FightingMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 61 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 Iffy for 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 88
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    Fighting has real grit and excellent acting. In other words, there is gold in that dirt. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    I like the way the personalities are allowed to upstage the plot in Fighting, a routine three-act fight story that creates uncommonly interesting characters. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Hartlaub

    In a genre where too many films are all brawn and no brain, Fighting is a contender. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    Not everything that happens in Fighting entirely makes sense -- it's a fable, after all, and a fable doesn't necessarily have to -- but it breathes with a rough, exuberant realism that you rarely see in movies of its kind. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times |

    It's not "Raging Bull" or "Fight Club," but Fighting is populated by believable losers and lovingly adorned with just the right faces and peeling wallpaper to absorb you in Montiel's world. Read full review

  • 60
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    In Channing Tatum, who also starred in "Saints," the film has a good-looking, magnetic hunk to draw a crowd. Terrence Howard lends the pedigree of great screen acting, and Zulay Henao adds charm and glamour. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety |

    For all the utter phoniness of Fighting -- the cockeyed, faux-verite shooting, the lurches in storytelling, the lack of character development, a contrived crisis between Shawn and his would-be girlfriend Zulay and Tatum's dopey-charming thing--Fighting's not so bad. Read full review

  • 42
    Entertainment Weekly |

    Murderously dull stretches of dialogue suck most of the fun out of this sloppy drama. Read full review

  • 40
    Washington Post |

    Fighting isn't very good, but it will make you hope that someday, some great director will give Tatum's pecs the star vehicle they deserve. Read full review

  • 38
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Fighting seriously lacks punch. Read full review

View more reviews for Fighting on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 14+ Street-fighting saga is stylish but cliched and violent.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this mediocre action drama about illegal street fighting is (suprise!) quite violent, with lots of brawling and some blood. There's a simmering romantic-sexual subplot, too, but the movie spends a lot more time on characters punching each other than on kissing. Although the movie has an underlying "follow your dream and never quit" message, it's hard to reconcile that with the illegal, brutal world it takes place in. Expect some broad ethnic stereotypes, strong language (including "s--t"), drinking, and smoking.
  • Families can talk about the appeal of fighting as a sport. Is it the desire to see athletic excellence in action or something more primal? 
  • Does this kind of violence have more or less impact than explosions and gun battles? Why?
  • Families can also talk about the conflicts Shawn faces, as well as the bond he forms with his handler/manager.
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The movie has underlying messages about self-reliance, honor, and character -- but since the film takes place in the world of illegal street-fighting, there's a disconnect between the characters' purpose and the sometimes-brutal action. New York's neighborhoods are depicted using broad ethnic stereotypes -- Brooklyn is full of Russian Jews, Chinatown full of caricatured Asian gangsters, the Bronx teeming with cliched Latinos, etc.
What to watch for
  • violence false4 Violence: Non-stop bare-knuckle brawling -- including grappling, punching, wrestling moves, kicks, punches, and more. Characters are shown bloodied and beaten after fights. Some gunplay; a supporting character is shot in the ear. The infamous "sleeper hold" is used repeatedly.
  • sex false3 Sex: Some kissing and cleavage; some suggestive talk about transvestites. Kissing leads to what must be sex; the deed isn't shown, but it's implied via a cut to characters cuddling and getting dressed.
  • language false3 Language: Language includes "ass," "s--t," "dick," "nuts," "bitch," "oh my God," and "a--hole." References are made to "white boys," and the "N" word is used once.
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: Brands mentioned or featured on screen include Mercedes, Everlast, and International House of Pancakes.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters drink hard liquor and beer and smoke cigars and cigarettes. Characters go to bars. "Crackhead" is used as an insult.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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