Boxing is one of cinema’s great metaphors. In both the ring and in everyday life, if you get knocked down, you have no choice but to get back up and keep fighting. It’s a great one-to-one with the come-up. That’s why Rocky (1976) and Raging Bull (1980) are two of the great personal dramas of the last 50 years — not many people are willing to get their head bashed in. Few can take it; even fewer can do something about it. And though Rocky Balboa and Jake LaMotta are the two most famous movie boxers, the subgenre has never slowed down. Will Smith, Hilary Swank, Jake Gyllenhaal, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, and Sydney Sweeney have all made their boxing movies. Now, in the Hulu original They Fight, it’s André Holland’s turn.
Holland’s character, based on the real-life man Walt Manigan, is not a boxer, though; he’s a boxing coach. He’s not training to be the heavyweight champion of the world or the fame and fortune that comes with that title. He’s just trying to keep his head down and stay out of trouble. Recently released from prison, Walt just wants to get back on his feet, find a real job, and provide stability to his family. When Slim (Wendell Pierce) allows him to crash at the rec center in exchange for some janitorial duties, he realizes that he has something to offer the world — and the young boys at the center who need a coach in the ring and a champion in life.
They Fight is directed by Sheldon Candis, who co-wrote the film with Andrew Renzi. It’s based on Renzi’s 2018 documentary of the same name, which spent time in the gyms and boxing competitions alongside these fighters. Candis, a Baltimore native, substitutes his (also my) beloved city for the comparable D.C., and has to make some of the usual “based on a true story” changes for the sake of the narrative film, but he otherwise sticks close enough to the essence of the original. At barely 85 minutes, including some padding with clips from the documentary, it’s just a tad longer than the doc’s 75-minute runtime.
In that regard, They Fight is your typical sports drama. There are training sequences, emotional and physical challenges to overcome, and a climactic boxing match at the end. It’s the kind of movie that Disney was cranking out in the aughts (Remember the Titans (2000), Glory Road (2006), and The Rookie (2002) all come to mind — if it wasn’t for the language that earned this a totally unnecessary TV-MA rating, this would totally fit into that family-friendly mold) with sizable budgets and full theatrical releases. Now, it’s made for a mere $7 million (Glory Road was made for $30 million 20 years ago) and dumped on Disney+. It’s even hidden on the homepage, which, as of publication, advertises Descendants: Wicked Wonderland and Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, with no mention of this movie that came out just a few days ago.
The drama is standard, but the perspective of the film’s main character, as not only a coach but also a volunteer for children, shakes it up enough. Holland makes the film work, even when he’s asked to say some of the more cliché-riddled lines. He’s one of those actors who’s always strong, and you think, “Why isn’t he a much bigger deal?” Then you look at his resume, realize he does a lot of theater and low-budget movies that shoot two blocks from your house (the filming of this movie was so low-key that as I drove home one day, I said, “Wait, they’re filming a movie two blocks from my house?”), That’s why he’s always sturdy, though. The guy works.
The rest of the cast supports him well. Pierce —‚ who is no stranger to Baltimore or Washington; he’s most recognized for playing Bunk on The Wire and for recently wrapping a critically regarded run as the title role in Othello at D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company — is as empowering as he is intimidating, offering Walt a second chance but pushing him to apply his untapped potential to the boys at the center. The boys, Peanut (Anthony B. Jenkins), Quincey (Toussaint Francois Battiste), and Twin (Tory Jacqui Malone), are all naturally charming. Despite their youth, they’re honest and sincere, which almost helps you forget that they’re learning how to punch another human being in the head.
Though you might probably wish they were learning something a little less violent and brain-traumatizing, there’s no doubt that anything productive these boys commit themselves to is better than the alternative. Candis, who worked on the Colin Kaepernick television show and made a documentary about Baltimore’s undefeated Dunbar High basketball team, knows how to tell a story about how dedication to a craft can distract from the world’s scariest consequences. The film doesn’t mind making the subtext text by repeating that famous Mike Tyson quote, “Everybody’s got a plan until you get punched in the mouth.”
That’s why Rocky, the still-undefeated greatest boxing movie ever, ends with Balboa losing the fight. He has to lose. The metaphor is stronger that way, because sometimes you fight and fight and fight and it’s still not enough, but all that matters is that you tried. They Fight doesn’t (and couldn’t) end the same way, but the final bout does put an interesting spin on what counts as a win and what winning really means. In that way, Candis has made a winner.
Review Courtesy of Patrick J. Regal
Feature Image Courtesy of Hulu