Where to start with the film Jiu Jitsu (2020)? It’s listed as a ‘science fiction martial arts film’. The plot revolves around the ancient order of expert Jiu Jistu fighters who, every six years, must defend earth from alien invaders.
Continue reading Jiu Jitsu (2020) – Fight Quality Film Review
Mr Calzaghe is a 2015 documentary that follows the career of legendary Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe. It charts his journey through his highly touted amateur career, the jump to turning pro, challenges with repeated injuries all the way through to breaking through to popularity in America and his retirement – undefeated with a record of 46-0.
Continue reading Fight Quality Film Review – Mr Calzaghe (2015)
Okay so let’s start off by admitting that this one technically isn’t a film review. FightWorld, a Netflix docu-series following Frank Grillo – ‘actor and life long fight enthusiast’ – as he travels the world learning about local fight cultures. The series sees him in Mexico, Thailand, Myanmar, Senegal and Israel looking at the significance of their combat sports.
Continue reading Fight Quality Film Review – FightWorld (2018)
Katie (2018) is a documentary following the life of Katie Taylor, charting her journey from having to pretend to be a boy to get fights (Ireland wouldn’t sanction female boxing, so she would put her name down as ‘K. Talyor’ and walk out to the ring with her headgear on) to become Ireland’s greatest sportswoman.
Continue reading Fight Quality Film Review – Katie (2018)
In the final installment of the original Rocky series we find the former title holder, now in his late fifties, widowed and running a restaurant – living in the past and struggling to maintain relationships with family and friends. Lured back into the ring to face the reigning heavyweight champ, who finds himself unpopular despite being undefeated, in a charity match. Whilst rebuilding bridges and rediscovering himself, can an aging, arthritic Rocky get back under the lights and prove himself one more time?
Continue reading Fight Quality Film Review – Rocky Balboa (2006)
Cinderella Man is the true story of James Braddock a once promising boxer during the Great Depression who’s turned into a stepping stone, taking fights for the paycheck in between working shifts on the dockyard just to put food on the table for his kids. When it looks like there’s no other option he gets the chance to fight a top contender, and has the chance to change his family’s future.
Continue reading Film Review – Cinderella Man (2005)
Recently released on Netflix, Conor McGregor: Notorious is the ‘fly on the wall’ style biographical film about the life of the Notorious Irishman, following his career from fighting in small shows to taking on Nate Diaz in the UFC. Featuring training footage, behind the scenes locker room footage and clips from his fights and interviews it charts the remarkable rise of the most well known UFC fighter to date.
Continue reading Film Review – Conor McGregor: Notorious (2017)
Jimmy McCabe (Johnny Harris) was a champion youth boxer with top prospects whose life took a turn from a worse. At rock bottom and seeking solace in the bottom of a bottle he decides to return to the only skill he’s got.
A Prayer Before Dawn is based on the 2011 autobiography of Billy Moore, a Liverpudlian boxer who moves to Thailand to escape a history of drug abuse and crime.
Continue reading Film Review – A Prayer Before Dawn (2017)
Diverting slightly from our normal film reviews we aren’t covering a fictional film, we’re reviewing the documentary ‘Dawg Fight’.
Continue reading Fight Quality Film Review – Dawg Fight (2015)
This chapter in the Rocky saga (you can find the previous Rocky films we’ve reviewed here) sees The Italian Stallion take a different role. Suffering with a brain injury from the beating he took at the hands of Ivan Drago in the last film Rocky has to officially retire from fighting, but finding his money has been squandered he reopens Mickey’s gym and starts training fighters.
The next instalment of the Rocky franchise sees the champ still holding the belt and a new challenger rising – Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).
Continue reading Fight Quality Film Review – Rocky IV (1985)
Set 18 months after the events of Kickboxer: Vengeance, Kickboxer: Retaliation sees Kurt Sloane fighting MMA, having vowed to never return to Thailand. Of course this doesn’t work out, and he finds himself kidnapped and imprisoned near Bangkok.
Continue reading Fight Quality Film Review – Kickboxer: Retaliation (2018)
Rocky 3 finds the champ at the top of his game, with 10 successful defences of his title behind him he’s fighting exhibitions against wrestlers, starring in TV ads and unveiling statues of himself.
Continue reading Fight Quality Film Review – Rocky III (1982)
Roberto Duran is one of the all time greats, a boxer that a lot of fighters look up to, and the biopic Hands of Stone captures his life in full detail.
Continue reading Fight Quality Film Review – Hands of Stone (2016)![Fight Quality Film Review – Chuck [The Bleeder] (2017)](https://i0.wp.com/fightquality.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/chuck_540.jpg?fit=540%2C292&ssl=1)
Chuck (A.K.A. ‘The Bleeder’ in the UK and Ireland)
Sylvester Stallone was iconic in his breakthrough role as Rocky (which we previously reviewed), one of the most recognisable characters in cinema. Most people know that Stallone also wrote the film, and was struggling to make ends meet when sold the script and became a legend. But what inspired Sly to write Rocky in the first place? He says it wasn’t true, but as this biopic film about Chuck Wepner shows, The Bayonne Bleeder and The Italian Stallion have a fair bit in common.
Continue reading Fight Quality Film Review – The Bleeder [Chuck] (2017)
In the brutal, blood splattered and uncompromising world of bare knuckle boxing, Lenny Mclean is a figure apart.
Continue reading Fight Quality Film Review – My Name is Lenny (2017)
Having successfully survived till the final bell against Apollo Creed in the first film (which we previously reviewed) Rocky Balboa is trying to enjoy life with his family and move away from boxing, believing he has no future as a fighter.
Continue reading Fight Quality Film Review – Rocky II (1979)
Rocky is the boxing film. The original and many argue the greatest, it’s about a low level boxer being picked by the undefeated champ for a title shot. Everyone expects him to lose, even Rocky expects to lose. But if he can make it through to the final bell he’ll be the first person to go the distance with Apollo Creed, proving he’s not just ‘a bum from the neighbourhood’.
Aspiring boxer Maggie (Hilary Swank) seeks out top trainer Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) to turn her into the champ she knows she can be. Reluctant to train a girl Dunn refuses, but Maggie isn’t put off. Instead, and with a little help from ex-pro Eddie ‘Scrap-Iron’ Dupris (Morgan Freeman), she wins over Frankie and becomes his star fighter. As Maggie and Frankie grow to become almost family a catastrophic incident in the ring tests just how far their relationship will push them.
Continue reading Fight Quality Film Review – Million Dollar Baby (2004)