Picture this – a down on his luck pugilist finds redemption by beating the heck out of a line of opponents despite the odds.
Sound like yet another “Rocky” rip off, but “Fighting” manages to chart its own modest course.
The film, out this week on DVD, doesn’t focus solely on fisticuffs, but when the action begins the battles feel remarkably fresh.
If only the movie’s coincidence-laden story proved as eye-opening.
Channing Tatum, who falls in the acting chasm left between John Cena and The Rock, stars as a shady salesman who gets talked into fighting in an underground boxing circuit by a slick promoter named Harvey (the great Terrence Howard).
He’s often lucky to come out on top, but each win earns him a bigger payday. He seems more concerned with wooing a local girl (Zulay Valez) than winning any given match. Naturally, she resists his blunt flirtations at first but soon sees the gentle soul hidden beneath the wall of muscle.
But can winning fight after fight lead him to redemption or simply a collision course against an old rival?
Tatum broods up a storm and brings a chiseled handsomeness to the part. But during the quieter moments his face reveals next to nothing. A better actor would have teased out more from Shawn’s murky past.
The action sequences are ladled sparingly throughout the film, but they’re neither ridiculous nor one-sided. Shawn ends up winning fight after fight, but he does so via unconventional means.
Howard dials down his natural charisma and brings a hitch to his voice to give Harvey a welcome sense of mystery.
The New York backdrop works beautifully here, supplying a textured backdrop that help the characters pop. Yet the numerous plot contrivances land far too many body blows. Characters bump into each other as if this were Small Town, America, not the Big Apple.
“Fighting” offers strictly modest rewards, but they’re far more challenging than the generic title implies.
(Photo: Channing Tatum plays a young man who turns to boxing to make ends meet/Universal Home Video)
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