Who you going to back? (Fighting (DVD))

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	Fighting (DVD)
Date:	15/10/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tatum

Disadvantages: Played it too safe

Last I saw Channing Tatum was in the brilliant Step Up, and then a short cameo at the beginning of Step Up 2. Much is expected of him as an actor, and not just someone who can lean on his dance skills, and in Fighting he shows us just what he has got.

Fighting is a film with a rather basic and shallow plot. It follows Shawn MacArthur, who used to 'fight' when his dad was a coach. We see him picked up by Harvey and entered into the underground world of bare-knuckle street fighting. However, when he meets waitress Zulay, his priorities take a shift, and belief starts being a factor.

Ultimately, it's more an examination of how someone down on his luck and in need of some money will fight for his supper. It's very similar in a way to the Jean Claude Van Damme film AWOL where the underground world of bare knuckle fighting rears its head. However, this doesn't examine this world so much as the development of Shawn and his close ones as characters.

And even this doesn't really find itself developing much, and I think the plot actually suffers a bit from a focus dedicated to Tatum above all else. There is also the flip side of this, where the plot is actually the culprit of the film not making the most of its potential. Tatum actually does a very good job of convincing us of his character's emotions, and progresses himself nicely. What he doesn't do though is take everyone with him. This includes the established Terence Howard, who should have been much better than the rather tame effort here as Harvey.

I enjoyed the film, so please don't misunderstand me. I think Tatum will go on to become a bigger star based on his performance here, but his progression could have been helped by a more convincing plot and a more exciting film. It was rather relaxed throughout, with only a couple of moments where you weren't sure what was going to happen. The end of the film is rather obvious, and the whole 'underdog' element sgtarts coming through, as the film progressively starts to feel like a poor man's Rocky.

It doesn't try to do anything more than it is able, though, and this is laudable. Director Dito Montiel makes sure that the plot is cleanly and crisply delivered, despite there being no punch to it (pardon the pun). I still think it could have been better, but what it does do is give something solid for Tatum to base the next step in his career upon.

Fighting is out on DVD and currently retails at just over the £10 mark from amazon.co.uk. I got this as a rental from lovefilm and there were no extras. I recommend giving it a go, if only to see a potential big star in the making.

Summary: Decent fighting drama with Channing Tatum showing his acting skills