Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Great boxing drama which through a very original script and editing recreates a boxing match in which between rounds and through long flashbacks we find out the reasons why boxers are fighting in that fight.One of the great virtues of the film is it's originality in the way that tells the story, not resembling to any other movie of the genre, being the less important of the film the boxing match and focusing more in the human drama that both fighters are going through Damian Lee, director and screenwriter of the film achieved in a outstanding way to keep you interested until the ending of the story.The film is starring by a great Dominic Purcell who lead a cast with some established names such as James Caan , Louis Gosset JR and Famke Jamssen who also displays a very nice performance.There is a brief a appearance of Freddie Roach that boxing fans will probably enjoy Highly recommended

"A Fighting Man" will be added to my "B Marathon List" because it's definitely deserving. Not perfect, but deserving.A fine supporting cast helps. From the lady who plays Sailors mother, to James Caan,Famke Jannsen, and Louis Gossett, the entire cast(save one) does an EXCellent job. Unfortunately, the 'one' is Dominic Purcell, who's performance is a bit rigid and uninspiring. His lines all delivered with the same emotionless whisper that really loses the fight against his acting counterparts.The director deserves MAD PROPS here. The film is put together extremely well considering the shoe-string budget. THe fight choreography is strong, the camera work and editing are all above average.The story is pieced together beautifully with many pertinent subplots, all played out perfectly, even some surprises thrown in there. This film needed a new star and a bigger budget, and it could have really been amazing.The film had style in its fonts and its shots, time-jumping, and human elements, but it just couldn't elevate into rarefied air without a better performance from the lead and a little more money for extras and and overall production design.Still, kudos for the effort. THe director gets an asterisk next to his name as someone to keep an eye on. Good "B" movie that is definitely worth your time and money, but oh how this could have been a diamond in the rough instead of a garnet.70/100 You Might like this if you liked: Streets of GOld(not as good), THe Wrestler(much better), Vision Quest(better), and Win Win(better)... but most of those are pretty strong flicks.Impressed overall. Good sleeper no doubt.

i just saw actor dominic purcell in the movie "a fighting man"! give an academy award to him, the other actors, the producer, the director, the man who wrote the script! i saw all of the "rocky" movies. every one. this is more true to life.a child sees his father brutally hit his mother. then, the father knocks him against the window of the car, and cracks it. the child vows to his mother to never get knocked down right then and there! and, "sailor", played by dominic purcell, is not knocked down, even in his last, his sixty-fourth, fight. his mother raises him herself. the father has run off, abandoning the both of them. my father did the same thing.i see myself in "sailor". this is a prizefighters movie. this is not some "pink and white idiot's" movie about what it must be to be a prizefighter. this is a movie in which the entire cast spills their guts out! purcell was born in england, but, raised in Australia. Australia is a man's world. how many innocent men and women were sent to "new south wales" as convicts years ago? the raw seething beneath the skin for past injustices done to his people comes to life in dominic purcell. bravo! to everyone involved! a masterpiece!

"The best we can do is to forgive ourselves." Sailor O'Connor (Purcell) is an aging fighter with a past that won't let him go. He is trying to move on when he is approached by a local promoter for one last fight. After agreeing for the biggest payday he's ever had he tells his mother and old trainer, neither of whom is happy about it. His opponent is an up and coming young kid with a past he is also trying to change. Together they fight not only each other but the past they can't forget. As many of you know I am a huge fan of sports movies. Being a lower budget one that not many people have heard of I wasn't expecting too much from this. I'm not sure if that had any effect on my feelings toward this but I really really enjoyed it. Every other boxing movie I have seen tells the story of the characters then ends with the fight. This one switches between the fighting and the story which I really enjoyed. You see some punches then part of the fighters life which segues beautifully into the break in between rounds. That gives extra meaning to the rest period. I could go on and on about this but I'll end by saying I highly recommend this. Overall, not sure if it was because I wasn't expecting something this good but I really enjoyed this. I actually liked it more then The Fighter. I give this an A-.