{"id":153307,"date":"2024-12-13T14:05:47","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T14:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodintoto.com\/?p=2042077"},"modified":"2024-12-13T14:05:47","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T14:05:47","slug":"day-of-the-fight-punches-above-its-weight-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/13\/day-of-the-fight-punches-above-its-weight-class\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Day of the Fight\u2019 Punches Above Its Weight Class"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jack Huston\u2019s \u201cDay of the Fight\u201d begins with the familiar but becomes something truly special.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To be specific, I was emailed a press note from the director that this isn\u2019t a boxing movie but a movie about a boxer. Alright, but to not undersell it, the film does have a great boxing match as its climax. It also earns its place as a sleeper, a boxing movie akin with \u201cDiggstown<\/a>\u201d (1992) and \u201cGirlfight<\/a>\u201d (2000). It’s a smaller, scrappier, less Hollywood take on a well-established sports genre.<\/p>\n

\"YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n

In the establishing scenes, we meet boxer Mike Flannigan (Michael Pitt) who we see starting his long day leading up to a fight later on. Huston shot the film in black and white.<\/p>\n

As Flannigan does his morning jog through cold streets, wearing warm clothing and a cap, running towards the camera, as triumphant music plays, I was deeply worried. Surely Huston has seen \u201cRocky\u201d parts 1-6, as well as \u201cRaging Bull\u201d (1980)\u201d?<\/p>\n

Did the director and creative team realize they were inching too close to duplication instead of tribute? For much of the beginning, I feared Huston and his team either didn\u2019t know or didn\u2019t care that this is too similar to what came before it to go the distance.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the feeling of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu fades.<\/p>\n

The story moves from one encounter to the next, as Flannigan interacts with members of his community, some of whom are rooting for him, while others are weary of him. As the story takes us from one conversation to another, the film took hold. \u201cDay of the Fight\u201d may be overly familiar in the early stretch, but it has a lot of heart and earns the long build up to a great climactic bout.<\/p>\n

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Pitt, the character actor whom I always associate with \u201cThe Dreamers\u201d (2003) and \u201cFunny Games\u201d (2008), has aged well to play Flannigan. He resembles Tom Berenger, connects to the just-keep-moving trajectory of the role and gives an excellent performance.<\/p>\n

One of the prime attractions here is to see Joe Pesci on screen again, and the Oscar winner contributes an unexpected turn that I won\u2019t describe. Pesci\u2019s big scene with Pitt is powerful, a result of both performers generously giving their all to a tricky, deeply emotional confrontation.<\/p>\n

Ron Perlman (playing Flannigan\u2019s coach) and Nicolette Robinson (as Flannigan\u2019s angry ex) also have hard-hitting scenes that are so well written and performed, this feels less episodic than it actually is. Huston\u2019s film is closer to Rod Serling\u2019s \u201cRequiem for a Heavyweight\u201d than anything involving Apollo Creed or the Italian Stallion.<\/p>\n

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.@LinseyDavis<\/a> speaks with actor Michael C. Pitt and director Jack Huston about \u201cDay of the Fight,\u201d an evocative film that follows a once celebrated boxer fighting for a second chance. pic.twitter.com\/aUQpVWSWPS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) December 12, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n