The Fight Machine premieres July 27, 2022.
Synopsis
In The Fight Machine, Paul Harris leads a sheltered existence. The son of a winery owner, his suits and cars are paid for, his career in the family business assured. He is insulated from the rough realities of life—until a vicious barroom beating sets him down a new path. Rob Tully also feels that his life is on a set course. A born boxer with natural talent, Rob trains with his father, Reuben, and his uncle Tommy, both of whom believe that a gift like his can change their lives. Rob and Paul’s fathers want so much more for their sons than they ever had themselves, but both sons are determined to find their own way. While Paul descends into the world of hardcore bodybuilding and boxing gyms, Rob struggles under the expectations set upon his young shoulders. Their disparate paths lead to The Barn, an underground fight venue where vicious and hopeless men brawl for cold hard cash. No rules, no limits, no brakes. And when two fighters step into a ring where anything goes, sometimes only one walks out.
Review
As a rule I normally enjoy fighting films going back to the hey day of Jean Claude Van Damme so I normally jump forward when a new fight film is up for review, when I came across Fight Machine I will admit I just thought it would be another generic gritty fighting film with very little in terms of story to it but this film has so much more depth to it as it takes a more emotional route and delves deeper into the lives of two young fighters, one who is forced into this life and one who wants to push himself to see how far he can go to kind of punish himself for having a privileged life.
Based on the novel The Fighter by acclaimed author Craig Davidson (Rust & Bone), The Fight Machine is the third directorial feature from Raven Banner co-founder Andrew T. Hunt. The film stars rising talent Greg Hovanessian and Dempsey Bryk, as well as veteran Canadian actors Natasha Henstridge, Michael Ironside and Greg Bryk, joining his son Dempsey as father and son onscreen.
Paul Harris (Greg Hovanessian) is from a privileged backround and grew up with pretty much everything handed to him, he’s never felt pain or ever suffered he joins the dark world of un-sanctioned fighting to see how far he can push himself and feel the raw pain his body longs for. Rob Tully (Dempsey Bryk) is a talented poet with dreams of pursuing his poetic talents however he is under pressure from his family to carry on the good fighting name, after a fight between Harris and Tully’s Uncle ended up with potential fatal consequences Tully feels he should step up and avenge his Uncle.
This film is raw to it’s very core, it did at times feel a little lost as the film jumped between the two storylines but by the end the two storylines did logically come together.
I felt Andrew T. Hunt did a good job with the direction of the film taking a genre that really has been flogged to death over the years and adding more emotion a raw passion to it giving different levels of dimension to the film, Greg Hovanessian and Dempsey Bryk both shone as lead roles making the most of their screen time and giving the film that authentic feel.
Verdict
A decent brawler which features raw emotion and passion throughout, some great on screen performances the gives the feel an authentic feel. A must watch for fighting fans exploring the dark side of the sport.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
