Bruised (C- or 1.5/4 stars)
In 'Bruised', Halle Berry - who also directed this film - stars as Jackie Justice, a superstar mixed martial arts fighter who left the sport in disgrace. Ever since, a rageful Jackie has led a regretful life full of alcohol & regrets. Things start to turn - a little - when her manager/abusive boyfriend, Desi (Adan Canto, in an overblown performance), sees an exploitative opportunity for Jackie to enter the ring again in a brutal underground fight. To that, the fight grabs the attention of a fight league promoter named Immaculate (Shamier Anderson), who spots potential for Jackie to get back into the ring ... big time.
Complications arise when Manny (Danny Boyd Jr.), the son she gave up for adoption as a baby, re-enters her life. He is now a sensitive little boy who does not speak, & his appearance only brings about Jackie's own self-doubts about the meaning of motherhood, responsibility & life. The plot then focuses on both fights in & out of the ring, including verbal sparring with her also-addicted mother. Angel (Adriane Lenox, stellar), the violent outbursts with Desi, & a complex relationship with coach/trainer Buddhakan (Sheila Atim) that suddenly turns romantic; further making Jackie deal with her turbulent, complex feelings. The road to redemption for Jackie will be a bumpy one, but one that, perhaps, needs to be trod in the octagon, first.
Boy, this is one heavy film. I commend Berry for tackling her directorial debut. She gives a committed physical & emotional performance. And some of the fight scenes in the ring are quite compelling {some go on too long}. But on the whole, I found this fairly amateurish film to be undone by its over-reliance on genre conventions, cheese ball moments, & misery porn banality – the sights & sounds of people struggling in destitution throughout this movie is nothing new or enticing. This exhausting affair also meanders for 135 GRIM minutes and, though it's refreshing to see a film of this ilk presented from a female P.O.V., I was too irked by the eye roll-inducing, cringe-worthy cliches to exalt in the 'light at the end of the tunnel' conclusion.
Complications arise when Manny (Danny Boyd Jr.), the son she gave up for adoption as a baby, re-enters her life. He is now a sensitive little boy who does not speak, & his appearance only brings about Jackie's own self-doubts about the meaning of motherhood, responsibility & life. The plot then focuses on both fights in & out of the ring, including verbal sparring with her also-addicted mother. Angel (Adriane Lenox, stellar), the violent outbursts with Desi, & a complex relationship with coach/trainer Buddhakan (Sheila Atim) that suddenly turns romantic; further making Jackie deal with her turbulent, complex feelings. The road to redemption for Jackie will be a bumpy one, but one that, perhaps, needs to be trod in the octagon, first.
Boy, this is one heavy film. I commend Berry for tackling her directorial debut. She gives a committed physical & emotional performance. And some of the fight scenes in the ring are quite compelling {some go on too long}. But on the whole, I found this fairly amateurish film to be undone by its over-reliance on genre conventions, cheese ball moments, & misery porn banality – the sights & sounds of people struggling in destitution throughout this movie is nothing new or enticing. This exhausting affair also meanders for 135 GRIM minutes and, though it's refreshing to see a film of this ilk presented from a female P.O.V., I was too irked by the eye roll-inducing, cringe-worthy cliches to exalt in the 'light at the end of the tunnel' conclusion.