racconto si sostituisce una narrazione frammentata. Channing Tatum ha la giusta fisicità per il ruolo, ma rimosso dall’ambiente di disagio sociale in cui viveva, diventa un personaggio poco espressivo e poco appassionante che, a dispetto dei pugni che è capace di sferrare sembra vivere con poche intenzioni e molte perplessità quei pochi snodi narrativi del film, senza riuscire a trasmettere una pulsione che possa essere interpretata come ambizione o desiderio di riscatto sociale.

me deje ilusionar en el nobre del actor, si gustan las peleas no esta mal pero por my opinion podia ser algo mejor y sin duda Tatum ha echo peli mas guay.