Admirable film.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

It's all right to not like a movie. But don't get not liking it mixed up with not getting it. "Fighting" is not about fighting. It's about the mentality and culpability of a young drifter - Shawn - who stumbles into success at being a street fighter. He's a nice young man who never set out to be a fighter... or much of anything else, for that matter. He gets involved with Harvey, a second-rate street hustler who sees Shawn's potential as a street fighter and pimps the kid out for money. Shawn realizes he's being exploited and doesn't mind. That's nothing amazing. It happens every day. The acting is just fine. These aren't refined people; they are street people. The actors portrayed that. While this isn't an award-winning film, it did fulfill its mission. For viewers who expected something else, too bad. Get over it, and evaluate what was presented, not what you psyched yourself up for.

I don't like to write negative reviews, but with a film like this. I feel like i'm being more then modest. So the film was sold to the audience as an original take on an inspired action film, that all boys and men love "Wrong bet" starring Van Damme. The film stars Tatum in one of his first action roles, and it fails. You can't really call it a remake, because its not. You can't call it an adaptation, because its not. You cant call it an Action film, because its not. You cant call it Drama, because its not. You can call it a bad attempt at film making all together. The film has two, maybe 3 fights in total. Tatum character wins one fight by accident, and that makes him the champion. Yes, we don't see a montage or even hear it in passing dialogue that he beat other fighters or that he is a great fighter. We see him go up against one guy, who slips and knocks himself out while beating the living sh out of Tatum and thats it.The acting in the film is pretty terrible, Tatum didn't even try to act he just appeared angry in every shot. Howard was playing the same role he had played in hustle, just a pimp from the hood, you can say.IF you want to watch this film, Don't! instead look up and stream/ download or watch the Van Damme version Wrong Bet or Lion-heart, much more enjoyable with the same level of acting, but better and actual fight scenes, better story and a really cool soundtrack and theme music.

Where to start?The dialog is terrible. The action is unsatisfying. The actions of the characters and almost every aspect of the plot make Zero sense. Perhaps the most ridiculous is Terrance Howard trying to get Channing to throw fights. I mention the actors by name because their characters are as utterly forgettable as this movie. You throw fights for money when you're the favorite you nincapoops.The love story is inept, yet another meaningless, substance-less addition to the story.The ending is terrible. Predictable, stupid, and the moment where the writing goes from deplorable to downright offensively bad. Tatum mumbles 3/4 of his meaningless lines, and even the usually good Terrance Howard just can't save his characters' bad lines and completely ridiculous back-story. He's supposed old friends with our two 'bad guys', only our 'bad guys' aren't really established as bad guys.. None of them! Their entire backstory literally explained with ONE line in the movie. Of course they had, or must've had some sort of fallout... You know another subplot glazed over like a Krispy Kreme donut about to be expedited for shipment to the sewer system. I had this at 4, but gave it a re-watch in hopes that I'd give it a better score.. Nope.. Actually downgraded it. Here's a list of bad action films that are better. Rocky 5. Oh my is ANYthing worse than Rocky 5? Yes! This is! Lionheart. Kickboxer. Gladiator(Gooding). It's ALmost as bad as 'No Retreat No Surrender'.. Not quite, but close!34/100... Huge disappointment.

This thrilling movie deals with a tight-lipped hunk who is introduced to the world of underground street fierce brawling by a seasoned scam artist, who becomes his manager . In New York City, a young counterfeiter named Shawn McArthur (Channing Tatum) tries to come up with a way to get enough money to live . The desperate young knocks several robbers when they attempt to rob him some goods. After that he comes into contact with street-fight promoter , a hustler named Harvey (Terrence Howard). Shawn teams up with the organizer of no-holds-barred bare-knuckle fights that secretly entertain the wealthy across the streets and slums of N.Y.C. and links Shawn up with Martinez (Luis Guzman). Shawn is soon fighting various contenders -ranging from a Harlem bouncing to an Oriental fighter - earning money to help keep his new sweetheart (Zulay Enao) who comes to love him . Shawn decides that he has something worth brawling for and sets everything on the line to vanquish . Although Shawn only wants to bash opponents long enough to gain enough money to assist his girlfriend, he is reluctant to let tricks in combats on the fighting circuit .Every knock-out brings him closer to the existence he's always wished , but also carries him in a deadly cobweb he can't getaway.The picture contains drama ,thrills , and lots of violent brawls plenty of punch , kicks, and knockouts. Acceptable performance from Channing Tatum as impulsive young becoming a professional street-fighter and battling a variety of contenders , plus Zulay Enao gives a surprisingly good acting as his gorgeous love interest and special mention to Terrence Howard as the sharpster who arranges his bare-knuckled bouts . The picture belongs to sub-genre about street combats as ¨Lionheart¨ with Jean Claude Van Damme and whose maxim representation turns out to be the classic ¨Hard times¨ by Walter Hill with Charles Bronson and James Coburn . It's a colorful but violent entertainment that results to be the second film of his director Dito Montiel. His first movie was the dramatic ¨Guide to recognizing the saints ¨and in preparation ¨The son of no one¨ also with Channing Tatum and Al Pacino . Rating : passable , only for those who like films in which fist-play are staged ad nauseam .