THE PLOT THUS FAR
Haunted by a tragic past, undefeated, washed up boxer Sailor O’Connor (Dominic Purcell) is a broken man. When a fluke opportunity arises to step back in the ring, he takes it. His opponent is younger and faster, but with the support of his old fight team (Michael Ironside and James Caan), Sailor pushes for this one last fight. Not knowing when to throw in the towel, Sailor must face his personal demons or die trying to stay on his feet throughout a bloody, brutal beating in the ring. Also starring Louis Gossett Jr., Kim Coates with Famke Janssen and a special appearance by Freddie Roach.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“A Fighting Man” is a rather sad tale that is inspiring. Sailor O’ Connor is coming out of retirement for one last fight. His mom is about to kick the bucket and he wants to send her to Ireland for one last visit. It’s admirable and the guy goes through the usual dumpy boxer tropes. Adam Beach plays a dirty promoter who throws Sailor into a final fight with a guy that’s a younger mirror of himself. If that wasn’t enough, Sailor’s wife is about to get out of jail for the first time in 5 years. At times, it almost feels like a parody.
Boxing movies are generic. Most of the bigger aspects have been covered or taken to the point of parody. Hell, “Million Dollar Baby” was a hair away from being so over-the-top and insane that one has to wonder if it’s just part of the sport onscreen? I’m not sure if that’s true, but you could write a paper on it. If you stick it out with this film, you’ll get the ending that you expect. It’s just such a weird road getting there.
The DVD comes with no special features. The A/V Quality is typical for standard definition. The transfer is flat with little punch-up. But, the Dolby 5.1 track kicks up where needed. In the end, I’d recommend a rental or streaming it.
RELEASE DATE: 06/17/2014