Talk about emotional…
MMA and fight dramas certainly take the cake when it comes to this aspect of storytelling, and we’ve seen it quite a few times in films like Gavin O’Connor’s Warrior, David O. Russell’s Mickey Ward biopic, The Fighter, and even the upcoming Jungleland; When done right, they never disappoint, regardless of box office returns.
Enter Krasny director Nick Sarkisov, back at the helm for his sophomore feature, Embattled, as of a few summers ago, with David McKenna’s script, and a cast led by Stephen Dorff and Darren Mann. IFC Films acquired the movie back and July, and we now have an official trailer along with key art ahead of a November 20 release.
Raised by an abusive father, Cash (Stephen Dorff) channels his aggression to become a World Champion MMA fighter. Now accustomed to wealth, adulation and global popularity, he faces a new challenge when his second son is born with Williams Syndrome. But this time, rather than stand and fight, he runs. While Cash continues to make his fortune in the ring, his eldest son Jett (Darren Mann) becomes the care-giver to his younger brother Quinn (Colin McKenna). When Jett decides to follow his father’s fighting footsteps and take to the fight game, he faces his past head on, embarking on a course inevitably pitting father versus son in a battle which, no matter the outcome, neither can win.
Watching Dorff take on an MMA role certainly jabs at the fanboy nerves some. The reactions I’ve seen to the trailer above are already positive, so there’s a good chance some viewers are gonna want more of this out of Dorff for the not-too-distant future. Fingers crossed?
Elizabeth Reaser, Colin McKenna, Karrueche Tran, Donald Faison, Saïd Taghmaoui and Ava Capri also star.
