CAN'T HOLD HIM DOWN // A FILM REVIEW OF "EMBATTLED"
As Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has continued its climb as one of the most profitable forms of entertainment, the film industry has responded in kind. From intense character dramas like Warrior to broad comedies like Here Comes The Boom, the interest of seeing MMA on screen is beginning to rival the classic Boxing film of yore. EMBATTLED takes its own step into the ring today, and takes on a battle of its own, fighting itself for believability while still having a prize fighters worth of believable drama, well-shot action and great performances.
Stephen Dorff plays Cash Boykins, a cartoonishly ridiculous MMA champion clearly based on the cartoonishly ridiculous real MMA fighter Conor McGregor. I saw "cartoonishly ridiculous" not in a negative way, but as in that's the character trait of this fighter. For anyone who has watched the antics of McGregor, you know that he's a larger than life character who's ridiculous persona translates to massive ticket sales. Then, once he gets in the ring, he's a beast of a fighter, often destroying his opponents in minutes, sometimes seconds. That's exactly who Cash is, and Dorff hams it up perfectly. Cash is toxic masculinity amplified; he's divorced but has reconnected with his eldest son Jett (Darren Mann). He married again and lives in a huge mansion with his new wife and child. It's unfortunate that Jett has let Cash back into his life, and as much as I wish there was more backstory building into him wanting his father back in his life, he's clearly a victim of an abusive relationship (he vaguely remembers the night that his Father beat the tar out of his loving Mother, played by Elizabeth Reaser). He wants a father, even if it is one as terrible as a Cash, who spits out racist, homophobic and ableist rhetoric easier than breathing. Plus, Jett is an aspiring MMA fighter and no one knows that world better than dear old Dad.
Jett is a sensitive and loving kid, struggling through high school but is a loving and nurturing sibling to his special needs brother Quinn (played by writer David McKenna's own son Colin McKenna, who just as his character was born with Williams Syndrome). Cash completely ignores his other son, simply because of his disability (As you can probably tell, there's not a lot of sympathy love for Cash written in the film). His MMA career is beginning to take off, thanks to his father, and he can feel his dreams in reach. The money is also clearly important to him, as he sees how hard his mother is working to pay the bills and take care of them (Cash himself has decided not to give them any money, insisting that he grew up struggling and it built character). All of this builds to the dramatic fight, clearly pitting father against son, but this fight isn't played like the typical final fight of a Rocky style movie. This is the cathartic final actor of a Greek tragedy.
The best thing that EMBATTLED has going for it is the performances. Stephen Dorff chews up the screen with glee and clearly put a lot of time into transforming into this character. He feels completely authentic and is a true movie monster. Darren Mann drives home the heart of the film and we never leave his side. It's a tender and power punch of a portrayal, one that has a Rocky style rooting going for it. The script by McKenna (American History X) is short on backstory and character building but amps up the action and momentum of the film. The characters are solid, but you do wish for them to be a bit more fleshed out. Thanks to Nick Sarkisov's intense directing, it's truly a thrilling film to watch and the MMA scenes feel as real as the real thing, even if we don't ever truly feel that we get inside the minds of the characters we're rooting for, or rooting against.
GRADE: B+
WRITTEN BY David McKenna DIRECTED BY Nick Sarkisov STARRING Stephen Dorff, Darren Mann, Elizabeth Reaser, Colin McKenna, Ava Capri, Karrueche Tran, Donald Faison, Saïd Taghmaoui, Mimi Davila. In Theatres and On Demand Nov. 20th. For more info: https://www.embattledmovie.com/