Fighting
Rogue Pictures | Release Date: April 24, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
61
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
11
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Fighting has real grit and excellent acting. In other words, there is gold in that dirt. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Fighting doesn’t break new ground so much as animate B-movie types, but New York movies this gritty and flavorful don't come along very often. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger 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
PremiereJordan Burchette
Fighting is a fun, frank and faithful homage to simple inner-city drama. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle Smith
Fighting arrives fully charged by the charisma of its star, Channing Tatum, who has landed the lead in the upcoming "G.I. Joe." Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
In a genre where too many films are all brawn and no brain, Fighting is a contender. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMichael Ordona
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
70
The New York TimesA.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
The New YorkerDavid Denby
Yet, even if the movie is a fake as a fight picture, it's still a decent commercial entertainment. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Howard's snappy-smooth performance, unsurprisingly, is what elevates Fighting from its hoary genre predecessors. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterKirk 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
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
As its defiantly bland title suggests, Fighting is a bare-bones effort that tries just hard enough to keep us watching. By making good use of its New York setting, Montiel does bring a certain indie grit to the generic story. Read full review
50
VarietyJohn Anderson
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
50
Charlotte ObserverRoger Moore
The director plays a visual game of three card monte on us for this silly, weakly acted and yet sometimes entertaining variation on the “Big Fight” movie formula. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Fighting is a crude love letter to seventies' New York cinema but set in the present. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
Authentic locations and careful attention to detail help evoke several New York boroughs in all their gritty vitality, but the screenplay about a hunky street vendor turned underground fighter is sloppy and false. Read full review
50
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
Every so often you catch glimpses of a better movie behind the simplistic structure and formulaic plot. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineJeremy Wheeler
It's not as if Fighting is terrible. The acting is well done, as is the unique look at the underbelly of the Big Apple. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyAdam Markovitz
Murderously dull stretches of dialogue suck most of the fun out of this sloppy drama. Read full review
40
Village VoiceScott Foundas
The movie never works up a pulpy head of steam. It's like an exploitation movie that thinks it's an art movie, only there's no art to be found. Read full review
40
Washington PostDan Kois
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 TodayClaudia Puig
Fighting seriously lacks punch. Read full review
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