Heavyweight Review – Locker room becomes pressure cooker in real-time boxing showdown | film

TBoxing movies usually revolve around a climactic showdown bursting with bright lights and rope action. Here, first-time director Christopher M. Anthony proves himself a contender by coming up with a new take: a boxing film that charts, in real time, the behind-the-scenes build-up to the showdown. Jordan Bolger plays “Diamond” Derek Douglas, who is recruited as a wildcard to fight the current champion. But his preparations are shaken when his camp learns that Derek’s former training partner Kane (Osei Ikheli) has thrown his lot – and his inside knowledge – with the enemy.

The boxing movie genre is hardly devoid of self-destructive slackers, but Anthony animates this exploration of mental fragility by corralling Derek in a locker room for the duration of the film. He suspects tough trainer Adam (Nicholas Pinnock) of collaborating with Cain and begins contacting his brother, a former fighter who once blew his big shot. Hitting a mirror out of frustration isn’t exactly the stuff winners are made of, forcing Adam to hide Derek’s injured hand. But, with a camera crew, celebrities and brand promoter Freddie (Jason Isaacs) in attendance, the underdog must do his best as if it’s no big deal.

He distances and dives in as relentlessly as he does with his camera around Derek and his team, and Anthony’s dexterity on the page becomes all the more important. It stays perfectly in sync with the dynamics of codependency between fighter and coach, as a crisis-ridden Derek attacks Adam as he looks to him for reassurance; Meanwhile, the latter faces the fight of his life to find the right words and get his man into the ring. Both Bulger (who looks more than physically believable) and Pinnock do an insightful job of embodying these psychological transformations.

Sometimes, as is sometimes the case with one-location or one-shot dramas, the heavy weight dictates the pace of the story and struggles for momentum. Relating much of the backstory verbally takes away some of the heat. And would Douglas’ team really allow Cain to spend so much time in the room that it would erode their boy’s confidence? But these are just quibbles. Overall, this is a smart examination of the pressure cooker environment of modern combat sports.