They Fight Review – The Boxing Drama is an Emotional Braver | Sports movies

IIn the vein of Creed and Million Dollar Baby, They Fight makes another compelling argument for why boxing remains a timeless symbol of the human condition. This time it’s Walt (Andre Holland) who’s staring at the count of ten. Once a superstar on the Washington, D.C., boxing scene, Walt sees his promising career derailed by the city’s drug trade. After spending a long period in prison, he is released on parole and is determined to reunite with his old lover (Samira Wiley) and their young son.

After school, Walt returns wearily to the neglected gymnasium where he first found his footing in the sweet sciences, hoping to chart a new path forward, but is drawn into its revival by the resident advisor, Slim (Wendell Pierce), and a trio of boys eager to fight. But best friends Quincy (Tussaint-François-Baptiste) and Peanut (Anthony P. Jenkins) end up on a collision course for the national title belt as their future, Walt’s reintegration into society and a gym location in DC’s rapidly changing Ward 8, hang in the balance.

Like the young fighters at its center, “fighting” carries with it a purpose. There is not an ounce of fat in the 90-minute window. The film comes with obvious advantages, to be sure: It’s an adaptation of a popular documentary that premiered eight years before this one debuted at Tribeca, and it benefits from the support of ESPN’s Andscape, a Black sports and culture platform known for getting nuance right — even when the film relies too much on faux SportsCenter clips for exposition. You may also find yourself rolling your eyes when the film likens Walt’s life to “one of those ESPN 30 for 30 docs,” as if They Fight wasn’t made in part to address this careful oversight by the prestigious series.

Ultimately, what’s great about They Fight is that it doesn’t hit the nail on the head. It wins points, steadily piling up the emotional victories until its themes of redemption and forgiveness have you fighting for a box of Kleenex. Director Sheldon Candace extracts warmth from what could have been a lament for the memories and lives that gentrification destroys and builds upon.

Adversity strikes Quincy and Peanut; Neighborhood violence, the loss of parents, are all blows that force children to grow up quickly. But even amid the pain, Candace makes room for precious joy: a nice family dinner, the boys flirting with their female classmates at the community pool, and Walt teasing Slim for handing out a Zen koan while slurping down ramen noodles. They’re the kind of scenes that stick with you after the final bell, moments that illustrate the true stakes of the match.

But it’s the quiet confidence of “They Fight” that invites inevitable comparison with “Million Dollar Baby” and, more recently, the 2024 film “The Fire Inside,” inspired by the life of world boxing champion Claressa Shields. Batiste and Jenkins fill the screen with an earnestness and sweetness reminiscent of a young Michael B. Jordan in The Wire; One can easily imagine looking at They Fight a decade from now as advertised by the film two Extraordinary talents.

It’s hard not to remember The Wire, where Pearce gives another noble performance serving a community under pressure and Andre Royo’s sparkling turn as Bente’s wayward father. Mykelti Williamson makes the most of his limited screen time once again, and the women in “They’re Fighting” — led by Wiley (of Orange Is the New Black) and Tinashe Kajesi Bolden (of DC Universe) — give the film an unflinching emotional heft in the face of persistent narrative undertones.

But it’s Holland who reminds viewers that he’s still one of the best leading men of his generation, even though he rarely gets due credit for the work he’s done since appearing on Moonlight — from High Flying Bird to Love, Brooklyn. Holland is incredibly skilled at playing subtle rhythms, keeping Walt’s pain hidden behind his soft eyes and pursed lips.

He feels intense satisfaction watching Walt finally give it all up, finding purpose guiding his young buddies through backyard boxing drills using bricks and tires—old-school methods that mask an almost algorithmic approach to the sweet science. “Numbers are the code,” Walt tells the kids about their punch combinations. “You master the code, you master your opponent. You may hate my methods, but you will love the results.”

On a final blessing note, “They Fight” concludes with an end-credits scene that reunites the film’s main cast with their real-life counterparts. Of course, as with all boxing stories, it’s more about the journey than the main event. But this marriage of feature film and documentary gives the hard-won victory an extra measure of catharsis at ringside. That’s why they fight not just win on cards. It hits you right in the feels.