Fighting
Unrated & Theatrical Versions
Directed by Dito Montiel
Starring Channing Tatum, Terrence Howard, Zulay Henao, Luis Guzman
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: August 25, 2009

Fighting tells the story on a down-and-out young man named Shawn MacArthur (Channing Tatum) who gets by selling cheap products on the streets of New York City. When one of his transactions doesn’t go so well, he finds himself in a fight with a few guys, who he handles with ease. Later that night, he sees a man who witnessed the earlier altercation, as well as a kid who grabbed his money. When he goes in to get what’s his, the man, named Harvey (Terrence Howard), makes him a proposition he just can’t refuse: the chance to fight and walk away with $5,000. He eventually gains a reputation in the city as an underground fighting talent, which leads to a possible showdown with a nemesis from his past, and a romance with a woman who may be hiding a secret.

The movie starts off all right at first, but as each moment passed by, it consistently lost control of itself, where it wanted to go, and what it wanted to be. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a movie that was so confused within itself before, and it was difficult to watch at times. Yes, the feared train wreck analogy is perfectly fitting here.

Fair warning, there are semi-spoilers after this point, though they’re not significant enough to alter what your experience will be.